Chakra 2 Svadhistana: Sensing your World

CHAKRA TWO: Svadhisthana

The sacral chakra governs the abdomen, lower back and sexual organs. It is related to emotional identity and self-gratification. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation and sexuality. This chakra often corresponds to control/ finding a balance of acceptance and rejection. Ideally, svadhisthasana brings fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change.

• Focus: Sexual Emotions
• Color: Orange
• Seed Sound: Vam
• Sense Organ: Tongue
• Associated sense: Taste 

ESSENTIAL OILS:

 Frankincense – zaps negative or blocked energy

• Jasmine – linked to creativity
• Sweet Marjoram – absconds guilt
• Cypress – assists in moving on after major life change

CRYSTALS AND GEMSTONES

• Coral – eases PMS and menstrual cramps
• Red Jasper – stimulates sex drive
• Moonstone – enhances female reproductive system
• Bloodstone – helps support difficult transformations
• Carnelian – brings clarity that all things are possible
• Citrine – boosts confidence in search of fulfillment
• Hematite – protects commitments made from outside interference

Incense: Cedar, Juniper

Foods: Water, herb teas, juices, apples pears, peaches, apricots, melons, mangos, oranges, figs, watercress, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes

The physical body: sacrum, prostate, lumbar, sex organs, spleen, kidney, circulatory system, and tongue

Chakra location: Just below the navel

The second chakra allows for emotional and sensual movement in our life, opening to pleasure, and learning how to “go with the flow.”

No wonder this one is so often out of whack.

Associated with the hips, sacrum, lower back, genitals, womb, bladder, and kidneys, this chakra is involved with sensuality, sexuality, emotions, intimacy, and desire. All watery things about us have to do with this chakra: circulation, urination, menstruation, orgasm, tears. Water flows, moves, and changes, and a healthy second chakra allows us to do so too.

Afer focusing on second chakra in a recent class, a student confided to me how hard it was to allow pleasure in her workaholic life. We created a plan for her to give herself 20 minutes each day devoted just to the healing power of pleasure: listening to music, doing yoga,  getting a massage. Our lives give us plenty of opportunities to express ourselves and be active; in our yoga practiceand elsewhere, we need to make sure we complement this with relaxation and receptivity.

An ideal hot yoga practice combines strength and flexibility, effort and surrender. will be mirrored in your chakras.

In a culture as confused as ours is about sexuality, pleasure, and emotional expression, there are an infinite number of pathways to an imbalanced second chakra. For example, people who were raised in an environment where emotions were repressed or pleasure denied will be more likely to lack energy in the second chakra. Symptoms of a second chakra deficiency include fear of pleasure, being out of touch with feelings, and resistance to change. Sexual problems and discomfort in the lower back, hips, and reproductive organs can also signify that this chakra needs some kind attention. Sexual abuse during childhood can lead to feeling closed down in this chakra or may result in making sexual energy the most dominant part of the personality. An excessively charged second chakra may reveal itself through overly emotional behavior, sexual addiction, or poor boundaries. Excessiveness may also result from a family environment where there’s a constant need for pleasurable stimulation (entertainment, partying) or frequent emotional drama.

Second chakra asanas help us with adaptability and receptivity. Hot yoga poses that can assist include forward bends in poses such as Toe Stand,  Padahastasana, and Dandayamana Biphastakapada Paschimottansasana.  Hip and groin openers like Trikonasana and Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana help as well.

Balance: ability to embrace change, healthy boundaries, ability to enjoy pleasure, the right to feel loved, emotional intelligence, enjoying the flow of life, a greater sense of inner balance, increased vitality and creativity.

More Hot Yoga Poses for Svadhistana

Ardha-Chandrasana

^As you backbend, lift the chest as high as possible.

Pada –Hasthasana 

Forward bends strengthen the 2^nd chakra

Utkatasana 

Squatting strengthens the 2^nd chakra

Garudasana 

Reproductive organs (the sex organs) are associated with the 2^nd chakra, and you are contracting/squeezing/massaging them in this pose

Padanghustasana

More squatting to strengthen the 2^nd chakra

Bhujangasana 

Strengthening the lower back, associated with your sacral chakra.

Salabhasana

Stretching poses strengthens the sacral chakra.

FOODS and RECIPES For SACRAL CHAKRA: Fats and oils, fish (especially wild-caught salmon), tropical fruits, seeds, nuts, orange-colored foods (oranges, tangerines, carrots, etc.)

RECIPE : PUMPKIN SOUP

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

Orange foods that vibrate in alignment with Svadhistana balance contain relatively high levels of carotenoids, a nutrient that can protect against free radicals. Mexican Pumpkin Soup has that vibrant orange color and uses herbs that assist the chakra 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 bunch of green onions

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 15-oz. can pumpkin or squash

1 15-oz. can black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

A drizzle agave

1 cup brown rice

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot and toss in the onions and spices.

Add the garlic, slightly browning first

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a high simmer

Cover, lower the heat, simmer for twenty-five minutes until the rice is cooked.

Top with vegan sour cream

Meditation for Svadhistana Chakra: A Better Feeling Thought

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