Note: This article is part two of a series focused on chakras in yoga. Below is a summarization of concepts, which I have stickied to each article. If you’re familiar with chakras, or have already read the intro, feel free to jump below the pic to skip straight to the Sacral Chakra!
The concept of chakras can be traced back to the early (ca. 1500 BCE) Vedic texts of Hinduism, and there are believed to be over 100 in each of our spiritual energy fields. According to modern yogic philosophy, there are 7 chakras located in our body; they are in ascending order: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. Each chakra supports us physically and energetically as we navigate our lives.
It’s worth mentioning that the location of each chakra in our body corresponds to that of an important part of the endocrine system, which is pretty cool when you consider how much time spanned between the conceptualization of chakras and the discovery of glands/organs. The endocrine system is responsible for regulating our hormones via a complex system of messaging and feedback loops, and is comprised of (in corresponding order as above): gonads, pancreas, adrenal glands, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, and pineal.
Chakras are thought to be spinning energy discs within the subtle (metaphysical) body, which overlaps with our physical bodies. Much like our breath can link our minds and bodies, or our endocrine system links our organs and brain, the chakras link our energetic self to our physical self. When we work on our chakras, we are manipulating our prana, or life force energy. Often times, chakras are said to be “blocked;” when we talk about opening our chakras, we are aiming to allow unrestricted flow of prana within our subtle body, in other words, aligning our chakras.
Chakras can be worked on in a number of ways, including meditation, diet, reiki, and of course yoga! Other modalities for chakra work include tapping, crystals, and color therapy. I will do my best in this series to touch on as many of these approaches as possible for each chakra.
Sacral Chakra
- Sanskrit: svadisthana- “where your being is established”
- Bija mantra (“seed sound”): Vam
- Color: orange
- Essential oils: sweet orange, tangerine, patchouli
- Symbol: six-petaled lotus
- Element: water
- Endocrine analogue: pancreas
- Pranayama (breathwork): kapalabhati
- Mudra: jala mudra
The sacral chakra is the second in the column, originating in the space just below the bellybutton. Svadisthana chakra governs our emotional expression and creativity. This chakra is associated with our inner child, sense of physical well-being, and our sexuality.
When your sacral chakra is blocked, you might feel disruptions in your creativity, sexuality, or self-confidence. An overactive sacral chakra can result in emotional highs and lows, misplaced affection, and escapism. If you find yourself engaging in pet bad habits or body shaming(ack! nonono!), then you may benefit from some sacral chakra work.
Balancing the sacral chakra involves self-reflection regarding your sense of creativity and sexuality, as well as your emotional state. The element of the sacral chakra is water, an ever-changing, fluid element, which parallels the ever-shifting properties of human emotion. Introducing some water elements to your space can help to remind us to listen to our inner emotional selves, which are often shifting and evolving regardless of whether we are actively feeling them.
A meditation for the sacral chakra could utilize many elements; a simple repetition of the bija mantra “vam,” or choosing an affirmation is a good start. Sacral chakra affirmations can focus on relationships outside the self, embracing your own creativity and/or sexuality, or letting go of past trauma and accepting the new.
To set up a short meditation, choose or visualize some orange objects, and find a space to set yourself up, preferably near some water elements. A votive candle or orange flowers floating in a bowl is an easy approach. If using aromatherapy, incorporate your chosen essential oils by adding to a diffuser, using a carrier oil, or one of my chakra lotion bars to slough off some old skin while you slough off some spiritual or mental negativity!
If you’d like to flow first, a good series for sacral chakra might look like: cat-cow, crow and/or Hindi squat, triangle, goddess, triangle (other side), childs pose. Hold each pose for 3-5 breaths, and transition however you see fit.
If you’d like to add some breathwork, breath of fire is a great way to invigorate the senses and stoke that sacral inner fire! In fact, nose breathing techniques may increase production of nitric oxide, which has many physical benefits, including improved cardiovascular health!
An aside for my skeptical hearts: if you’ve never done this kind of work, you may be thinking “I don’t think that there’s a spinning disco puck in my butt, dictating the quality of my connection to the physical realm, that needs to be fed cinnamon oil or it’ll give me anxiety.” To which I say, “Completely fair.”
I’ll also say, however, that the entire chakra column can be viewed as a choose your own adventure of mind-body work that can be utilized at any time to bring your awareness and focus to a specific idea or emotion. Conditioning your nervous system to relax through breathwork, while centering your awareness on something you would like to improve in your life, can be a powerful exercise for skeptics and believers alike.
Love and light,
Erin