The SOLAR PLEXUS Chakra Overview

Illustration by Cloudy Thurstag

SOLAR PLEXUS

Manipura

Overview

• Location: Located around the navel in the area of the solar plexus and up to the breastbone.

• Colour: Yellow

• Season: Summer

• Sense: Sight

• Element: Fire

• Body parts: Adrenal glands, stomach, pancreas, liver and skin.

Description

The Solar Plexus (Manipura), which means ‘lustrous gem’ is our home of energy and power. It is a source of personal ambition and governs self-esteem, warrior energy, and the power of transformation. Simply put it is your energy chakra. Your powerhouse where drive, ambition and willpower come from. It’s where you can make your dreams come true and every step you take towards these intentions helps to strengthen your third chakra.

The Manipura chakra also controls metabolism and digestion and gives us the energy we need to go out into the world and strive for the goals and dreams we have for ourselves.

You can recognise the people with an overactive solar plexus as the kind of people who are always complaining about being too busy. They are the over-achievers who are never content with their daily productivity. They write exhaustive lists of daily tasks and beat themselves up for not achieving every item on their list. They always have a huge goals they are working towards and would feel lost if they didn’t have such a goal to strive for. They are prone to burnout and often run on caffeine or other stimulants to keep their energy high.

On the other hand, those with underactive solar plexus energies are those whom may seem lazy, unmotivated and love to procrastinate. They may lack ambition and only ever do the bare minimum each day to get by and keep their life in balance. They lack the drive and determination they require to fulfil any dreams or goals they may have.

The Persona

When you feel self-confident, have a strong sense of purpose, and are self-motivated, your third chakra is open and healthy. When you have clear goals, desires, and intentions, you can move forward to achieve them. Each small step you take while honouring the larger intention helps to strengthen your third chakra.

When balanced, we feel in control of ourselves, we believe in our own personal power, we stand our ground and are strong when confronting necessary changes. Overstimulation here can lead to bossiness and an unhealthy need to control or subjugate others.

If your third chakra is out of balance, you can suffer from low self-esteem, have difficulty making decisions, and may have anger or control issues. We feel weak and powerless, as if we lack the strength to create or face change in our lives. It also affects our abilities to maintain personal boundaries.

Food

• Yellow foods: Pineapple, banana and passion fruit.

• Foods which offer the most ‘fuel/energy’ to our body

• Complex carbohydrates such as: oats, beans and pulses of all kinds, legumes such as chickpeas, chestnuts, corn/popcorn, sweet potato and squash.

• Fruits & sweeteners such as banana, honey, dates, prunes and molasses.

• Adaptogenic and tonic herbs such as: lacuma, licorice and turmeric.

• B Vitamin rich foods to boost metabolism such as nutritional yeast.

• Avoid stimulating foods such as caffeine – can be too stimulating for the overactive solar plexus.

Balancing Activity

Cultivate Joy

Buy some beautiful yellow flowers such as daffodils, sunflowers, tulips or gerberas and place them in your home to bring you a sense of joy every time you notice them.

Affirmation

‘I am confident in all that I do; I respect myself at all times and stand up for myself when necessary.’