The Manipura, or Solar Plexus Chakra, is located just above the navel. If you place your hand on your belly a couple of inches above your belly button, that is where this chakra resides. The color yellow and the element of fire are associated with this energy center. It is this part of us that controls our power and our sense of self. This is a really important part of our subtle selves; from here, we develop our own unique personalities. This is the place that makes you who you are, that sets you apart from others, and gives you the confidence to be your own person.
What Does the Solar Plexus Chakra Do?
Personality – What makes you you? What is it that makes you different to the next person, different to your siblings, who you share DNA with? What is it that sets you apart? If someone were to ask your friend what kind of person you are, what would they say? These elements of your personality are embedded in the Solar Plexus Chakra. This is the energy center that empowers our personalities and enables us to form personal beliefs and opinions. Without energy flow here, we can feel like we dont know who we are or what we think; our sense of identity is challenged, and we can feel a range of negative emotions as a result.
Priorities – Your priorities are closely linked to what type of personality you have. The things that are important to us may change as time goes by the things that matter to you as a teenager are not the same as what matters to you later in life. As these priorities change, it is the Solar Plexus Chakra that enables you to form opinions about what you want, or why you want it, and how determined you are.
Intellect – Our mental abilities are rooted deeply in this important energy center. The way in which we understand the world around us or how we learn, and how we solve problems in our lives comes down to our ability to use our intellect and reasoning skills. When we want to learn new things, expand our horizons, and embrace the world of knowledge that is available to us, we must have energy flowing through this chakra in order to think clearly and engage with mental agility.
Will – The Solar Plexus Chakra is the center of our personal power. It is here that our will resides and here that our self-discipline begins. With a healthy energy flow through this energy center, we can feel empowered and confident to move forward, tackle any problems we may face, or step towards our goals with greater self-assurance. Without good energy flow in this area, it is more difficult to take control of a situation, more difficult to see our true path ahead, and more difficult to remain motivated.
Decision-Making – Making decisions is not always easy. In fact, many of us struggle with being decisive, and this becomes a bigger problem when we are under pressure, experiencing fatigue, or are stressed out. The Solar Plexus, linked to our personal power, is crucial for decision making. Not only that, but it is here that we gain a sense of self-trust so that we trust our judgment in making decisions and take responsibility for the outcome of our choices.
Boundaries – It is so important to be able to set our own boundaries based on our own personalities, needs, desires, and priorities. This is another crucial element of our emotional lives that comes from the wellspring of power located at this chakra. This enables us each to make choices about what you want from others and what you are willing to accept. This is key to not being taken advantage of and retaining your personal power while having positive, mutually beneficial relationships.
The Solar Plexus Chakra and the Physical Body
As you might guess from its location in the abdomen, the Solar Plexus Chakra is associated with the stomach and wider digestive system. It is strongly linked to the metabolism, by which the body turns the food we eat into energy to fuel our bodily functions. When this chakra is not functioning well, people may experience disorders of the digestive system. They may experience stomach pain, gastrointestinal distress, and anxiety. Sometimes unexplained stomach pain is caused by anxiety, and this can be an indicator that this chakra is not aligned, and energy is not flowing in a positive, healthy way through the rest of the body.
Working with the Solar Plexus Chakra
A functional chakra with healthy energy flow at this level means you can have the confidence to know what you want, and you have the ability to get it. It means a healthy level of assertiveness. When this energy center is not functioning well, you may experience an imbalance of personal power. This could mean feeling powerless, incapable of making a decision, lacking in self-belief and confidence. Or it might mean that you feel an irresistible desire to control situations, and even people. You may become excessively focused on the minutiae of life with no real sense of what is truly important to you. It is very important to realize that imbalance at the level of this chakra can mean either of these extremes. One of the reasons that this chakra can become unbalanced, is when a person has experienced abusive situations previously. A person who has been controlled or abused, a victim of bullying, or living with someone who has an overbearing or domineering personality may have dysfunction in this chakra. They may feel a lack of power or a desire to overpower.
Balancing the Solar Plexus Chakra is so essential for the individual. It allows the personality to thrive, and for a sense of purpose to take us wherever we want to go. It enables us to be self-determined, to embrace who we are, and move forward with confidence.
