Living with Purpose, is the key to a happy, healthy, and fulfilled existence. If you haven’t read my blogs on Living A Grounded Life and Finding Your Authentic Purpose, I recommend taking a look before you read further so that you can start to understand the chakras system and how you can apply it to living your best life.

In order to find our authentic purpose, we must take a long hard look at our core values. What do you really care about? What makes you angry? What do you want to fight for? What makes you feel like a better human being?

We also must take time to look deep within. What are you naturally great at? What brings you true joy? What sparks your creativity? It is in answering these types of questions that we can figure out what our soul purpose is in this life.

Once you’ve figured out your soul purpose, it is time to take action. It is time to transform yourself and your life. This brings us into our third chakra, the Solar Plexus, the center of will, self-worth, courage, and TRANSFORMATION. The Sanskrit name of the Solar Plexus is Manipura, which means “lustrous gem”. The element of our third chakra is fire and the color is vibrant yellow. Once you know what your authentic purpose is by working through your root and sacral chakras, you can spark the inner fire of your solar plexus and truly begin to see transformation in your life.

We reach for the sun and call upon the yellow ray. The ray of life, the ray of creation, the ray of consciousness, the spark of fire…We call upon the flame to burn within us and temper our passions into strength. With strength we fight the dark, pushing and straining, to realize it is part of ourselves, part of our strength, part of our fear. We laugh, and put down the fight, merging, becoming whole, becoming stronger. We pass between pillars of light and dark, honoring both… and finding ourselves in a new and glorious land. A land of bustling activity, teeming with life, sparkling like the stars with shining rivers of life reflecting the sun.
- Anodea Judith

To awaken and balance the solar plexus isn’t easy. For many, self-worth is a constant battle. The solar plexus develops when we are around 2-3 years old and at this age we soak up everything around us. During this time if we weren’t made to feel empowered, watched our parents’ struggle with self-worth, or if we suffered some other trauma, our self-worth and the ability to take action can be hindered.

Once you’ve recognized your authentic purpose, you must check in with the subconscious beliefs that you are carrying deep down. What is your level of self-worth like? Do you really, truly believe that you are capable of achieving the life that you want. Do you really think that you DESERVE it?

If you come to realize that your self-worth and confidence is low, have no fear, awareness really is the first step and like Anodea Judith says in the quote above, this dark part of yourself is part of your journey and exists to only make you stronger. Without the darkness, stars wouldn’t seem so bright.

Using third chakra balancing techniques can help you to awaken your solar plexus and develop a healthy sense of self worth so that you can forge ahead and take action to TRANSFORM your life and live up to your HIGHEST POTENTIAL!

9 Tips For Balancing Your Solar Plexus

#1 Verbal Affirmations

Pick one of these verbal affirmations to use in meditation or throughout your day. You can write them where you will see them or repeat them out loud or to yourself. Say it, read it, use it until you feel it.

I am worthy of all of my wildest hopes and dreams.

I stand in my power.

I am responsible for my life.

Abundance flows through me.

I live out my authentic purpose with confidence and courage.

#2 Working With Crystals & Essential Oils

Pick one of the following crystals. Infuse one of the above affirmations into the crystals by holding it between you palms and repeating the affirmation 10x with intent and clarity. Carry your crystal around with you to bring back the the energy of the affirmation and to remind you of your power when you are feeling low.

Citrine

Pyrite

Orange Calcite

Tiger’s Eye

Lemon Quartz

Use the following incense or essential oils while meditating, relaxing, or practicing self-care:

Lemon

Mandarin

Patchouli

Vetiver

Grapefruit

#3 Chanting

Each chakra has a Bija (seed sound mantra) whose particular vibration is said to be in harmony with that of the chakra. By chanting it’s seed sound mantra, you can clear blockages and bring the solar plexus back into balance.

Seed Sound Mantra: RAM - start by setting a timer for 2 minutes. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in, on your exhale chant RAM and try to feel the vibration clearing and balancing your solar plexus. Repeat until your timer goes off. As you become comfortable, set your alarm for 3 minutes, then 4 minutes, and so on.

#4 Manipura Meditation

Find a comfortable seat, place your palms facing up on your thighs, and tilt your chin down slightly so that your entire spine is long.

Bring your awareness to the area between your belly button and your ribs. Imagine a bright, radiating yellow circle, like the sun. Picture it spinning around and around. Notice the speed at which it is spinning. Breathe here, just noticing.

Then, see if you can feel the energy. Pulsating, swirling, spinning. What does this energy feel like?

Now, imagine this bright yellow begin to radiate more and more. Watch it become so bright that the vibrant yellow begins to flow throughout your entire body. Watch it flow past your body, encompassing your entire being and the area around you. Feel how you are POWERFUL, like the sun. Feel your POWER.

Close your eyes and repeat the affirmation: I STAND IN MY POWER. Repeat this affirmation 10 times. Every time you say the affirmation, feel it in your gut, feel it in your soul.

When you are ready, slowly bring your awareness back to your surrounding. Thank yourself and the divine for your power and know that you are worthy of living up to your soul’s highest potential. Namaste.

#5 MOVE

An object in motion stays in motion. An object at rest stays at rest.

Get moving. Run, hike, practice yoga, lift weights. Get your body moving and spark that inner fire! The solar plexus is the chakra of change and transformation. Do new activities regularly and break stagnant patterns.

#6 Breath Of Fire

Pranayama (breathing) exercises can help you to heat up your inner fire. My favorite is Kapalabhati- also known as Breath Of Fire. This breathing exercise sparks the internal flame, gets your energy moving efficiently throughout your body, and gives you an natural boost of energy (like taking an espresso shot!)

To practice Kapalabhati breathing find a comfortable seat. Sit up tall, place your right palm facing up on your thigh, and place your left palm on your belly.

Take a deep inhale, then a loud open mouth exhale (like “HAAAAH”). Then, inhale through your nose and take a sharp exhale through your nose. As you exhale, feel your belly “snap” inward underneath your palm. Continue breathing with sharp exhales and passive inhales. Your inhales should just be a natural rebound from your exhale. Continue for 30 breaths, then return to a natural breath and just notice how you feel. You may feel a little bit of wooziness, a pulsating sensation, or just a big burst of energy within the body. After a minute, repeat again for 30 breaths.

After you’ve been practicing this technique for a couple of weeks, you can lengthen the amount of breaths, working up to 60, then 90, then so on.

#7 Journal

Journaling is one of the best ways to discover self-limiting subconscious beliefs, to create goals, and to connect with yourself. Use the following journaling questions to create awareness of any imbalances in your solar plexus and to create a game plan to bring it into balance.

What is your authentic purpose? Are you already living in alignment with your authentic purpose?
Do you have a high, moderate, or low sense of self-worth? What has happened in your life to cause your self-worth to be at this level?
What areas of your life do you want to transform?
What do you need to release to be able to live your soul’s purpose? This can be low self worth, negativity, toxic people, unhealthy habits, etc.
What steps can you take to live up to your highest potential? What can you add in to your day-to-day that will regularly spark your internal fire?
Recall a time in your life where you were courageous. How did it feel?
List 5 things that make you a powerful being.

#8 Yoga Postures

Practice the following yoga postures for 5-8 breaths each. As you practice each one, physically feel your core strengthening. Energetically feel your inner fire sparking and radiating as you move in and out of each posture.

Sun Salutations - Downward Dog > forward fold > urdhva hastasana > high plank > chaturanga > cobra or upward facing down > downward dog

Chair Twist

Crescent Twist

Warrior 2

Bow Pose

Boat Pose

Supine Twists

#9 Color Therapy

Go out in the sun and bask in it’s yellow rays. Buy yourself sunflowers. Wear the color yellow. Surround yourself with the color yellow and allow it to infuse and balance your solar plexus.

Get out there and take on the world! Know that you are worth it and you deserve to live up to your soul’s highest, happiest potential! Namaste.

Xo,

Kelly