Sacral Chakra – The Essential Life Force

There are aspects of the human body that we cannot see with our naked eyes.  Unless we have special lenses, we cannot see the energy pathways of our body and the junction points where the pathways intersect and redistribute themselves. These junction points are called “Chakras”.  In Sanskrit chakra means “Wheel”.  But in reality these junction points or chakras are not shaped like a wheel. They are in the shape of the triangle.  There are 114 chakras in our system of which 7 are major junction joints.  These 7 are perhaps the most talked about chakras and most of the healers target their healing around these 7 chakras.

The Sacral chakra is the 2nd chakra of 7.  It is located below the navel in the lower abdomen area.   This chakra is associated with emotions, sensuality, relationships, sexuality and creativity.  It is associated with the color orange and connected to the water element. It governs the sexual organs, ovaries / testicles, bladder, bowel and lower intestine.  The chakra is about pleasure, enjoyment and expression of feeling and emotion.

This chakra is represented as a triangle enclosed in a circle with six petals.  It also has a crescent moon.  The circle represents the water element and moon signifies the connection to the energy of the moon. The symbols are representative of the relationship between the phases of the moon and the menstrual cycle (in women).  The fluctuations in the water during moon phases is connected with the emotions.

This chakra is the seat of identity formation that is absolutely necessary to navigate through the world.  It is all about connecting with everyone and experiencing pleasures in our lives.  Our ability to be flexible and flow with life comes from the sacral chakra.  A balanced sacral chakra creates a harmonious experience of the world and emotional well-being.

Imbalances in the sacral chakra can manifest in different ways.

Physical imbalance: 

• Bladder problems
• Problems of the reproductive organs
• Lower back and hip pain
• Problems with gall bladder and kidney

Emotional imbalance:

• Feelings of isolation
• Excessively emotional or having emotional outbursts
• Out of touch with yourself and your feelings
• Sexual Obsession or conflicted sexual desire
• Feelings of being victimized
• Addictive behavior

There are a few poses one can do for directing the flow of energy in the sacral chakra.

1) Malasana (Squat Pose):  Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder length apart.  Take both hands towards the chest and hold them in the Namaskar pose (palm and fingers of both hands touching each other).  Slowly bend your knees and come to a squat position engaging the muscles in the pelvic area and feel the flow of energy.  Stay in that position for 5 – 10 breaths.  Repeat 3 times.

2) Trikonasana (twisting triangle pose): Stand with your legs about 3 feet apart. Keep your left foot firmly planted on the ground facing forward and turn the left foot sideways to about 45 degrees.  Ensure that the heels of both feet are in a straight line.  Lift both your arms straight sideways and align them with the shoulder forming a straight line with the shoulder. Bend at your waist and lean sideways and touch the mat directly below your right ankle. Your right and left hand should be in a straight line with the shoulder. Stay in this pose for about 5 – 10 breaths. Feel the energy flowing through the sacral chakra. Repeat 3 times on the right side. After repeating 3 times on the right, turn the left leg 45 degrees with the right leg facing forward and repeat the bending at the waist 3 times on the left.

3) Natarajasana (dance pose): Stand with your feet together.  Bend your left leg at the knee and bring the heel toward the buttocks.  Hold the ankle with your left hand and gently pull the left leg away from the body.  As you pull your left leg, slowly bend forward stretching the right arm out until your upper body is perpendicular to your right leg.  Hold that pose for about 5 – 10 breaths.  Feel the energy flow through the pelvic area. Repeat 3 times on the right leg. Switch legs and repeat 3 times on the left leg.

4) Balasana (Child Pose):  Stand with the legs together. Slowly kneel on your mat and sit on your heels with your legs hip distance apart. Stretch both arms straight up making sure they are parallel to each other in line with the ears. Slowly bend forward all the way until your forehead is resting on the mat, with your arms stretched out and buttock resting on the heels.  Be in this pose for 3 – 4 minutes and breathe normally.  Observe the flow of energy with each inhalation and exhalation.

Balancing each chakra is important as the imbalance in one chakra causes imbalances in other chakras as they try to compensate for the imbalance. You can experience the beauty of life, relationship and things around you when the sacral chakra is in balance and the flow of energy is unobstructed. The lower organ like the uterus, bowels and lower intestine feel stronger and healthier.  Having healthy lower level organs and harmonious connection with people and things enriches your life.  It is time to unlock the secret of the sacred sacral connection.