Chakra 3 Manipura: Your Personal Power

Manipura is the seat of your personal power. 

The energies of Manipura are focused on self, specifically self-esteem. Manipura is where personality develops and ego resides. It is the intuitive chakra where we receive “gut feelings.”

• Focus: Power, Energy
• Color: Yellow
• Seed Sounds: Ram
• Sense Organ: Eyes
• Associated sense: Sight

ESSENTIAL OILS:

• Chamomile – eases tension, promotes a “sunny” disposition
• Bergamot – helps release stagnant energy
• Juniper – good for emotional balance
• Ginger – helps aid the digestive tract
• Peppermint – balanced manipura energy

CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES

• Topaz – encourages confidence
• Citrine – assists in leaving no stone unturned
• Amber – brings happiness in the realm of relationships
• Sunstone – encourages you to see the “sunny” side
• Adventurine Quartz – boosts well-being
• Calcite – helps develop trust and motivation

Incense: Sandalwood, Nag Champa, and Dragon’s Blood

Food: Spices to build fire; black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cloves, tumeric, melissa. Seeds to cool excess fire: fennel, anise, cumin, flax seed, sunflower seeds. Complex carbohydrates (support fire); rice, oats, millet, pasta, bread, muesli.

The physical body: liver, stomach, small intestine, digestive system, gall bladder, skin, muscles, pancreas,  middle spine, and adrenals

If you are experiencing a blocked manipura chakra you could be overly concerned with what others think, fearful of being alone, insecure and in need of constant reassurance, feeling judgmental.  

Unbalanced

• Digestive problems, eating disorders, feeling like a victim, or experiencing low self-esteem can all be indications of a deficient third chakra.
• Perfectionism, anger, hatred, and too much emphasis on status and recognition reveal an excessive unbalanced third chakra.  

Balanced:

• Positive sense of self, energetic, warm, flexible, self-respect, confidence, ethical behavior, respect for others, ability to take risks, responsible, optimistic, ability to handle life’s challenges.
• Going gently into backbends can cool off the belly’s fire as calming agents for third chakra.
• Gaining confidence comes naurally from flexing your third chakra. Confidence comes in Toe Stand, kicking harder in Dandayamana Janushirasana or Dandayamana Danurasana, stretching to the max in Ustrasana;  for others, it might simply be getting to their first hot yoga class.
• Pavanamuktasana, Arda Masyendrasana twisting and Kaphalbhati breath are all helpful.

RECIPES FOR BALANCING MANIPURA: BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Any yellow foods- Lemons, bananas, corn and butternut squash - help balance your Manipura. This is delicious way to eat more yellow squash 

Credit for this recipe goes to Heidi Templeton, hot yoga teacher and chef of the chakras

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

1 cup of cooked black beans

1 cup corn

Small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced

1 bunch green onion

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon fennel

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Vegan pepper jack cheese

Cilantro, salsa, and /or avocado for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Halve and seed your squash, and then hollow out each side just enough to form a shallow boat. Brush the squash with some coconut oil and roast with the meaty side facing down for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté your onions and garlic in a pan until slightly brown. Add bell peppers and spices, and sauté for about 5 minutes or so. Add beans and corn and green onions then stir. Sauté a few minutes longer and remove from oven and stuff it with your filling. Top with vegan cheese or other topping, return to oven for about 5-10 minutes.

NOTICING MANIPURA CHAKRA

Chakra location: approximately 2” above the navel

HOT YOGA POSES FOR MANIPURA: Focus on Manipura Chakra when in these hot yoga poses and see what you feel

Supta-Vajrasana

Pranayama Breathing for Manipura: be aware of taking deep belly breaths and bringing prana into your digestive organs (liver, pancreas, spleen),  the organs associated with the solar plexus chakra.

Kapalbhati breath for Manipura: forcefully snapping your stomach inward every time you exhale, the location of your solar plexus chakra, an inch above the navel, will activate this chakra.

MEDITATION FOR MANIPURA CHAKRA

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Chakra 4 Anahata: The Heart of All Things

Anahata is the chakra at the heart of you.

As the middle chakra of 7, Anahata links the lower and upper chakras. The heart chakra allows you to feel love, compassion and a deep sense of peace. The heart chakra is related to balance in relationships, balancing self and others resulting in a peaceful, balanced life.

• Focus: Love, Relationships
• Color: Green
• Seed Sound: Yam
• Sense Organ: Skin
• Associated sense: Touch

ESSENTIAL OILS:

• Bergamot – assists with grief, boosts joy

• Lavender – emotional balance, calming
• Eucalyptus – awakens the heart
• Lilac – promotes forgiveness
• Rose – enhances compassion
• Neroli – strengthens connection between heart and mind

CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES

• Rose Quartz – helps with empathy and to receive understanding
• Boji Stones – Male and female stones that work together to heal a broken heart
• Malachite – Facilitates patience to resolve issues of love
• Emerald – helps restore beauty, attracts love
• Ruby – gives you courage on a date
• Green Jasper – facilitates feelings of being loved

Incense: Meadowsweet, Nag Champa, Orris Root

Foods: Green tea, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and dandelion greens. Air vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and celery. Leafy spices such as basil, sage, thyme, cilantro, and parsley.

The physical body: heart, circulatory system, lungs, ribs, diaphragm, breasts, shoulders, and arms.

Chakra location: center of the chest

If you notice yourself sitting with your head forward, shoulders rounded and chest collapsed, do poses to open your heart chakra

When the heart chakra is deficient, you may experience feelings of shyness and loneliness, an inability to forgive, or a lack of compassion.

Physical symptoms can include shallow breathing, asthma, and lung diseases.

Asanas that enliven the heart chakra include: Ustrasana, Supta Vajrasana, Dandayamana Danurasana, Danuraasana, even Tadasana.

The heart chakra naturally yearns to release and let go. Doing backbends develops trust and surrender we need to open the heart fully.

In many backbending poses, the heart is positioned higher than the head. It’s wonderfully refreshing to let the mind drop away from the top position and lead with the heart.

Some signs that the heart chakra is overpowering your life can include co-dependency, possessiveness, jealousy, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

The most powerful way to open, energize, and balance the heart chakra is to love ourselves. Love is the greatest healer.

In yoga practice, remembering what we love and appreciate as we practice fourth chakra asanas enhances the power of the poses.

NOTICING ANAHATA CHAKRA

Balanced: unconditional love, self-love, accepting, ability to forgive, to be content, peaceful, compassionate, caring.

HOT YOGA POSES FOR ANAHATA:

Pranayama breathing 

the deeper the breath/ lifting and opening the chest, the more opening of your heart chakra.

Ardha-Chandrasana

side bends force energy out of the side channels and back into the central channel overall, especially the Heart Chakra

Dandayamana-Danurasana

When you are stretching forward/leading with your chest, the location of your heart chakra, this pose will balance the energy of the heart chakra

Tuladandasana

Your heart –if done correctly – is pounding after this pose. You are focusing energy on your heart chakra.

Trikonasana 

In this pose, you are lifting your chest upward the entire time, leading with the power of the heart chakra.

Bhujangasana 

pushing your chest up and out focuses on the heart chakra

Poorna-Salabhasana 

pushing your chest up and out focuses the energy of the heart chakra

Dhanurasana

stretching your chest up and out very dramatically here, focusing your energy on waking up and clearing stuck energies in the heart chakra

Ustrasana 

one of the two biggest heart opening poses, this pose focuses completely on opening your heart chakra from the front of your body. There is no holding back in this pose; you are completely pulling open the locks on your heart chakra. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, teary or emotional during or after this pose, know that your heart has just opened and released old wounds. Congratulations.

Sasangasana 

 the second of the two biggest heart opening poses, this pose also opens your heart chakra from its locks located around the back of your body, again relaxing the side channels that loop around the heart and releasing their hold on your heart chakra

MEDITATION FOR ANAHATA CHAKRA

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Chakra 6 Ajna: Third Eye Open

Ajna: the big picture to live life intuitively

Ajna Chakra opens your psychic faculties. Conceptually, this chakra is about “seeing” the spiritual;  it governs psychic vision, inner knowledge, and inspiration.

Focus: Intuition

Color: Indigo

Seed Sound: Om

Sense Organ: The Eyes

Associated sense: Insight

Essential Oils:

Lemon – cleanses the third eye

Juniper – Helps relieve tension and nervousness, clarifies inner vision

Rosemary – clears your thoughts

Lavender – harmonizes all the chakras, relieves stress and anxiety

Neroli – relieves depression

Geranium – has a harmonizing effect on the mind

Crystals & Gemstones

Amethyst – helps raise spiritual awareness

Tiger’s Eye – helps thread relevant information

Sodalite – frees you from preconceived notions, opens mental horizons

Sugilte – helps maintain our point of view despite pressure or conflict

Azurite – facilitates astral travel

Angelite – facilitates communication with the spiritual realm

Jet – repels nightmares

Selenite – aids in telepathic contact

Incense: Frankincense resin, Sandalwood

Foods: Fasting or other forms of detoxification, consuming water, fruit juices and eating juicy fruits, organic foods, and dark chocolate.

The physical body: governs the eyes, neck, pituitary and pineal glands, forehead, side and back of head and carotid plexus.

Chakra location: Above the eyebrows in the center of the forehead

NOTICING AJNA CHAKR:

Ajna chakra is involved in both the creation and perception of art with a powerful impact.

When the third eye is excessive with too much or blocked energy, we experience headaches, hallucinations, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating.

When this chakra is deficient, we have a poor memory, experience eye problems, have difficulty recognizing patterns, and can’t visualize well.

As a yoga teacher, we guide students to focus on a present-moment, fully engaged experience which supports Ajna chakra: no distractractions. After class, profound insights often come because Ajna vision is directed more deeply inside.

Positive images and visualizations in Savasana create a healthy Ajna chakra. Affirmative feelings draw the imagined into your life.

Balanced Characteristics: Strong intuition, ability to visualize and manifest, greater vision of your purpose, creative imagination, good memory, development of psychic gifts, good dream recall.

Hot Yoga Poses that Support Ajna Chakra:

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana 

6^th chakra (third eye chakra) Anja: You are massaging your pituitary gland, the gland correspondening to your 6^th chakra.

Ardha-Kurmasana 

6^th chakra (third eye chakra) Ajna: massaging your pituitary/pineal gland as you press on it physically and bring circulation to these glands associated with 6^th chakra balance.

Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana 

6^th chakra (third eye chakra) Ajna:  massage your pituitary gland, the gland associated with your 6^th chakra, as you press forehead to knee.

Meditation for Ajna Chakra

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