Ignite your Inner Fire: The Transformative Journey through the Manipura Chakra
This week, we continue the journey through our chakra system and move further up to the navel area, where we find the Manipura chakra.
First, though, let's have a look back at the Mooladhara and Swadhitsthana chakra. Here is a brief reminder of what we discussed during the last blog post.
From Physical to Emotional: The Path to the Manipura Chakra
We come from the depth of our pelvis, the base of the spine, from the Mooladhara chakra, governing our physical life, body and health, maintaining this body, our flat or house, sheltering the body, and family.
From there, we move a little up, still in the realm of the pelvis, to the Swadhisthana chakra, which is all about our emotional life, relationships near and far, and the fears around our relationships.
You can already see the journey from gross to subtle developing here initially.
We travel further up our spine because that is where the chakras, the energetical powerhouses, are situated.
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The City of Jewels: Discovering the Power of the Solar Plexus
We arrive at the city of jewels, the Manipura chakra, at our solar plexus centre around the navel.
Interestingly, the location of all chakras coincides with the location of major intricate nerve networks or plexi.
You might ask yourself, what could the Manipura chakra be about as we move from gross to subtle in our consciousness?
Kundalini Awakening: Hatha Yoga's Role in Chakra Energisation
The primary energy sits dormant in our pelvis, the kundalini shakti. The aim of Hatha Yoga, for example, is to awaken this energy so that it moves from the base of the spine upwards through all the chakra to energise all aspects of our life and to unify our basic needs and fears with our highest spiritual potential represented by the crown chakra.
Transformation Through Fire: The Role of the Manipura in Personal Growth
The Manipura chakra is the powerhouse of transformation. Its element is fire, which brings transformation, metabolisation, and absorption. It helps to transform our raw and self-centred energy into caring about others when we move into the heart chakra.
Observe the stages of a child. Babies only care about themselves and are aware of their immediate family. Their primary needs are feeding, sleeping, and pooping.
As children get older, their consciousness expands into people further afield, friends, sharing – or not-, throwing tantrums, etc.
As we grow up, our consciousness grows with us. Noticing and caring about our environment and other people.
So, on the way, some force needs to shift our consciousness from us to others, allowing us to expand. Naturally, cold constricts, and heat expands. Hence, it is the fire element that helps us transform our being.
Decoding the Symbols: The Red Triangle and Ten Blue Petals
The location of the Manipura chakra is in the navel region, where our digestion is at home.
When you look at the picture, you see the red triangle representing the fire and its upward direction.
It is surrounded by 10 blue petals, representing the sounds:
ḍa, ḍha, ṇa, ta, tha, da, dha, na, pa, and pha
Its Bija mantra is RAM. A sound that creates heat.
It governs the sense of sight, the eyes. Notice the correlation between the elements, Yoga and Ayurveda. Heat is Pitta dosha. Apart from its main location in the small intestine, Pitta is also located in the eyes, and their function is sight.
Manipura chakra is associated with the fire element. It is associated with our vitality, our energy; it's our generator. Here lies our ability to digest food and thoughts, transform this energy, and assimilate it to be able to help others. Our ego is also associated with this chakra, as is our identity, the desire for power and recognition, anger, aggression, and fighting.
Manipura transforms the dullness and drowsiness of Mooladhara and Swadhisthana into action and consciousness. The gunas are changing here from tamas to rajas.
We can experience joy, warmth, enthusiasm, courage, and support for others.
Deity of the Manipura Chakra
Mantra RAM is the mantra for Shri Rama, one of Lord Vishnu's incarnations. Chanting this bija mantra fights fear.
My teacher used to say that fear is cold. Even when we sweat out of fear, we call it cold sweat. When we feel cold, we are more likely to be afraid and anxious. Generating heat while chanting OM RAM banishes fear and brings forth courage. The anger and aggression mentioned above are signs of an imbalanced Pitta dosha.
The more you learn, the more you see how everything ties together.
Food for thought: When you look at the sounds of a mantra, let’s say the Gayatri mantra, you can see which areas/chakras this mantra affects or targets. When you compare them with the individual sounds of the chakra petals. But that might be for a rainy day 😊
Practical Chakra Work: Affirmations and Journaling for the Manipura
As with the other chakras, you can use affirmations to connect to the chakra’s energy. For the Manipura chakra, you can use
I am powerful and courageous.
I am inspired and motivated.
My life is purposeful.
I make my own decisions confidently.
I accept myself completely.
I am radiant like the sun.
I honour the power within me.
I make decisions quickly and face challenges calmly.
I am in control of my life.
Use an affirmation that resonates with you and repeat it daily once or twice for a minute. The affirmation can change daily as needed.
If you love journaling, you can journal around the affirmation and what surfaces when you repeat it or think about it. These are fantastic ways to draw unconscious feelings and emotions out of their hiding and into the light (which we only have due to the fire).
Yoga and Breathing: Physical Practices for Chakra Activation
Both can support our work with the chakras in a safe way.
Yoga postures (asanas)
Here are some examples of asanas which can be integrated easily into your daily Yoga practice:
Twists, standing, seated or supine. Try visualising the red triangle around your navel when practising these twists.
All backbends are fantastic as the open the front of the body, might it be cobra pose (Bhujangasana), locust pose (Shalabhasana), bow pose (Dhanurasana), camel pose (Ustrasana), or upward facing cat pose.
The play of opening and closing the front body in the Salut to the Sun (Surya Namaskar) is a great way to work with the chakras. And remember, Surya Namaskar works with all the chakras 😊
Inversions stimulate our digestive fire and actually direct the Agni towards the intestines. The flame will always point upwards, so when we are upside down, the digestive flame will point towards the bowels, helping to digest and address constipation. When our gross channels, like the GI tract, are blocked, the finer energy channels will also be affected.
Breathing Practices
Bhastrika, a forceful and active inbreath and outbreath, is called breath of fire. So, no further explanation is needed.
Kapalabhati – skull shining, also benefits the Manipura chakra because we need to draw back the navel strongly and suddenly, directly affecting the area of the chakra.
Surya Bhedana – alternate nostril breathing but only inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left. It creates warmth in the body by stimulating Pingala nadi, one of the main energy channels, which moves through each chakra. It is associated with the left side of our brain, the right side of our body, and the extrovert, warm, active side of our personality.
Please practice all techniques under the guidance of an experienced Yoga teacher.
There are lots of little practices that we can integrate into our daily lives.
Final Thoughts
This post looks at the Manipura Chakra, situated in the navel area. So far, we have journeyed from the foundational Mooladhara and emotional Swadhisthana chakras, leading up to the energy centre of transformation. The post explains how this chakra, representing the fire element, plays a crucial role in personal development and self-awareness. It covers the awakening of inner energy through Hatha Yoga, the evolving nature of our consciousness, and the balance between ego and selflessness. You have gained insights into the symbolism of the chakra, the impact of the mantra 'RAM', and its connection to Ayurvedic concepts. Additionally, the post offers practical advice on using affirmations, yoga, and breathing exercises to engage with and benefit from the energy of the Manipura Chakra.
Have you learned something new? Can you relate to it? Let me know. You can leave a message on Instagram, Facebook or even good old email.
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
P.S. Did you know that healthy eating habits also support the chakras as they connect to the organs located in the areas of the individual chakras?
