The Solar Plexus Chakra or Manipura is the third energy center and exerts the greatest influence over personal power, self-esteem, and, by extension, self-confidence.
The energies of different chakras within the overall chakra system tend to comingle and co-create. Still, each energy center has its primary roles and relationships concerning your mind-body-spirit health and well-being.
Solar Plexus Chakra Meaning
Start with the Solar Plexus Chakra to address issues related to your self-image, self-esteem, personal power, and willpower. Similarly, look to the Solar Plexus regarding digestion and assimilation, including the integration of thoughts and beliefs.
Then, look at how this energy center interacts with other centers, such as the Crown or Sacral Chakras, if warranted. Chakra subtleties are important contributors to healing in that the interplay of the chakras can reveal a fuller story behind imbalances or weak self-evaluations.
Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance
Dysfunction within the Solar Plexus Chakra can manifest on any level – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Typically, on the physical level, Third Charka dysfunction manifests as digestive tract issues because this energy center governs the digestive system. Common gut issues include bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), food intolerances, cravings, weight gain or loss, immune problems, and mood swings.
Manipura imbalance can also be expressed as low self-esteem, insufficient personal power, and lack of self-confidence. It’s interesting to note how these troubled feelings are often expressed through the gut and are typically associated with the above bodily symptoms.
If you struggle with these feelings you’re not alone. Across all social, political, and economic strata, Americans report they often or occasionally experience one or more of these feelings. For example, nearly 85 percent of Americans struggle with low self-esteem.
Personal Power and Self-Esteem In the Chakra System
The definitions presented here differ somewhat from those of psychotherapy. Here, they relate to subtle energy and the chakra system. This means a holistic and integrated point of view.
What is Self-Esteem
Merriam-Webster defines self-esteem as “confidence and satisfaction in oneself as in self-respect.”
Some psychologists would separate confidence from self-esteem. For them, the latter closely aligns with a sense of self and beliefs about the self while the former (confidence) has more to do with courage and projection of self.
The chakra system approach embraces and expands upon these definitions. Here self-esteem is largely based upon thoughts plus internal and external evaluation such as success and achievement. In other words, it’s the product of cognition.
From this perspective, it makes sense that self-esteem is most significantly tied to the Manipura or Yellow Chakra. After all, this center is aligned with thoughts, beliefs, judgments, and mental assessments. It also dominates the mental layer of the aura.
What is Personal Power
Business and leadership communities view personal power as a person’s ability to impact others or events. Taking a slightly different approach but within the same community, Amy Cuddy distinguishes personal power from social power. Personal power is characterized by freedom from the dominance of others while social power is the ability to exert dominance, influence, or control the behavior of others.
The chakra system is inherently more holistic. Thus, it takes on a different character. The concept of personal power extends throughout the mind-body-spirit continuum and includes personal reflection and assessment. It involves knowing and appreciating your value, purpose, mission, strengths, and challenges.
Bring these two critical feelings and states of well-being together. Self-esteem tends to morph into confidence when you attempt to assert or support and preserve yourself and personal power in relationships with others, challenging circumstances, and self-evaluation.
Crown and Sacral Chakras Contribution to Personal Power and Self-Esteem
Crown Chakra Interference and Reinforcement
The Crown Chakra, or Sahasrara in Sanskrit imbalances can influence personal power and self-esteem and vice versa. This is because the Crown is associated with your thoughts, beliefs, relation to the divine, and soul purpose. In this way, it is the foundation for your sense of self, values, and valuation.
It’s challenging, or even unfeasible, to assert your authority when your confidence and self-esteem are shaky. Likewise, it’s hard to reflect clearly or evaluate yourself or your circumstances accurately when your thoughts and convictions are vague and confused.
Sacral Chakra Interference and Reinforcement
The Sacral Chakra is home to your sense of self. And, it’s the seat of your self-worth. Self-esteem derives largely from thoughts, beliefs, and performance. In contrast, worthiness stems from your emotions and the sense of your value and worthiness of love.
With a strong sense of self-love and worthiness, failures don’t define you. Instead, you can see them as challenges to learn from, and you maintain self-respect. Self-worth builds a foundation for personal power and self-esteem. In turn, self-worth depends on self-trust, the domain of the Third-Eye Chakra.
Signs of Solar Plexus Chakra Imbalance
Solar Plexus imbalance is implied from the quality of your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions. Below are common signs of chakra imbalance related to your personal power and self-esteem. Everyone has these thoughts now and again. But, they could be signs of imbalance when they’re frequent or enduring.
Insufficient Personal Power
- Poor self-discipline
- Inability to stay in your lane – attention on others, your perception of others, and the potential cues and judgments from others
- Rigidly habitual and protective behaviors
- Sense of lacking control and an inability to influence, affect, or ward off potential impacts
- Feeling frustrated, tired, or depleted
- Indecisiveness and lack of productivity and output
- Tendency to capitulate and withdraw
Lack of Adequate Self-Esteem
- Mental rumination and overthinking
- Constantly comparing self with others
- Highly self-critical even without cause
- Difficulty receiving compliments
- Unable or disinclined to trust yourself and your judgment
- Weak resolve and followthrough
- A tendency toward people-pleasing and weak boundaries
- Reactive and quick-tempered
- Anxious and worried
Solar Plexus Chakra Healing – 7 Simple Options
There are many ways to rebalance your Third Chakra, some using alternative healing and others with conventional therapy. Here, we offer seven practices you can do yourself.
1. Chakra Therapy
Chakra therapy includes clearing and balancing the Solar Plexus Chakra and corresponding aura layers and disentangling it from any destabilizing influences of other chakras.
When treating any individual chakra, it’s important to work on the entire chakra system, especially aspects that pertain to the current Solar Plexus Chakra issues that need attention. The Sacral and Crown chakras come into play with issues around personal power, self-esteem, and confidence.
2. Crystal therapy
Being vibrational by nature, crystals work well with the chakra system. Wearing crystals as bracelets, pendants, or in a pocket is generally a simple easy way to support good Solar Plexus Chakra functioning.
A few Solar Plexus Chakra stones worth mentioning are citrine, lemon quartz, yellow tiger eye, topaz, and yellow calcite. Although amber is technically not a crystal, it has significant healing properties and thus is included here.
Amber and Topaz address self-doubt and fear. Thus, they contribute to strengthening self-confidence and self-esteem. Citrine helps release ego and vain self-pride.
3. Energy healing techniques for balancing chakras
Many energy healing modalities align with and incorporate the chakra work. Balancing the chakras is a regular practice I included in my energy healing sessions.
As an example of this practice, see my blog post entitled Working With the Chakras and Reiki). It explains how blending the two enhances a healing session.
4. Thought-work to let go of limiting beliefs
Chakra balance and imbalance are reflected in a person’s thoughts. A dysfunctional Solar Plexus, in particular, is typically expressed through thoughts about confidence, personal power, self-esteem, and the ego and will (thoughts that align with the signs mentioned above.)
5. Toning the Solar Plexus
Chant the Solar Plexus bija, Ram. Toning can be audible or silent through breathing and intending the sound of “Ram.” Or use a tuning fork with a frequency of 528 Hz.
6. Yoga asanas
Choose appropriate poses for the solar plexus, such as twists and stretches through the waist and pelvic area. Some common poses include plank or low plank, spinal twists, downward-facing dog, and triangle pose.
7. Aromatherapy for the Solar Plexus Chakra
Use aromatherapy and essential oils appropriate for the Solar Plexus and related issues. You’ll note that a number of the essential oils listed in the blog help balance and regulate digestion.
Although, a minor Solar Plexus aromatic, Jasmine (Jasminum officinalel) is a good essential oil to build confidence.
Updated October 11, 2024
