Solar Plexus Chakra Healing Guide | Manipura Chakra

How much willpower do you have to go after your goals and manifest your dreams into reality?

Do you consider yourself as a strong and confident person who is not afraid to pursue your own destiny?

Before I asked myself these important questions, I thought I had a strong and balanced solar plexus chakra. I would do lots of things half-heartedly, and I couldn’t go after my goals with full force.

In this article, I am going to share with you everything I learned through my personal exploration of a fiery solar plexus chakra.

You will finally discover what really rules all aspects of your personality and ego. You will also learn how to anchor the inner-strength of a true warrior and completely transform your life!

Let’s Go!

Article Contents

1. What Is The Solar Plexus Chakra?
2. Solar Plexus Chakra Location | Where Is The Solar Plexus Chakra?
3. What Is The Function of Solar Plexus Chakra?
4. Solar Plexus Chakra Symbol Meaning | What Does The Solar Plexus Chakra Represent? 
5. Solar Plexus Chakra Color Meaning | Why Is The Solar Plexus Chakra Yellow?
6. Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance | What Are The Main Signs Of Imbalanced Solar Plexus Chakra?
7. Overactive Solar Plexus Chakra
8. Underactive Solar Plexus Chakra - Solar Plexus Chakra Blockage
9. What Causes Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance?
10. Solar Plexus Chakra Healing 
11. How Do I Balance And Heal My Solar Plexus Chakra?
- Break Inertia
- Solar Plexus Chakra Yoga Poses
- Open Yourself To The Energy Of Sun 
- Fix Your Circadian Rhythm
- Solar Plexus Chakra Meditation 
- Solar Plexus Chakra Affirmations
- Solar Plexus Chakra Stones and Crystals
- Healing Solar Plexus Chakra with Food
- Healing Solar Plexus Chakra with Essential Oils
12. Solar Plexus Chakra Opening Symptoms
13. References

What Is The Solar Plexus Chakra?

Solar plexus chakra is the third chakra from the bottom, located in the stomach area, a couple of inches above the navel.

Healthy solar plexus chakra vibrates to the color of yellow, with fire as its dominant element. The Sanskrit name for solar plexus chakra is 'Manipura', which translates to “city of lustrous jewels”, where mani means jewel, and pur means city.

Solar plexus chakra is also called Mani Padma (jeweled lotus) or Nabhi Padma (navel lotus). You can think of your third chakra as a glowing, yellow Sun, which radiates through the center of your body and rules all aspects of your personal power.

So, what is the relationship between solar plexus chakra and the other, lower chakras?

When you put together a matter (root chakra) and movement (sacral chakra) - you will find that they create a third state: energy. With the assistance of solar plexus chakra, all of your creative dreams harbored in your sacral chakra can be externally manifested.

Do you want to know the best part?

Solar Plexus has the biggest concentration of pranic energy because 72,000 nadis (conduits of pranic energy) meet here and radiate from this center. It is the center of your personal identity, which rules all aspects of your personality, self-esteem, and ego.

Solar Plexus Chakra Location

Solar plexus chakra is the third chakra from the bottom, located at the lumbar point, on the same horizontal plane as your navel.

The center of the solar plexus chakra can be found around 2 inches above the navel, just below the sternum. In the body, solar plexus chakra is associated with the stomach, gallbladder, spleen, liver, and pancreas.

The third chakra governs your metabolism, and it is responsible for the regulation and distribution of metabolic energy throughout the body.

What Is The Function of Solar Plexus Chakra?

The main function and purpose of your solar plexus chakra is transformation. The fire within your 3rd chakra has the ability to transform matter into dynamic energy and power.

Your solar plexus chakra embodies the element of fire and your dynamic, transformative relationship to the external world, including relationship to yourself.

Through the process of transformation, your solar plexus chakra provides the body with fuel, energy, and keeps it alive. Fire is the spark of life that ignites the transformation process.

Solar Plexus Chakra Symbol Meaning

Solar plexus chakra symbol is represented by a yellow lotus with 10 petals and an inverted, red triangle of fire (Tejas) in the middle.

Seed mantra in the center of the solar plexus chakra symbol is the sound syllable RAM. Triangle with T-shaped arms on each side represents the Sun, and it is often portrayed on Hindu paintings of Manipura with the god Vahni, supported by a ram.

Each petal of the lotus corresponds to one aspect of Bradha Rudra, who is the deity of this chakra.Ten black letters (vrittis) on the petals of manipura symbol can be translated to:

1. डं (dda) - Spiritual Ignorance
2. ढं (ddha) - Fear
3. णं (nna) - Jealousy, Envy
4. तं (ta) - Treachery, Betrayal
5. थं (tha) - Shame
6. दं (da) - Thirst
7. धं (dha) - Disgust, Hatred
8. नं (na) - Delusion
9. पं (pa) - Foolishness
10. फ़ं (pha) - Sadness

These are the negative qualities of character that we must overcome to bring this chakra to balance. 

Solar Plexus Chakra Color Meaning

The yellow color is associated with fire energy, which can break down other elements. Yellow is also the color of the Sun, which is the main source of heat and energy for our entire Solar System.

Solar plexus chakra has the same purpose for your body like the Sun for Earth – it supplies you with energy and fuel for all of your biological processes. Yellow is a color of energy, enlightenment, optimism, and increased mental activity. Healthy and balanced solar plexus chakra vibrates to the yellow and gold colors of the sun rays.

Do you want to know the best part?

Yellow is being used in chromotherapy as a stimulating color for patients with eating disorders and anorexia to activate their metabolism. Solar plexus chakra governs your digestion and metabolism, so if you experience any problems with your metabolism, bring more yellow into your life!

Yellow is also the most visible color of the entire spectrum, and it is very often used on all of the warning signs. Your solar plexus chakra is one of the best indicators of our overall health, and you shouldn’t neglect any warning signs coming out of this yellow energy center.

Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance

Some of the major signs of your solar plexus chakra imbalance are normally expressed in your misuse of personal power.

If you tend to use your personal power to manipulate others or experience the feeling of powerlessness most of the time, your solar plexus chakra is imbalanced.

Take a moment and read through some of the questions below. It will help you to determine whether your solar plexus chakra is out of balance: 

• Do you feel that you are overanalyzing your decisions in life to the point of exhaustion?
• Are you always tired of working long hours?
• Are you overweight and have issues with your digestion, such as heartburn or ulcers?
• Do you feel the need of doing everything by yourself and unwilling to let go of your ability to control everything in your reality?
• Do you always have a strong stance, and are you reluctant to listen to the opinions of others?
• Do you consider yourself as a very competitive person, even when it comes to playtime?
• Do you feel that you are not enough when it comes to social situations due to low self-esteem?
• Do you feel sad, angry, and depressed when things get out of your control?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, it might be a good time to look into restoring the balance of your solar plexus center. 

Overactive Solar Plexus Chakra

When your solar plexus chakra is overactive, you may feel the need to always seek power and domination over other people, and conflict dominates your life.

This type of imbalance in the third chakra leads to mistrust of life, fear of letting go, and becoming too competitive. Another clue to the overactive solar plexus chakra is getting into situations that justify the response of anger.

It is extremely difficult to break away from these types of behaviors because a person who believes that “he has a right to be mad!” doesn’t have enough awareness to look at the situation objectively.

To summarize:

If you suffer from overactive solar plexus chakra, you most likely experience the following symptoms:

• Misuse of power.
• Being manipulative and egoistical.
• Feeling superior over other people.
• Anger, aggressiveness, and rage.
• Jealousy and comparing yourself to other people.
• Ruthless ambition.
• Competitiveness.
• Refusing to take responsibility for your own actions.
• Indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, and other digestive disorders.

Underactive Solar Plexus Chakra.
Solar Plexus Chakra Blockage

When your solar plexus chakra is blocked or underactive, you may feel tired, lethargic, and emotionally withdrawn from life. Closed third chakra will result in a lack of energy, fear of confronting other people, and aversion to risk-taking. Most of these behaviors stem from a lack of self-esteem and low self-confidence. 

Feelings of guilt and shame also play a big role in the under-expression of solar plexus chakra because they will drive you away from standing up for yourself and having healthy boundaries. 

Excess weight can also be a sign of an underactive solar plexus chakra because the body doesn’t metabolize the food you consume into energy.

To summarize:

If you suffer from underactive solar plexus chakra, you most likely experience the following symptoms:

• Lack of energy and motivation.
• Lack of drive, determination, and direction in life.
• Helplessness.
• Low self-esteem and low confidence.
• Always seeking confirmation from others.
• Always trying to fit in and please others.
• Feeling guilty and ashamed when you say “no” to people.
• Self-sabotage.
• Tiredness and fatigue.
• Coldness in the solar plexus region.
• Slow metabolism, obesity.

What Causes Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance?

Trauma and distress experienced in early childhood and teenage years are some of the main reasons for the solar plexus chakra imbalance. 

What’s more important, these experiences are an outward manifestation of deep, emotional issues, which are trapped inside your sacral chakra (second chakra). Keep in mind that both solar plexus chakra and sacral chakra are intimately connected.

What’s the main difference here?

The only difference here is that your solar plexus chakra keeps developing as you mature and formulate your sense of individuality. Solar plexus chakra growth culminates from ages 14 to 21, when you enter into the stage of young adulthood and formulate your personality.

This is normally a time when you decide what you want to pursue in life because you have a much stronger sense of power over your life.

What’s the bottom line:

When you begin your search for the root of a third chakra imbalance, be prepared to dig really deep into early childhood and young adulthood memories.

You’ll probably find issues and feelings that have been buried into your subconscious mind for many years, such as shame, grief, pain, anger, abandonment, and fear.

Once you are ready to heal and release some of these negative emotions, which govern your ego, you’ll come to your true power.

Solar Plexus Chakra Healing

Healing Solar Plexus Chakra requires strengthening and establishing the sense of your personal identity and self-worth. Healing solar plexus chakra also involves detaching yourself completely from the need of being accepted by others and working on expressing your true individuality into the world.

This is not an easy process because it requires cultivating a deep awareness and looking at yourself from an objective point of view. When your solar plexus chakra is healthy, your ego is strong and balanced at the same time.

An important part of healing our solar plexus chakra is also learning to trust your ‘gut instinct’, especially if you struggle with self-doubt, indecisiveness, and low confidence.

How Do I Balance And Heal My Solar Plexus Chakra?

Hardest thing about unblocking your solar plexus chakra is just getting started.
Fire, which is a primary element of third chakra, moves always upward, so initially you just need to focus on overcoming your inertia and get to work.

Healing and balancing your solar plexus chakra is a beautiful process, because it will completely transform your character and personality. You will be working on improving your self-worth, self esteem, personal power and balancing your ego.

Here are some of the best healing methods I personally tried when I was working on restoring balance in my solar plexus chakra:

1. Break Inertia

Breaking boring and repetitive patterns in your life is one of the best ways to step out of powerlessness. Step outside of your comfort zone and try to experience something new today.

Overcoming difficulties and cultivating your personal power will increase your self-esteem confidence. 

What are the best ways to break out of stagnation?

If your solar plexus chakra is very underactive, you can start with small and simple challenges, for example:

• Do 5 sit-ups as soon as you get up from the bed.
• Go for a 15-minute walk/jog in the morning.
• Find a new way to drive to work.
• Get your groceries from a different shopping center.
• Try 15 seconds of cold water exposure at the end of your hot shower.

2. Solar Plexus Chakra Yoga Poses

Balancing solar plexus chakra with yoga exercises involves building strength and flexibility in your core, and in all of the muscles surrounding your stomach. 

Yoga is also a great way to break your inertia, especially if you decide to do a different set of poses every day. Try one of the 30-day Yoga with Adriene video series on Youtube, she has been releasing them over the last few years, at the beginning of each calendar year.

Some of the best poses, that I found to be beneficial for solar plexus chakra are:

• Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)
• Plank Pose (Kumbhakasana)
• Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana)
• Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)
• Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
• Firefly Pose (Tittibhasana)

3. Open Yourself To The Energy Of Sun

The Sun is the ruling planet and element of your solar plexus chakra, so getting outdoor on a sunny day is a great idea to recharge your yellow chakra. You can begin to open yourself to the energy of the sun by going for a 15-minute walk first thing in the morning and enjoying a beautiful sunrise.

Sunbathing will not only energize your body, but it will also boost your Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is one of the key vitamins responsible for correct calcium utilization in your body, and it can greatly reduce the risk of many diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

If you live in a country with high UV radiation, aim to get your sun exposure early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Do you want to know the best part?

The chemical structure of hemoglobin (one of the essential proteins in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your cells) in the human body is almost identical to chlorophyll! 

The only difference is that hemoglobin is built around an iron lement, and chlorophyll is built around a magnesium element. Chlorophyll is a photosynthetic molecule found in plants, which is responsible for absorbing energy from light.

4. Fix Your Circadian Rhythm

Solar plexus chakra function is directly linked with a large number of cycles in your body. Evolution has installed in us a powerful internal clock. All we had before the invention of the light bulb (patented in 1879 by Edison) was the sunlight.

Artificial light such as fluorescent light bulbs, halogen light bulbs, or cool white LEDs is ruining your natural circadian rhythm, which is based on the cycle of the Sun. 

When the Sun is high in the sky in the middle of the day, it is blue-shifted (over 5000 K), and as the day goes by, it becomes more red-shifted (below 3000 K).

Understanding this cycle will help you to correctly regulate your melatonin production (a hormone produced by your pineal gland) – you’ll be more alert during the day and sleep better during the night.

So how do you go about fixing your circadian rhythm?

Most of the issues related to your solar plexus chakra, such as obesity, low energy levels, always feeling tired, and getting upset easily, can be eliminated by implementing some of these simple strategies and tools into your daily life:

• Get outside for a minimum of 15-20 minutes every morning.
• Avoid wearing glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses when possible.
• Do not block your windows during the day with blinds or curtains.
• Use blue light blocking glasses after the sunset.
• Download and install the ‘f.lux’ application on your computer (it’s free).
• Remove all of the cool white LEDs and use orange & red light bulbs in the evening.
• Use candlelight or fire in the evening.

What’s the bottom line:

The idea here is to get as much natural light as possible (especially during the first part of the day) to set your body clock and reduce all sources of artificial (especially blue light) as the night comes.

5. Solar Plexus Chakra Meditation

One of my favorite solar plexus chakra meditation techniques is fire meditation. 

This meditation is very similar to any other traditional meditation practice. The only difference is that you will sit in front of the candle during your practice.

Here’s how to do solar plexus chakra fire meditation:

• Before you start this fire meditation, light up your favorite candle.
• Sit down in a lotus pose with your spine straight, relax your body, and take a few deep breaths.
• Look at the candle and imagine that the wick is your physical body, and the flame is the energy of your body, radiating into the Universe.
• Spend a couple of minutes breathing deeply and looking into the image of the golden flame.
• Imagine merging with the flame and see yourself as pure, universal light, and energy.
• As you go deeper into this meditation, gently shift your focus to your solar plexus chakra and imagine a yellow ball of flame inside this area.
• Visualize it getting warmer, expanding, and burning through all obstacles.
• Fell the power of fire inside your body and visualize how it transforms your life and gives you infinite energy and strength.
• Stay in this powerful state for a few minutes to integrate this transformative energy.
• Finish this meditation with words of gratitude and allow this light to shine in front of you, giving you the power to change your life.

6.Solar Plexus Chakra Affirmations

Here are some of the most powerful solar plexus chakra affirmations which you can use during your meditation to strengthen this energy center:

• I am worthy because I exist.
• I am strong and powerful in a loving manner.
• I stand up for myself.
• I am able to set boundaries and stand my ground firmly when needed.
• I love and accept myself.
• I choose the best for myself.
• I feel my own power, and I choose the power of life.
• I express myself in a powerful way.
• I use my drive and my passion to improve my life as well as the others.
• I am worthy of love, kindness, and respect, regardless of what I have done.
• My entire body is filled with vibrant energy and divine light.
• I have the ability to be confident and in control of my life.

7. Solar Plexus Chakra Stones and Crystals

Just like every other chakra, Manipura can be balanced with specific stones and crystals. Gemstones that are golden or yellow vibrate at the right frequency to activate your solar plexus chakra.

What crystals and stones are good for solar plexus chakra?

Some of the best gemstones that will help you to heal solar plexus chakra include amber, citrine, tiger’s eye, and topaz.

You can use any of these powerful solar plexus chakra stones and crystals by holding them, wearing them in the form of jewelry, or simply having them around your house.

Amber – it is an organic stone, which has been created from dried tree resin millions of years ago. Amber has a strong connection to the sun and earth and often carries within ancient organisms and plant matter. Amber will enhance your motivation and drive in a balanced way and boost your confidence, optimism, and well-being. Amber is a gemstone of health and a powerful natural purifier, which can help you to heal all of your body ailments associated with solar plexus chakra.

Citrine – this pretty gemstone is believed to bring more confidence, clarity, and meaning into your life. It will help you to become more positive, optimistic, and go through some of the biggest challenges in life with ease. Physically, citrine is one of the best stones for your digestive organs as it supports your metabolism.

Golden Topaz – it is a traditional stone for courage and healing, and it can bring healing to your solar plexus chakra by boosting your self-confidence. It will allow you to manage your fear, anxiety, and anger. Physically, it is believed to improve your digestion and metabolism.

Golden Tiger’s Eye – tiger’s eye is a great gemstone to increase your personal power, strength, and vitality. This beautiful gemstone holds the optimistic and warm energy of the sun, and it can help you to be more positive. Physically, it can help you to slow down your metabolism and improve your digestion. 

8. Healing Solar Plexus Chakra with Food

Introducing healthy meals into your diet is a great way to start balancing your solar plexus chakra because food represents energy, which gives us power.

Your solar plexus chakra is the center of food digestion, absorption, and it transforms the energy of foods that you eat into energy that you can use in life.

Before getting into the details of which foods are good for your third chakra, let’s talk about physical hunger.

The feeling of hunger comes directly from your gut area, and it is a signal from your solar plexus chakra to replenish your supplies.

Your body is asking you to pay attention, so aim to eat only when you hear this signal – both overeating and under eating are detrimental for your solar plexus chakra health.

You will feel at your absolute best when you eat until you’re 80% full. Eating too much will take away your sense of power, overload your digestive system, and make you feel tired.

So, which foods are good for solar plexus chakra?

Healthy solar plexus chakra vibrates at a frequency similar to the yellow color, so eating yellow-colored foods such as bananas, pineapples, pears, grapefruits, mangoes, ginger, yellow string beans, yellow split peas, lentils, and quinoa will help you to restore the balance in your third chakra.

Your solar plexus chakra’s favorite group of foods are good quality carbohydrates. 

Root chakra builds the foundation of your body with proteins, sacral chakra favors fats, and solar plexus goes after energy from simple (for example, banana) and complex carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes).

That’s not all when it comes to healing your yellow chakra with foods:

An important factor when it comes to nutrition and your fiery solar plexus chakra is the balance between cooked and raw foods you consume.

When your solar plexus chakra is overactive, you might benefit from adding more raw foods into your diet because they have a “cooling effect.” 

On the other hand, cooked foods might be beneficial for someone with an underactive solar plexus chakra because they have a “warming effect.” Everybody is different, so just try to experiment with that and see what types of food work best for your solar plexus chakra and give you the most energy.

9. Healing Solar Plexus Chakra with Essential Oils

Aromatherapy and essential oils with earthy aroma can be a great way of restoring the balance within blocked solar plexus chakra because they can either stimulate you (underactive 3rd chakra) or soothe you (overactive 3rd chakra).

Some of the best essential oils for healing the solar plexus chakra include grapefruit, ginger root, lemon, mint, cypress, cedarwood, and black pepper.

What’s the best way of using essential oils for blocked chakra?

One of the best ways of making the most of your essential oil is using a diffuser or aroma humidifier, which will also create a soothing smell in your room and help you to resolve any dry skin issues.

Another great way of using any of the solar plexus chakra essential oils is to apply them directly onto your skin or having a relaxing foot massage.

Solar Plexus Chakra Opening Symptoms

References:

1. Helbert, K. (2019). The Chakras In Grief and Trauma, London, Singing Dragon.
2. Judith, A. (1990). The Truth About Chakras, St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
3. Judith, A. (1999). Wheels of Life - A User’s Guide to The Chakra System, St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
4. Minich, D.M. (2009). Chakra Foods For Optimum Health, San Francisco, CA: Conari Press.
5. Redmond, L. (2010). Chakra Meditation, CO: Sounds True.
6. Simpson, S. (2002). Chakras for Starters, Nevada City, CA: Crystal Clarity Publishers. 
7. Shola Arewa, C. (2001). Way of The Chakras, London: Thorsons.
8. Davies, B. (2000). The 7 Healing Chakras, Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
9. Vollmar, K. (1987). Journey through the Chakras, Wellow, Bath: Gateway Books.
10. Motoyama, H. (1981). Theories of The Chakras, New Delhi: New Age Books.

Would you like to take your chakra healing knowledge to the next level and learn more from some of these wonderful authors?

We have created a comprehensive list of Top 10 Chakra Healing Books Available To Buy Right Now.

7 Chakras Healing Guides

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn how balance and heal your other chakras, feel free to check out some of our other chakra healing guides:

• Root Chakra Healing Guide | Muladhara Chakra | 1^st Chakra
• Sacral Chakra Healing Guide | Svadhisthana Chakra | 2^nd Chakra
• Heart Chakra Healing Guide | Anahata Chakra | 4^th Chakra
• Throat Chakra Healing Guide | Vishuddha Chakra | 5^th Chakra
• Third Eye Chakra Healing Guide | Ajna Chakra | 6^th Chakra
• Crown Chakra Healing Guide | Sahasrara Chakra | 7^th Chakra