Solar Plexus Chakra

The solar plexus chakra, called Manipura chakra, is the third of the seven main chakras and is associated with personal power, confidence, and self-identity.

A golden lotus flower symbol with a central emblem representing energy, featuring intricate details and designs.
  • Location: Upper abdomen (just above the navel, around the stomach area)
  • Color: Yellow
  • Element: Fire
  • Meaning: “City of jewels” (from Sanskrit Manipura)

This chakra is often thought of as your inner power center—it influences how you:

  • Feel about yourself
  • Make decisions
  • Assert boundaries
  • Take action in life

It’s closely tied to willpower and self-esteem.

When it’s balanced

You will typically feel:

  • Confident and self-assured
  • Motivated and decisive
  • In control of your life
  • Able to take action without hesitation

When it’s out of balance

A blocked or underactive solar plexus will show up as:

  • Low self-esteem
  • Indecisiveness
  • Lack of motivation
  • Feeling powerless

An over active solar plexus will often times look like:

  • Controlling behaviour
  • Aggression or dominance
  • Perfectionism

Practices associated with the solar plexus chakra

People who work with this chakra often focus on:

  • Confidence-building activities
  • Setting and achieving goals
  • Core-strength exercises (physically engaging the area)
  • Meditation or visualization (often using the color yellow)

Links to the Physical Body

A balanced solar plexus chakra aids in balancing the adrenal glands. It also is linked to the upper digestive system, and musculature. Problems in any of these areas often times show an unbalanced solar plexus chakra, which suggests an emotional block around free will, sometimes caused by feelings of shame. There is also a link to a fear of bigotry, or oppression, for example feeling ashamed of being a particular race or class as defined by society, or feeling oppressed for being a woman, etc.

Enhancing Self Awareness enables us to sense when the body is signalling that a story we are telling ourselves needs to be changed from within. Understanding our thoughts, emotions and physical body, as well as our patterns and habits, enables us to see where we are stuck and make changes which then enhance our physical health.

So, with the solar plexus chakra, understanding the stories we tell ourselves, or have been told over and over again, about Free Will go a long way to balancing our Solar Plexus. We are all free to do as we will, preferably without harming others, and always being aware of the consequences. One always has four choices about everything we do :

  • The opposites
  • Middle ground
  • Taken under further contemplation

Allowing external influences to extinguish your fire, or contain it in anyway is giving away your free will to others. Take it back and balance your Solar Plexus.