Body & beauty

Heal your solar plexus

In the third instalment in our chakra series, we look at how to balance this emotional centre of the body

Have you ever had a feeling in your stomach when someone says something hurtful to you, out of the blue? It’s a feeling almost as though the wind has been knocked out of you.

That feeling is your solar plexus chakra reacting and temporarily spinning out of balance, as one of its many roles is taking care of your self-esteem and controlling anger. This important chakra is the third one and can be found around the solar plexus, from the breast bone down to just above the navel. “The solar plexus chakra is the third of the seven main chakras in our energy body, known as manipura in Sanskrit,” says Jigyasa Shiv, yoga teacher at Azulfit Yoga & Pilates Retreats (azulfit.com). “Manipura literally translates to ‘city of gems’. This translation says it all about this chakra. Before we get into the technical aspects of what this does, and how it governs our dayto- day life, let me tell you a story…

“Each summer my Mum would take me to our Granny’s place. It was an old traditional home, in a typical North India setting. The best part about my trip used to be the time I spent in my Granny’s storehouse, because that’s where all the treats would be hidden. In fact, not just the treats, even things that were not needed – useless, old stuff which would take up space – and my Granddad could never bring in new stuff due to that,” says Jigyasa. “This was a really important part of the home – no-one could ever make a correct guess about exactly what was in there. It was a bit messy but really useful. Each time something new would enter the house, the store house would hold the responsibility of keeping it for a while, before it could enter the living room or the bedroom.

The store house

“If you have heard enough about my summer holiday tales, let me take you to the point. The solar plexus is the store house of your energy body. Our manipura chakra holds, carries and stores each and every emotion and experience we go through. So each time you have been through a pleasant or unpleasant experience, and the memory of it is still in your mind, the energetic imprint of it is kept in your solar plexus.”

Its position

Your solar plexus is situated in the upper belly, two or three finger widths above the navel region. It’s yellow in colour, and is governed by the fire element. It has a connection to the sun, and deals with your digestive system. It also partially governs the reproductive system in your bodies.

Butterflies

When someone has to perform on stage, they get butterflies in their stomach, and that’s because the emotion usually hits the solar plexus first. “In today’s modern world, we all have forgotten to laugh at ourselves, and take life too seriously,” says Jigyasa.

“This seriousness is nothing but sheer imbalance of our energies in the solar plexus chakra. We hold on to too much information and need to let go of stress.

Physical issues

“Physically, anyone with issues like IBS, indigestion, ulcers, diabetes or eating disorders must address the manipura. This chakra holds the information about why a disease has occurred and made you suffer. Emotionally, whenever you feel out of sync, it’s the manipura. If you have a tough time decision making, being obsessed with little details, when you are lacking direction – ask for help. A balanced solar plexus ensures a balanced life.”

Essential oils for the solar plexus:

These oils are known to be particularly soothing for the area:

Chamomile
Bergamot
Cedarwood

To keep your solar plexus balanced:

Practise surya namaskar (sun salutations)
Chant the seed mantra ‘RAM’, keeping your attention on the navel centre.
Practise the yoga poses warrior I and II, boar pose, mountain pose and garland pose.