Chakra of the week: Svadisthana

 

DISCLAIMER:

I am by no means an expert on each chakra, and I don't know everything. I have read extensively and taken an online course through a Jain instructor. This is just a general outline with a couple tips I've learned from experience. Please do your own research on top of this, because our practices are all different.

What is the Svadhisthana Chakra?

As before: A chakra is a sphere of energy in our astral body that is connected to a place in our physical body.

The Svadhisthana Chakra is located about four fingers below the belly button. It's commonly referred to as the sacral chakra because it is located near the sacrum.

The symbol is a circle with a half moon surrounded by six lotus petals. As with Muladhara, the petals can be interpreted to mean different things. Please do your own research.

 

Element

The Element surrounding the Svadhisthana Chakra is water. Water is fluid and has movement. It can also carry other elements with it.

When I visualize this chakra, I try to focus on the water element. Are the currents strong? Is the water stagnant? Warm? Cool? Clear? Murky? All of this helps me to understand the movement of my chakra that week.

Color

The color associated with the Svadhisthana is orange. Chakras themselves do not have colors, they only reflect the colors surrounding them, so why is it orange? The chakra below reflects earth, and the chakra above reflects fire. Water is clear and reflects both together, thus orange.

 

Diet

Foods that have a high water content are best for this chakra. The prana (energy) associated with Svadhisthana is the energy of movment, so eating foods that keep you hydrated helps a lot. I like cucumber salads, brothy soups, and smoothies.

 

Signs of imbalance

The Svadhisthana chakra is the center of creativity. If you are struggling with creative pursuits, perhaps it is is underactive. It is also the center of passion, so if you easily become addicted or move from obsession to obsession, it is likely overactive.

A balanced chakra

A balanced Svadhisthana chakra results in a feeling of creative joy and fulfillment. You feel secure in your likes and dislikes and you don't become obsessive or addicted.

To balance the chakra, meditate chanting the seed sound: Vam (pronounced vangm). Wearing orange can help you focus on this chakra as well. Make sure to stay hydrated, since the element associated with it is water. Find an affirmation that makes sense to you. I like: I am not addicted to my desires. Lastly, yoga poses that require balance are helpful, like the crow or triangle poses.