“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
The Manipura (Solar Plexus) Chakra is the third Chakra, and is located just above the navel and below the rib cage. It is thought to be our center of peace. It is associated with the color yellow and the element fire. The associated body parts are the digestive system, the spleen, the liver, the pancreas, the gall bladder and the adrenal glands.
Those who are strong and balanced in this chakra have a solid self-esteem, feelings of purpose, a healthy sense of self-respect, and are ambitious and self-motivated. They tend to have great intuition, being able to trust in that “gut feeling” with confidence.
Those who are overactive in this chakra may be judgmental and critical, easily finding fault in others. They may have emotional problems, being very rigid and stubborn (“do it my way or no way at all”), angry or aggressive. Many people who are overactive in this chakra are those who are seen as workaholics and perfectionists.
Those who are depleted in this chakra tend to be very distrustful of the people in their lives, they have a lot of doubt, and they worry excessively about what others think of them. They worry they are not good enough, and are constantly seeking the approval of others. They often feel depression and anxiety, but avoid dealing with it. Physically, people depleted in this chakra suffer from sluggishness or malfunctions of the digestive system.
It can be difficult for many to know where their balance lies in this chakra, as it means you REALLY need to know yourself well, so we will be focusing on this in class this week. It is important to include poses that focus on engaging the core muscles and pulling the energy of the body into the midline in order to bring this chakra into balance. Some great yoga poses to include would be:
- Breath of Fire…this isn’t really a pose, but this breath is great at stimulating the third chakra
- Sun Salutations (any variation)
- All Abdominal Strengtheners
- Spinal Balance
- Navasana (Boat Pose)
- Warrior poses (Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Warrior 3, Reverse Warrior, Crescent Lunge)
- Twists
- Parighasana (Gate Pose)
- Side Plank (Vasisthasana)
- Purvottanasana (Inclined Plank)
I look forward to having you in class this week. If you’re unable to make it, try including some of the above in your personal practice. I’d love to know what you discover.
Namaste,
Melanie
SC Yoga Girl 