The chakra system was first recognized in the Orient as the foundation of certain Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist teachings. The chakras form what these cultures call the anatomy of the human spirit.
The second chakra in our body is called Swadhisthana – in translation from Sanskrit, this means sweetness. It is also called the sacral chakra and is located at two fingers under the coccyx or tailbone.
The sacral chakra is responsible for movement, flow and pleasure. If your life lacks these things, it may be that your sacral chakra is blocked. The chakras represent the power centers of our bodies and are vertically aligned, from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
What is Swadhisthana or the Sacral Chakra?
Swadhisthana is all about movement, flow, care, pleasure, sexuality, relationships, procreation. It represents the male and female valences of ourselves. It is about creating joy, happiness and loving relationships.
This energy centre stores desires, feelings and emotions . We haven’t been encouraged from a young age to follow our intuition, follow our passions. Often enough we have been told to suppress our emotions especially if you are a male. We are told not to cry, not to express ourselves publicly and to be ashamed of our own sexuality. All this suppressed energy remains stuck in the second chakra and causes imbalances.
Also, the sacral chakra hides the so-called “shadow“ or our dark side. In other words, all those things that we do not like about ourselves. However, they can never be completely eliminated and may continue to manifest in our lives in one way or another. “The Shadow” usually manifests itself in the faulty relationships we have or in all kinds of circumstances that repeat themselves over and over again.
When we begin to work on this chakra we will deal with all of our suppressed emotions. I learnt this whilst working through my chakras on my own healing journey. I had to face and accept my flaws and know that this also contributes to my whole self. When we understand this we find relief. Nobody is perfect.
How to Recognize if Your Sacral Chakra Is Blocked?
When your sacral chakra is balanced, you are a radiant, exuberant and uninhibited individual. You are full of creative energy and are spontaneous, free and happy.
However, when this chakra is unbalanced, you may experience the following symptoms:
• lack of creativity
• repetitive dysfunctional relationships.
You may have the same unpleasant experience over and over again.
• lack of motivation
• lack of sexual appetite
or unpleasant sexual intercourse
• emotional confusion
• you feel unimportant
• you think nobody loves you
• you think you are unaccepted
by those around you or by the society
• you think you do not know how
or you cannot take care of yourself
On the other hand, if your sacral chakra is too active, then you are a workaholic, dominant in relationships, greedy, obsessed with pleasure, addicted to all kinds of activities that you use as a substitute for love.
How to Heal Your Sacral Chakra
When we carry shame, guilt, resent it actually affects many of our chakras. The Sacral Chakra connects to the Heart Chakra. If you tend to hang or have your shoulders bent, it is very likely to be because of your unhealed sacral chakra. Trying to bring your shoulders to the front is an attempt to hide your chest or sexuality.It can also be a gesture to protect your heart chakra. If you straighten your shoulders and open your chest, your heart chakra would open and it would be too painful to bear all the unhealed pain.
So, in order to heal your sacral chakra, you should make few changes in your lifestyle:
Take care of yourself
Sleep enough, eat healthy foods and take longer showers if that helps you relax.
Try going to a spa once in a while.
Be understanding with yourself
Do not criticize every action you take.
Be near water
Either by the sea, river or lake – anything that has to do with water can be helpful.
Drink plenty of liquids
Drink water, fresh juices, soups.
Focus on your hobbies
These can be any activities that help you unleash the creativity inside you.
Make love in a tantric way
In other words, make love with lots of gentleness and attention.
In regards to sex, it’s good to regard it as something sacred. Heal or give up the toxic relationships. Don’t entertain one way relationships. If you maintain connections that do not support your growth this could be life draining for you. If there are unsolved issues or unsaid frustrations, be open and resolve them in a calm way.
Balance your masculine and feminine energies. You can try some techniques for balancing the masculine and feminine energies inside you. Yoga exercises that involve hip opening or hip rotation are excellent.
Put on your favourite music and dance, any kind of movement is great for this Chakra. You could also try a spontaneous dance where you let your body follow the rhythm of the music as it will help you release the blocked energies.
Remember that a change starts from within. If you wish to improve the quality of your life, you must identify what causes imbalances in your sacral chakra. Then, you need to patiently remove any obstacle.
If you feel you could benefit from an energy balancing session, I offer a variety of treatments to suit your individual needs.
