The Third Chakra lies right below the belly button, the navel, the power center of the body.
Many nerves run through here and therefore much energy. Visualize your nervous system as electricity turned on by your breath and movement, particularly your spinal movement because there are 72,000 nerves running off your spine.
When our Third Chakra is not balanced, we can manifest symptoms like constipation, irritability, and bad dreams. If self-esteem is an issue, work on your navel to get in touch with your own personal power to live from your strength.
People blocked at the Third Chakra are motivated by a need for power, with greed and ambition as leading factors. People who are balanced at the Third Chakra can use its energy without higher centers and can live for their own good and the good of others.
The element in the Third Chakra is Fire, which relates to anger. When we don’t elevate this vital energy, we push our anger down to the lower chakras and get pissed off (genital chakra) or uptight (anal chakra). Women especially must realize and use their power as nurturers and the ones given the gift of creation. The universe’s ultimate gift is our children.
The Third Chakra also relates to the adrenal glands.
5 Postures to Strengthen your Third Chakra
1. Stretch Pose
Lying on your back, place your hands underneath your buttocks, palms down. Hold your head and heels six inches off the ground, and perform a breath of fire. This will set and balance your energy for the day.
2. Cantilever Pose
Lie on your back, and raise the upper body and lower body off the floor at somewhere between a 60- and 90-degree angle. With your body in this V position, stare at your feet and perform a breath of fire. Your arms should be up and extended to the front near your knees, unless you need them to hold the floor.
3. Spine Flex on your Heels
Sit on your heels with your hands on the thighs, palms facing down. Inhale to press your chest forward and exhale to release it back. Face forward and do not bob your head. If you like, you can do this pose with a breath of fire, inhale as you pass center and exhale at both extremes.
4. Leg Raises
Lie on your back with your hands by your sides, or under your buttocks to protect your lower back. Inhale as you raise one leg with the foot flexed, exhale as you lower the leg with your toes pointed. After about a minute on each leg, switch to raise both legs on the inhale and down on the exhale. If you’d like more of a challenge, when lifting both legs do a continuous breath of fire. If you feel too much pressure in your lower back, be sure to have your hands palms down under your buttocks.
5. Navel Breath Exercise
Sit cross-legged with your arms straight up in the air and your fingers interlaced with your palms up. Do long deep breathing for five minutes, focusing on your navel. When you are finished, bring your hands into your lap, one palm face up, one atop the other. Inhale deeply then exhale deeply. Hold your breath as long as possible while pumping your belly in and out. Repeat this breathing two more times and you will feel the heat from your navel.
Conclusion
Perform those five poses whenever you feel your 3rd Chakra needs to be balanced and find the fire in your navel!
If you’d like individualized instruction for this or any other yoga or meditation practice, book your personal yoga retreat at Sewall House Yoga Retreat in northern Maine today.
Check out the other excerpts from Clearing Your Chakras.
