What does Sacral Chakra Mean?

Otherwise known as the Swadhisthana, the second chakra in yoga philosophy is the sacral chakra. It’s located in the lower abdomen, below the coccyx and around the genital area and ovaries for women.  This chakra is all about pleasure, emotions, sensuality and relationships so is most likely super important to many aspects of your life. Feelings both emotional and physical are directed here and it’s a powerhouse for your sexuality and self-assurance.

The Sacral Chakra controls how you feel about the world around you so an under-active sacral charka is something we want to avoid. An open sacral on the other hand will allow you to feel so many beautiful things in life and will control your expressions, desires and fantasies in all their forms. It’s about flexibility – the element tied to this chakra is water; a fluid element that gives movement and flow to the world and your personality.

Focus on the Sacral Chakra

When the second chakra goes through an imbalance or is under-active, there are a few ways that this could manifest. Regarding relationships, you could find yourself acting very needy or very distant towards your loved ones. Know to focus on your sacral chakra if you’re driven by your emotions or completely cold to them.

What is an under-active Chakra?

For the sacral chakra to be blocked or under-active means that energy is not flowing properly through the body and can result in emotional and physical pain. An overactive Swadhisthana can result in overreactions of many kinds. You could find yourself reacting in an odd way to something that you yourself can tell is not suitable.

If you notice yourself being unnecessarily attention-seeking, this could also be the result of a blockage. If you do notice this, it’s a good time for self-reflection. Knowing when you are being unreasonable is extremely beneficial for relationships. Self-sabotage can occur when we don’t know how to help a situation or feel out of control. Keeping a distance between feelings and reactions is helpful when dealing with emotional pressures.

An under-active sacral chakra can result in the feeling that you don’t deserve to be happy. This often comes as a symptom of depression. Lack of sex-drive, depression and irregular periods in women could be seeing a block in this area.

Healing the Sacral

The colour associated with the sacral is orange – a colour of passion, pleasure and happiness. Incorporating orange flowers, clothing or accessories into your day will refresh your energy flow. An orange lotus symbol is said to cleanse your sacral as well as deep breathing with focus on the lower abdomen will also help to cleanse. During your meditations, repeat these mantras to help your energy flow to this particular chakra:

I release my inner creativity and welcome the feeling of pleasure.

I love my sensual, sexual and emotional self and I deserve to be happy.

Yoga Poses for the Sacral Chakra

Yoga poses for the sacral chakra will help with both emotional and physical blockages. Women who experience menstrual cramps will benefit from the knees-to-chest pose and rock side to side to massage the lower back. Yoga poses such as half spinal twists, supine twists and bound angle pose will stretch the groin muscles. A more strenuous chair pose will also be beneficial to strengthen the core and the pelvic floor.