Part 1 of the Solar Plexus Chakra guide can be found here.
Because the solar plexus chakra is tied to our sense of personal power, it is highly influenced by our self-image and our relationships with social status and authority.
Shame is the main challenge of the third chakra. It results from any kind of abuse. When we feel ashamed for our choices, opinions, actions or for who we are, we feel powerless. It hinders the development of our identity. The liberating current gets blocked from moving up, and the manifesting current coming down accumulates against the blockage. Our thoughts overpower our instincts. We become bound by our scrutinizing internal voices. Cut off from the second chakra and its drive toward pleasure, we sabotage and punish ourselves for our shame.
If personal power cannot be expressed or acknowledged, energy can build up and turn inward on itself or become dominating and obsessive in its focus and direction. Those with excess energy in the third chakra are overcompensating a feeling of powerlessness and poor self-esteem through over-activity. They are obsessed with control and power, and they shore up their ego by attempting to live up to a false image and seeking approval from others. Compassion and patience for themselves and others often get trampled by the need for power.
Conversely, a deficient third chakra has energy that is weak and directionless or no energy at all. These people lack vitality, will and self-discipline. They are often manipulated and victimized and usually cope with powerlessness through avoidance. They attempt to exert power through a different kind of control - passively letting others take the lead (and therefore the risks) in their stead or by being non-confrontational through passive-aggression. Engagement brings fear, whereas isolation is comfortable, further cutting them off from the energy around them.
Balancing the Solar Plexus Chakra Opening and balancing the third chakra requires working through patterns that suppress or overcompensate the lack of confidence. Those with deficient third chakras can build up physical energy through a diet that provides clean fuel for the body to burn, on top of an exercise routine that promotes not just the flow of energy but also development of self-discipline and self-esteem. Build enough confidence to give up being safe and be willing to face challenges in order to grow. Those with excessive third chakras will need the opposite plan - a way to open healthy channels to release their energies and relax. Learn to let go of control and disengage from the power struggle within and without. Yoga and meditation helps with the release of tension and the connection with the deeper self, beneath the false images.
When we are grounded in our sense of self and free to cherish who we are, we can face the challenges of life and grow from them. We have the energy and direction to honor the ideas of the upper chakras by manifesting them into tangible reality. We have the power to spark transformation not just in ourselves but in the world. Through our will, we create the life and the world we want.
Credits and Resources:
Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith
7wisdoms.org by Shai Tubali
Chakras.info by Lizzy Martin
My Other Chakra Guides: