Solar Plexus Chakra: Awakening the Sun Within
This week in class we continued our journey upward through the chakra system.
Week one focused on the root chakra, the place of safety, grounding, and foundation.
Week two invited us into the sacral chakra, where we explored creativity, fluidity, and awakening our senses.
This week we moved into the solar plexus chakra, the center of personal power.
The solar plexus lives between the navel and the sternum, and it relates to the element of fire.
At the beginning of class, I asked students a simple question: What is the largest source of fire in our world?
The answer, of course, is the sun.
So throughout our practice this week, we imagined a sun living in the belly. A steady source of warmth, strength, and energy radiating from the center of the body.
** Listen to the playlist from our Solar Plexus class on Spotify **
SOLAR PLEXUS QUICK REFERENCE
Location:
Upper abdomen between belly button and center of ribs
Element:
Fire
Themes:
Personal power
Confidence
Willpower
Motivation
Clarity in decision making
Self-trust
Affirmation we practiced in class:
I am strong, powerful and confident.
I am motivated, ambitious, and capable.
Symbol:
The Ram
Physical Areas
Digestive system, stomach, small intestine, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, middle spine
Nerve Plexus
Solar Plexus
Frequency
768 Hz
Balanced Qualities
Self-confidence
Healthy self-respect
Clear decision making
Inner strength
Inspired action
Trust in one’s instincts
Overactive
Perfectionism
Workaholic tendencies
Stubbornness
Aggression
Controlling behavior
Sensitivity to criticism
Underactive
Low confidence
Indecision
Worry about the opinions of others
Weak willpower
Lack of discipline
Low motivation
Yoga Practices
Warming breaths (ujjayi, kapalabathi)Boat Pose (Navasana)
Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Core strengthening
Spinal flexion movements
Breath practices that build internal heat
Essential Oils
Bergamot, Hyssop, Chamomile, Clary Sage
South African Plant Allies
Cape Sugar Bush, Cape Valerian
African Tree Essence
Wild Peach (Tree of Courage)
Crystals
Yellow Jasper, Golden Calcite, Citrine, Labradorite, Golden Tiger’s Eye, Yellow Jade
The Theme of the Week: Strength
Each week in this chakra series builds on the one before it.
During our root chakra week, the focus was safety. Students were invited to choose the variation that felt safe in their bodies. The root chakra is our foundation, and that week was about establishing stability and trust in the body.
During the sacral chakra week, the invitation shifted slightly. Students were encouraged to choose the option that felt good. That class focused on awakening the senses, allowing the hips to move, and remembering that creativity and sensuality are part of everyday life.
This week, as we explored the solar plexus chakra, the cue shifted again. Students were invited to choose the option that made them feel strong.
Strength can show up in many different ways:
Sometimes it looks like holding a challenging posture.
Sometimes it looks like steady breathing through effort.
And sometimes strength simply means trusting your body and your capacity.
In this way, each week of the series builds naturally on the one before it:
First we create safety. Then we allow ourselves to feel and flow. And from that place, we begin to discover our strength and power.
Fire in the Body
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the element of fire. In yoga philosophy, fire represents transformation. It is the energy that helps us digest food, but also digest life experiences. It fuels motivation, ambition, confidence, and action.
When this center is balanced, we often feel:
• capable
• self-trusting
• energized
• clear about our direction
When it is out of balance, we may experience:
• self-doubt
• lack of motivation
• controlling behavior
• difficulty taking action
Practices that engage the core, breath, and focus help activate this center.
How We Explored This Energy in Practice
Our practice this week was designed to gradually build heat and strength in the body.
We began with breath of fire (Kapalabhati) to energize the body and awaken the solar plexus.
From there we layered strength through movements like:
• bridge pose
• bird dog
• gate pose
• side plank variations
• chair pose
• balancing postures
• warrior sequences
Throughout class we returned again and again to the idea that strength lives in the center of the body.
Even simple tools like a yoga block became a way to explore this:
Holding the block overhead helped students feel the engagement of the core.
Placing the block between the thighs activated the inner legs and deep abdominal muscles.
Balancing with the block challenged focus, coordination, and trust.
These small adjustments reminded us that strength is not only about effort.
It is about awareness.
Affirmations We Practiced
During moments of challenge in class, students were invited to repeat these silently:
I am strong.
I am powerful.
I am confident.
I am motivated.
I am ambitious.
I am capable.
Affirmations help shift the way we speak to ourselves internally.
Instead of doubting our ability, we begin practicing trust in our own strength.
The Energy of the Solar Plexus
When the solar plexus chakra is balanced, we tend to move through life with a sense of quiet confidence.
Not arrogance. Not force.
But a steady knowing that we are capable of meeting the moment in front of us.
Like the sun itself, the solar plexus does not need to compete or prove itself.
It simply shines.
Looking Ahead
Next week we continue moving upward through the chakra system into the heart chakra.
If the solar plexus teaches us about personal power, the heart reminds us that strength is most meaningful when it is balanced with compassion and openness.
We will begin exploring the space of the chest and shoulders, and how connection, breath, and openness influence our wellbeing.