THE SACRAL OR SVADHISTHANA CHAKRA
The second chakra is called the Sacral chakra or “Svadhisthana” Chakra in Sanskrit, which means “your own place”. It is located in the center of the space between your hipbones, about two finger widths below the navel.
The second chakra is instrumental in developing flexibility in our life. Associated with the water element, it’s characterized by movement and flow in our emotions and thoughts. It supports personal expansion and the formation of identity by relating to others and to the world.
The sacral chakra is associated with the following psychological and behavioral functions:
· Emotions, feelings
· Relationships, relating
· Expression of sexuality, sensual pleasure
· Feeling the outer and inner worlds
· Creativity
· Fantasies
Function: Manage the emotional state
Basic right: To Feel
Basic need: Variety
Related Organs: Kidneys, bladder, small intestine, lymphatic system, and large intestine (including the colon, rectum, and anal canal). For men, this includes: prostate, penis, scrotum, and testicles; for women: vagina, uterus, and ovaries.
Color: Orange
Sound: VAM
Musical note: D
Frequency: 288 Hz
Element: Water
Energy: Its element is water and as such, its energy is characterized by flow and flexibility.
Animal: Crocodile, Bee, Tiger.
The sacral chakra is associated with the realm of emotions and the emotional body; it is often referred to as the seat of emotions. It’s the center of our feelings, taste, and sensations. It’s particularly active in our sexuality and the expression of our passion, creativity, sensual and sexual desires.
Motivated by pleasure, it’s the driving force for the enjoyment of life through the senses. Opening your sacral chakra allows you to “feel” the world in and around you. It is the foundation of our feeling of well-being. It is also holding one of the most powerful energy storage centers of the body. This center is called “Dantian” in Chinese Qigong, “Hara” in Japanese, and “Kath” in the Sufi tradition.
Sacral Chakra Symbol
A orange 6 petals lotus in which is inscribed a moon crescent.
Typically, the moon crescent is colored in silver and represents the connection of the energy of the moon with water. These symbols point to the close relationship between the phases of the moon and the fluctuations in the water and the emotions.
Furthermore, the symbolism of the moon relates to the females menstrual cycle that takes the same number of days to complete and the connection of the sacral chakra with sexual organs and reproduction.
Sacral Chakra Mantra
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I am creative
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I go with life’s flow
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I embrace pleasure and abundance
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I understand my feeling
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I love and enjoy my body
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I have healthy boundaries
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I am open to experiencing the present moment through my senses
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I am passionate
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I feel pleasure and abundance with every breath I take
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I nourish my body with healthy food and clean water
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I know how to take care of my needs
Symptoms when the Sacral chakra is in balance
As your emotional center, signs of a balanced sacral chakra include having an abundance of energy, strongly perceived intuition, compassion for other beings, an appetite for life, and emotional stability. You will feel confident and balanced. You will have a flexible psyche. You will shine through your balance in life. You trust the universe as you experience abundance. You will attract money and success easily and so will act with generosity toward others.
You will feel comfortable with your sexuality, experiencing great passion.
With your sacral chakra in balance, you’ll find life changes are easy to navigate, your creativity is running on full power. Life flows smoothly, and you are eager for what is coming next, you enjoy all sensory experiences and find beauty all around you.
Symptoms when the Sacral chakra is out of balance
When the second chakra is blocked or closed, you may be stingy and protective of what you have out of fear of losing it. You may be overly materialistic, and not having enough money will be a constant worry.
You may experience fear or emotional rigidity, and this may be associated with health problems such as kidney infections, or problems in the large intestine.
Men may have trouble getting an erection or may suffer from being closed off to intimacy and premature ejaculation. Women may have difficulty allowing themselves to surrender enough to become orgasmic.
Symptoms of excessive energy in the Sacral chakra:
You overreact emotionally: falling in tears for no apparent reason; expressing inexplicable hanger; voicing nervous laughter. You have excessive emotional attachment to people or objects. You display excessive neediness in relationships and co-dependency. You have excessive sexual desires which many be expressed by very frequent masturbation or the need of having multiple sexual partners at once. You experience muscle tension and abdominal cramps.
Symptoms of deficient energy in the Sacral chakra:
You fear happiness or pleasure, which may lead self-sabotage. You lack creativity and authenticity. You have a low or no libido. You are pessimistic and doubtful which may lead you to depression. You experience irregular menstrual cycle. You have frequented urinary or bladder infections.
TOOLS TO UNBLOCK AND BALANCE THE SACRAL OR SVADHISTANA CHAKRA
Gems & mineral: Carnelian, orange calcite, imperial topaz, goldstone, sunstone, peach moonstone, tangerine quartz.
Herbs: Coriander, calendula, fennel, licorice, cinnamon, vanilla.
Essential oil: Ginger, cinnamon cassia, blood orange, tangerine, ylang ylang, vanilla, fennel.
Below are some of the healing activities you can perform to heal and activate the Svadhisthana Chakra:
- Make room in your schedule for doing something creative and spontaneous.
- Get as much exposure as you can to bodies of water. Take a salt bath at home, dangle your feet in a lake, swim in the ocean, or hike along a river. Water is the element associated with the sacral chakra and exposure to it can help to achieve balance.
- Turn on the music and dance, dance, dance. Dancing around is a great way to get energy flowing throughout your entire body.
- If you’re able, sit outside at night, either by a body of water or under the light of the moon. Proximity to both will bring healing healthy energy into your body.
- Tone up your abs and lower body with a yoga, Pilates practice, or any physical activity of your choosing. When energy gets blocked within the body, you begin to store it in your tissue. Taking care of yourself is the perfect way to eliminate tension pain caused by a blocked chakra.
- Make art. Find a creative outlet that you’ve neglected or always wanted to try and take a class or start on your own. Don’t censor and don’t judge, just let creative energy flow out of you.
- Work on being mindful of which emotions arise in specific situations. If this is difficult, permit yourself to observe. Over time you can consider ways to change negative emotional habits into positive ones.
- Eat foods like melons, oranges, coconuts, and other sweet fruits. Remember to drink plenty of water for optimal health.
- Let go of negative emotions and memories that you might be carrying. This can be through a visualization where you forgive others or yourself, asking your angels for help, and surrendering challenging past emotions to the Divine.
- Surround yourself with physical things that bring you a sense of happiness or joy. Consider art, color, flowers, gifts from others, mementos. Make time to notice these things and try to connect to the original feeling of joy that they brought to you.
- Do hip-opening yoga poses. Your hips are a significant spot for storing tension. When this happens, the sacral chakra is directly impacted. Try holding pigeon, bound angle, or cow pose for 5-10 minutes each.
- Leave work early one day and don’t do anything to fill that free time. Just relax, be spontaneous, and follow your bliss.
Yoga (Asana) Poses
The element associated with the second chakra is water, so it responds well to fluidity and movement, particularly around the sacral area. Pelvic tilts and Ananda Balasana (happy baby) are both effective postures for bringing awareness and balance to our emotional center. As you move, cultivate the effortless flowing quality of water.
Pelvic tilts
Ananda Balasana (happy baby)
First Exercise to balance your Sacral chakra
1. Open your hands, keeping your fingers together and extend your thumb at a right angle to your fingers.
2. Place your right thumb on right hip and left thumb on left hip. Bring your open hands around your front covering your abdomen until the longest finger on each hand just touches each other.
3. Alternatively, bring your hands around your back until your longest finger on each hand just touches each other.
4. Holding your hands in either of these positions brings healing energy to these organs and stimulates the second chakra. You can also lightly massage the area for additional stimulation. This is excellent for rejuvenating the kidneys and relieving lower back pain.
5. Hold this position while you visualize orange and make the sound VAM (long vowel aaaaa).
6. You may place any orange objects, for example, crystals, flowers, or cloth, between your hands and your body while you do this meditation. Visualize the energy in this chakra spinning, for example, smoke or
fog swirling in a clockwise direction, or a propeller rotating in a clockwise direction.
Second Exercise to balance your Sacral chakra
1. Seat down comfortably, back straight, eyes closes and breathe deeply through the nose a few times. Let go and relax.
2. Concentrate on the Svadisthana for a minute and then visualize it surrounded by orange of an absolute purity. Keep this visualization for three minutes. Then, take a deep breath while imagining that energy is penetrating this chakra and breath out while imagining that all the impurities of this chakra are getting out. Repeat this entire process as may time as you feel it’s necessary.
3. Once you feel that you have completed the cleaning process, chant the mantra “BHU VAR” seven times.
4. End the process by offering gratitude toward this chakra.
EXPLORE THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
Root Chakra
Foundation of stability and security; connects us to the physical world.
Heart Chakra
Nurtures love, compassion, harmony, and emotional balance; connects us to unconditional love and healing.
Sacral Chakra
Emotional center. Enhances intuition, perception, and inner guidance; brings clarity and heightened senses.
Throat Chakra
Communication, self-expression, truth, creativity, and the ability to speak and listen with authenticity.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Empowers personal power, confidence, willpower, and manifestation; ignites inner strength and transformation.
Third Eye Chakra
Intuition, perception, inner wisdom, spiritual awareness, and the ability to see beyond the physical.
Crown Chakra
Divine connection, higher consciousness, spiritual enlightenment, unity, and transcendence of the self.