The Sacral Chakra is the second chakra or energy center, located just above the Muladhara Chakra. It is located just under your belly button and is responsible for helping you express who you truly are. If you love listening and watching, check out the video that Jennifer Dixon and Lesleigh Guinn did talking about this Chakra here.
The sacral Chakra is symbolized by a beautiful orange flower.
Just like flowers have many petals and layers of petals, so our sacral chakra has layers. When in balance, you are comfortable expressing your true feelings and living your truth.
Foods that help to balance this chakra are orange-like Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkins. It’s a favorite to focus on in the fall because of all the beautiful orange hues seen in our world around us.
When your Sacral Chakra is out of balance you may notice things like: compulsive behaviors, addiction, stomach disorders, menstruation issues and possibly low back issues. It goes without saying, therefore, that yoga poses can be used to help mitigate these issues. The poses you’ll see embodying this area the most are hip openers, like in the Root Chakra. Things like Warrior 1, Cobbler’s Pose, and even Goddess Pose.
I also love to use the Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana pose too. Mostly because the heel to the belly button helps to increase your awareness to that area, especially with the forward fold. When you have your foot in half lotus, it also can be very therapeutic to the sacrum and low back. If your knees won’t allow you to do a half lotus but you can do a figure four type stretch, try that instead.
Studying the chakras can be a fun and informative way to explore your physical yoga practice and it’s direct relationship to your body. It’s also an interesting perspective into what makes us tick.
If you’d like to learn more about the Chakras, make sure you subscribe to the Thrive Yoga and Wellness Youtube Channel where you can find videos and more discussing these super cool energy centers.