Chapter
9

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): Your Core Self

Who are you? Your third chakra knows. Everything that distinguishes you from anybody else lives here in your Solar Plexus chakra—the seat of your individuality, personal power, and sense of self. Your third chakra is proactive. You move, act, and get things done from the third chakra, but you can also sit very still and feel who you are by focusing on this chakra. Writer Harish Johari says the third chakra “behaves like a cobra,” and this is an apt metaphor for the power of the Solar Plexus chakra in several ways: the cobra can invoke fear in others and can get what it wants, but it can also harm others or slink back down into its basket if its authority is threatened.

Think of yoga’s Cobra pose (Bhujangasana) that stretches through your body’s center up through its serpent crown. Also, be aware of Kundalini serpent power, which is the electric source of spiritual awakening that lies coiled and waiting to rise through the chakras. Kundalini energy requires a strongly balanced and aligned third chakra to support and hold its power.

When your Solar Plexus chakra is strong, balanced, and open, you project a confident, reliable, and trustworthy persona to the world. You exude a warmth and friendliness that others find irresistible. At its best, the third chakra projects a sense of humor and personal charisma. However, without a grounded first chakra and an emotionally balanced second chakra, the third chakra can become like a hammer or a gun, subjecting others to the sudden force of its power. If blocked, you can lose your sense of self, confidence, and ability to get anything accomplished. In other words, balancing the Solar Plexus chakra matters a lot in terms of your ability to function fully in the world.

Solar Plexus Chakra 101

The third chakra, the Solar Plexus chakra, is also called the Sun chakra or Power chakra. Manipura is the traditional Sanskrit word. This word is usually translated as “dwelling place of the jewel,” “city of jewels,” or something similar, but the definition always has to do with a jewel. This is a beautiful image because the third chakra is where you open to abundance, prosperity, and opportunities, and you literally accept the jewels of life. Harish Johari says that the body’s center of gravity lies in the third chakra. Imagine a big, weighty, brilliant, and priceless jewel right below your rib cage and in the center of your solar plexus at the core of your body. This is where this chakra resides.

The third chakra is associated with the Fire element because in contrast to the first or Root chakra’s solid, grounded earthiness and the second or Sacral chakra’s watery, flowing movement, the third or Solar Plexus chakra projects heat and energy as if it were the body’s own inner Sun 3. The third chakra’s symbolic color is a bright sunny yellow, and the traditional lotus symbol depicting this chakra has 10 petals. The sound associated with this chakra is the seed sound RANG (rhymes with “song”). Chanting this sound helps to activate the third chakra.

The Solar Plexus chakra radiates to encompass your stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, and liver. Your strength, as physically manifested in your muscles, is linked to the third chakra. This chakra is also associated with the middle of the back and the upper intestines.

Your Solar Plexus chakra has everything to do with who you are, what you can do, and how you feel about all of that, so let’s look more closely at the direct manifestation of your personal power.

When you are born, you don’t understand that you and your mother are not the same being. Once you get to be two or three years of age, however, you start to understand that you are you, not anyone else. You gain a sense of autonomy. This marks the beginning of your third chakra’s development, but it doesn’t stop there or even in childhood. Throughout your life, your Solar Plexus chakra reflects your sense of self, your ego, and who you are in your own mind.

Understanding and accepting who you are is a lifelong process, but the third chakra can help you move more swiftly and efficiently in the right direction. A strong sense of self frees you up to get things done. It helps you to exercise your personal power in the service of building a better life for yourself. The Solar Plexus chakra has a reputation for being the selfish chakra. Unfortunately, doing good things for oneself has been associated with the idea of being selfish. To truly be helpful, loving, and effective in the world, you must be autonomous; you must be able to function fully as a whole person, you must know and understand yourself, and you must be confident in your power. Self-care and self-development are not selfish; caring for yourself and your development is essential for a healthy third chakra. You can’t go through life pretending to be someone else or constantly leaning on others and expect to succeed at it for very long. Writer, teacher, and mythology expert Joseph Campbell once wrote, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” This is the birthright of the Solar Plexus chakra and your birthright. The quest for you is not “selfish” in a negative way, but it is selfish … and absolutely essential.

Children who grow up constantly subjected to the will of a powerful parent are likely to develop third chakra issues. If children never get to be who they are while growing up, how can they be expected to know who they are as adults? As a way to strengthen the third chakras of her own children, every night after her children are fast asleep, Betsy whispers in each of their ears, “Become who you are.” This ritual symbolizes Betsy’s desire to support her children in whatever path they choose in this life, knowing it will be their path, not her path, which she persuades them to follow.

Self-Esteem

The third chakra is not only the reflection of our senses of self, but it’s also our opinion about ourselves. In other words, here lies your self-esteem. How do you feel about yourself? A healthy third chakra reflects a healthy appreciation of self. If you have too much energy here, you might project narcissism and an inflated ego. Narcissism is a psychological term referring to a personality disorder characterized by excessive self-importance and a need for constant admiration to such an extent that the narcissistic person is not able to love or feel empathy for others. The word comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection and died of unrequited love.

If you don’t have enough energy spinning through your third chakra, you might dislike yourself, feel shame about who you are, or even feel like you don’t have a personality. You might find that you are unable to summon either the mental or physical stamina to power your core being and are left with a pale shadow of your fully powered-up strength and vitality. Look for the placement of the planet Mars 7 in your astrological birth chart for clues about how to boost your strength and regain the power to act.

Control Issues

In addition to your identity, your third chakra is also directly related to your feelings of personal power over yourself and others. For this reason, control issues have everything to do with the Solar Plexus chakra. The amount of control you exert over your own behavior, as well as the behavior of others, flows from this chakra.

If you are compelled to control everyone and everything in your life and feel uncomfortable when you are out of control (or never let yourself get out of control), you might have an overactive third chakra. If you never feel like you have control over anything or that you are a victim of circumstance, are at the whim of fate, and blame others for your problems, then you might have a blocked third chakra.

Betsy had a client who was a classic example of someone struggling with an overactive third chakra. This man was having difficulty maintaining close relationships. He badly wanted to find a life partner, but instead, he found himself in many short-term relationships that went nowhere. He was extremely successful, had financial stability, and from the outside, looked like the “perfect catch.”

Yet, he was also arrogant and put the majority of his time into the development of his business. He would work days at a time without having contact with any friends, including the woman he was dating at the time. He thrived on stress and consistently pushed himself to achieve and find success. He had a hard time understanding why the women he dated couldn’t understand his need to throw himself into his work, especially because it resulted in outward results such as money, an environmentally progressive car, and an expensive weekend home. All his energy, however, was focused in the third chakra, which took away from the passion of his second chakra, or Sacral chakra, and the compassion of his fourth chakra, or Heart chakra. The result was an unemotional man who was unable to feel true empathy or intimacy with someone else and who was unable to really give or receive love from a partner.

Willpower

So, you can’t stick with that diet? Do you keep procrastinating and can’t finish that project? Your third chakra also reflects your willpower and your ability to follow through with your commitments. When you have a strong sense of self and personal power, you can finish what you start and do what you say (and intend). When you aren’t confident in your ability to make things happen, you are less likely to have the will to access your own power. It’s not surprising that those who struggle with a low fitness level often express that they have no willpower. It then becomes a vicious circle because the mental and physical weakness lowers self-esteem, which continues to keep that third chakra weak. Core body strength is the engine that powers the body’s chi. The stronger your core being, the easier it will be to make decisions and to move and do with confidence and vitality. A strong third chakra supports a strong flow of life force energy within and without you, making what once seemed out of reach in your weakened state now appear readily accessible and well within your personal power.

Moving Forward

The third chakra is also about being proactive. Strong, healthy third chakras reflect the ability to make things happen and get things done. The third chakra is the chakra of action, progress, and enacting change in the world. When you are strong here, you can move forward in your life with purpose and power.

If you have trouble getting moving or have low energy, it can help to tap into the power of your third chakra through vigorous exercise. If you like to walk, step up the pace or include short sprints if you are able. To really increase your third chakra power and energy, consider taking a class in the martial arts. Remember that Tai Chi has its roots in the martial arts. Its movements are based on raising optimal flows of life force energy for meeting and countering the approach of another person, whether adversary or partner. Tai Chi movements facilitate and optimize the flow of chi in your body, mind, and spirit.

Digestive Fire

The way you process food into energy is also reflected in your third chakra. Powerful third chakra people often have strong digestion and elimination, whereas people with blocked third chakras have trouble digesting many foods and are often constipated or find they are experiencing colitis or other gut problems. Stoking your inner digestive Fire element through third chakra activation can help you feel better, get more energy from the food you eat, and can help you achieve your ideal weight; a healthy inner Fire means a healthy metabolism. You can see the effects of a healthy digestive Fire in people who glow with energy. People who move sluggishly and look pale or pasty tend to have a suppressed inner Fire, which is related to a blocked Solar Plexus chakra.

Solar Plexus Chakra Correspondences

Your Solar Plexus chakra corresponds with certain colors, elements, sounds, and parts of your body, as well as parts of your life crucial to your sense of self and your ability to get things done. Check out this chart for a summary, and then read on to find out how you can use your Solar Plexus chakra to change your life for the better.

Third Chakra	Correspondence
Sanskrit name	Manipura (dwelling place for the jewel, city of jewels)
Element	Fire
Color	Yellow
Seed sound	RANG
Location	Just below the rib cage, at the solar plexus
Associated cultural phrases	“He’s a man of action.” “Burn the candle at both ends.” “Burn the midnight oil.” “Crash and burn.” “More power to you!” “I have no willpower.” “I need a power tie.” “This will whet your appetite.” “Put yourself out there.”
Associated anatomy	Solar plexus, stomach, digestive organs, upper intestines, middle back, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and muscles
Associated psychological and life issues	Personal power, ego, sense of self, self-esteem, willpower, and ability to get things done
Physical issues related to third chakra blockage	Sluggishness, low energy, low appetite, chronic fatigue, poor digestion, diabetes, gall bladder problems, feeling cold, stiff muscles, poor liver function, bad posture, and weak middle back
Psychological issues related to third chakra blockage	Low self-esteem, lack of willpower, inability to accomplish things or follow through, unreliability, victim mentality/blaming others for problems, and the feeling of having no personality
Physical issues related to third chakra overloading	Hypertension, stress, ulcers, muscle spasms, insomnia due to excess energy, exercise addiction, constant hunger, and physical signs related to extreme stress
Psychological issues related to third chakra overloading	Anger issues, control issues, obsession with power and outward signs of power such as money and possessions, inability to compromise with others, excessive competition, arrogance, lack of sensitivity, and narcissism
Third chakra therapy	Aerobic exercise to increase third chakra or meditation to calm third chakra, core-strengthening exercises like sit-ups and Pilates, martial arts, and counseling to acknowledge your inner power and potential or to develop sensitivity and respect for others

Awakening the Solar Plexus Chakra

If your Kundalini energy is activated in your first (Root) and second (Sacral) chakras, then you can encourage it to rise up into your third chakra, or Solar Plexus chakra. When you awaken your Solar Plexus chakra, you are likely to experience more self-confidence and ability to act, especially if you have problems getting things done. In those with overloaded Solar Plexus chakras, awakening the third chakra can bring your sense of self back into perspective and can help you see what other people need more clearly. Awakening the core-strengthening Solar Plexus chakra is a great way to energize and jump-start your life and increase your productivity, abundance, and self-esteem.

Anything that heats you up and strengthens your core can activate the third chakra. Hot yoga styles such as Bikram yoga or core-strengthening exercises such as Pilates are great for third chakra awakening. Pilates develops core awareness while lengthening, toning, and strengthening muscles. Pilates exercises traditionally use a specific machine designed for the purpose, but they can also be adapted for mat exercises without any equipment. Pilates classes are widely available at health clubs, yoga studios, and community centers. Deep relaxation is also effective for stress relief and centering and to put you back in touch with your own sense of “I.” Or you can just go on a brisk walk or run, preferably outside on a beautiful day, or even at the gym on a treadmill if that’s your only option. Sit in a sauna or in a hot spa bathtub, submerging your solar plexus under the warm jets of water. The point is to stoke your inner Fire element.

To get more powerful Solar Plexus chakra energy into your environment, highlight the color yellow. Wear yellow, paint your office yellow (or just hang a yellow-dominated picture where you can see it while you work), and spend a few minutes each day in the Sun 3. Seeing the color and feeling its warmth can help to awaken this chakra. Also, be sure to include more warmth in your home. When was the last time you used your fireplace? Wear more gold jewelry or a gemstone of amber or citrine. Remember, the Solar Plexus is the jewel of the chakras, shining bright at your core being and radiating the strength of action.

You can also try this exercise for awakening the jewel of the Solar Plexus chakra:

1. Sit on the floor, legs crossed, seat firmly planted on the floor. Feel your pelvic bones, and imagine roots anchoring those bones to the earth.
2. Take several long, slow, deep breaths, and then draw your attention to the area just below your rib cage. Imagine your third chakra, a bright burning yellow circle spinning slowly, glinting like the facets of a laser-cut gem sending out strength and power with each breath you take.
3. Imagine your third chakra glowing with a yellow circle of warm, energizing light that encompasses your entire chest. Feel the warm light moving into your stomach, and imagine lighting a tiny flame inside yourself, like a pilot light. Feel the warm glow, and picture the translucent golden depths of the chakra shining as a jewel of fire in your chest.
4. Take a deep breath in, and in a low resonating tone, say the word: RANG, holding the “A” sound (pronounced “ah”; the word rhymes with “song”). Imagine the yellow light from the jewel filling your entire body with slow, steady beams of inner sunlight.
5. Continue to breathe and let the warm beams fill you with a feeling of benevolent power and confidence, radiating from the golden jewel of your Solar Plexus chakra, as long as you like.

Aligning the Solar Plexus Chakra

Let the power of the Sun 3 help pull your Solar Plexus chakra into alignment with this exercise:

1. Stand outside on a sunny day. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Hold your arms out about a foot away from the sides of your body, and rotate your palms to face up. Close your eyes and lift your face to the Sun.
2. Imagine your third chakra, just below your rib cage, and try to feel it spinning. Feel the rays of the Sun beaming straight down into the crown of your head, and imagine them flowing down through your spine to merge with your Solar Plexus chakra.
3. Imagine your Solar Plexus chakra spinning more quickly, adding power, and then beaming yellow Sun energy back up through the crown of your head to merge with the Sun’s energy.
4. Lift your arms straight up overhead, and imagine the yellow light pulsing up and down, radiating to the Sun and back again. Your Solar Plexus chakra should now be aligned.

Blocks in the Solar Plexus Chakra

Our culture certainly values power. We see control as a positive quality and being out of control as a distinctly negative quality. We prize people who achieve; make things happen; who move with the decisive action of astrology’s planet Mars 7; and who radiate personal charisma, even if they use that charisma to control others to get ahead.

In many ways, power is a positive thing, though even the more idealistic among us tend to associate it across the board with greed. To feel powerless is certainly not healthy. Feeling powerful and knowing you can control your own destiny and influence the events of your own life is a very good thing. Power only turns negative when we use it against others or lack the sensitivity to understand how our actions affect those around us.

But if you have blocked power in your Solar Plexus chakra, carelessly wielding your power is the least of your problems. You tend to feel powerless and out of control. A blocked third chakra often results in low self-esteem and self-destructive behaviors that can lead to victimization by others. If you let other people take advantage of you, you can almost guarantee that they will (especially those people with overloaded third chakras!).

Blocked Solar Plexus Chakra Health Issues

Third chakra issues usually relate to digestion and poor posture. Conditions like diabetes, hypoglycemia, or problems in the gall bladder and liver might be related to the third chakra. Chronic lack of energy, such as chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, might be related to the third chakra. People with blocked third chakras also appear collapsed in the middle. Their abdominal and/or lower back muscles tend to be weak, and they slump instead of standing tall and radiating power. They don’t feel that power, so they can’t send it out—and the result is an inability to even maintain the basic core structure of the body.

Without its power, the body tends to crater at its core in a self-protective, curled-back, round-shouldered posture aimed at guarding this tender underdeveloped third chakra, and the compassion of the fourth chakra, or Heart chakra is guarded as well. Instead of leading up and forward, open-hearted and strong, the body looks down and turns inward, preserves strength and affection, and withdraws from engagement with the world instead of rising to meet and welcome it. You can help bring awareness and relief with careful stretching exercises, prana breathing meditations, and conscious posture work to open the chest and heal the third chakra by providing strong diaphragmatic lung support.

Temporary third chakra blocks can sometimes be caused by a professional setback. Many of us tend to identify at a very deep level with the work we do. When that work is questioned or criticized, we take it very personally. If you are experiencing a problem at your job, it is very important to separate that problem from your sense of personal worth. If you don’t, you can set yourself up for a continued downward spiral of failure in your work, which continues to feed your eroding sense of self until you aren’t able to fix the problem. Instead, if you let work be work and you be you, then you will be more objective about the situation and better able to address the problem, whatever it is, in a more rational (and powerful) way.

Blocked Solar Plexus Chakra Psychological Issues

People with blocked third chakras tend to put themselves down a lot, blame other people for their problems, and complain of low energy. At the heart of a third chakra block is a weak sense of “I.” Blocked third chakra people might seem to others to have very little personality, and indeed, that’s often how they feel. They often constrict their feelings and refuse to let others see how they really feel. The third chakra reflects your sense of yourself, and if you don’t have a clear sense of who you are, or you don’t like who you are and try to disengage from it, all the energy that should be channeled into the practice of engaging with the world dissipates.

Healing a Blocked Solar Plexus Chakra

To unblock your third chakra, think about heating your body and strengthening your core. Following are some great ways to do that, as well as some other ideas for healing the blocked power of your Solar Plexus chakra:

• Exercising until you sweat. Running—even short sprints—is a great third chakra exercise.
• Sitting in a sauna or a steam room.
• Doing hot yoga, such as Bikram yoga.
• Taking a Pilates class.
• Eating yellow foods, especially when they are spicy or have the strong flavors of ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and curry.
• Engaging in positive self-talk. Tell yourself you are strong, capable, and active. Saying things repeatedly to yourself can help you begin to believe them.
• Employing mantras such as:

• I am strong and powerful.
• I believe in and celebrate myself.
• I open to the prosperity and abundance in the Universe.
• I can accomplish and complete anything I want to do.

• Finding a task you can finish that will make even a small difference in your environment. For instance, clean out a drawer, load the dishwasher, or make your bed. Go do it, and don’t stop until you are finished.
• Consciously lifting and opening your heart to the sky as you inhale deeply. Hold this brave and powerful posture. Exhale and visualize your third chakra being strong and grounded and supporting your open heart and your deep, steady breath. Practice this calming posture to remind yourself of your personal power, and summon the courage to act on your heart’s desires.
• Spending time with a friend who genuinely values you and is good at letting you know it. (Remember, we’re not talking about flattery here!)
• Getting counseling for self-esteem issues.

An easy way to tune up your third chakra is to listen to your own inner voice. What messages do you tell yourself throughout the day? Do these messages build you up or tear you down? If you are always criticizing yourself for your failures rather than patting yourself on the back for your successes, you are encouraging the block in your third chakra. Work on purposefully stuffing a sock in that negative voice and focusing on your strengths. Let yourself talk to yourself about all your great qualities—because you have a lot of them!

Overloading in the Solar Plexus Chakra

Overloaded third chakras are easy to recognize. These are the loud, steal-all-the-attention-in-the-room, do-it-my-way, I-have-to-have-the-last-word people. Maybe this is you, but even if it isn’t, you probably know people like this. An overloaded third chakra makes you arrogant and self-centered. You always think you are right and people who disagree with you are wrong (if you even hear their opinion to consider it at all).

If you lived all alone in the world, an overloaded third chakra might not be much of a problem. However, as long as you have to get along with other people—feeling empathy from your second chakra and genuine love and compassion from your Heart chakra—an overloaded third chakra will thwart your attempts at satisfactory relationships, not to mention spiritual progress. If you seek access to a Higher Power, you’ll have a lot of trouble seeing around your own inflated ego.

Got stress? Meditation is an excellent way to begin practicing stress relief. Try sitting in a comfortable position and tuning in to your immediate environment or your breath for just five quiet minutes (no phone, no tablet or laptop, no book, and no sound other than soothing music if that helps to relax you). When thoughts come to mind, look at them as if they belonged to someone else and then let them go. You might need to let go of a thousand thoughts over the course of five minutes, and this is perfectly okay and normal. The point is to keep letting thoughts go rather than letting them carry you away. Keep returning to the rhythm of your breathing or the sound of the music in the room. The more you practice, the better you will get. Meditation gives your busy mind a break, which is crucial for people who tend to be overloaded in the third chakra.

Overloaded Solar Plexus Chakra Health Issues

Overloaded third chakra people tend to have very high stress and all the physical problems that go along with that, such as hypertension, tight muscles, and ulcers. Although chronic fatigue is typical of people with blocked third chakras, overloaded third chakra people tend to be so keyed up all the time. At some point, their bodies can’t take it anymore, and they collapse from exhaustion. These are the people admitted to the emergency room because they think they are having heart attacks, when in actuality, they are having severe indigestion, possible panic attacks, and total exhaustion. Overloaded third chakra people also tend to overuse pain medications and sedatives in a misguided attempt to calm down. It’s hard work carrying around gigantic egos. Those things are heavy!

Overloaded Solar Plexus Chakra Lifestyle Issues

Overloaded third chakra people can come across as arrogant and as just plain mean, especially to people who are particularly sensitive (overloaded in the second or Sacral chakra). Overloaded Solar Plexus chakra people just can’t understand why people don’t do things their way, which is obviously the right way. When the world doesn’t oblige them, they can become snappy, aggressive, and even violent. If you’ve ever seen an adult throw a temper tantrum, you can bet an overloaded third chakra is involved.

Overloaded third chakra people tend to be very successful and are good at acquiring all the trappings of success and power. However, they are also prone to losing it all in one fell swoop because they take risks and don’t usually consider other points of view. This can be a lonely way to live, so balancing that third chakra is well worth the effort.

Healing an Overloaded Solar Plexus Chakra

Healing an overloaded third chakra means draining out some of that excessive “all-about-me” energy to make room for other kinds of energy, such as grounding energy, compassion, and love. Remember, personal power is great as long as it doesn’t take over and exercise its power at the expense of others. Balance is best. Try these strategies:

• Practice deep relaxation techniques, such as meditation or Savasana (see Chapter 7).
• Aerobic exercise, such as running or working out at the gym, to drain off aggressive energy.
• Practice deep breathing exercises. Take long, slow, and deep breaths, filling up your lungs completely and then exhaling completely. Try inhaling to the count of five and exhaling to the count of ten, increasing these intervals with practice.
• Engage in noncompetitive activities or activities that force you to work with others.
• Slow down. Practice eating, walking, even working in a slower and more measured way.
• Hone your listening skills. Practice hearing what other people are saying. Try posing the question to yourself: “What if they really are right and I’m wrong?” It’s not the end of the world if that turns out to be true. It can be good for you, like eating vegetables … or humble pie!
• Get counseling to learn to increase your sensitivity toward others and for anger management issues.

Yoga Poses to Balance the Solar Plexus Chakra

The best yoga poses for balancing both blocked and overloaded Solar Plexus chakras are those poses that help you to feel powerful but balanced, and those poses that strengthen your core. The Warrior (Virabhadrasana) series is ideal for this purpose. So is Boat pose (Navasana), which not only builds core strength, but also teaches you balance from the inside out. Yoga breathing exercises, such as Bellows Breath, which you’ll learn in Chapter 14, can also help to heal a second or third chakra imbalance of passion and power.

When you first begin practicing yoga’s Warrior poses, it is not uncommon to feel fears and anxieties arise in these challenging poses. Warrior II was Betsy’s least favorite pose for years. Despite a strong yoga practice, she always experienced an irrational fear that her legs wouldn’t be able to support her. As her teacher kept the class in this pose, Betsy would routinely feel panicky, and her mind would begin to race with fears of collapsing. It wasn’t until Betsy worked with a Phoenix Rising Sun yoga therapist that she began to connect her personal struggle of stepping into her own potential and power with her difficulty in Warrior II pose. Warrior II suddenly became easier as Betsy worked on increasing the fire in her third chakra; burned through old and limiting fears; began to believe in herself; and took some risks in her life that forced her to be the powerful woman she is. Betsy now joyfully holds Warrior II with steadfastness, inner fortitude, and a calm mind.

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)

1. Stand in Tadasana (as described in Chapter 7) in bare feet and with your feet hip-width apart. Experience stability. Take a deep breath and allow the strength of something greater to support you as you prepare to become a Warrior.
2. Inhale and step or jump your feet about 3 to 4 feet apart. Turn your right foot in a little, and open your left leg 90 degrees to the front of your yoga mat. Square your hips to face the front of your mat. If you feel unsteady, you can walk your right foot more to the edge of your mat to create a wider base from which to work.
3. Firm your muscles and hug your shins toward each other. Keeping your right leg straight, exhale and bend your left leg into a square. Your left knee should track to the little toe side of your left foot.
4. Inhale and stretch your arms toward the ceiling, reaching up through your fingertips. Your upper arms should be on either side of your ears. Align your head over your torso with a strong gaze forward.
5. Take your internal reproductive organs and move them back, spreading them open. Maintaining the thighs back now, lengthen the tailbone down toward your heels as you lunge deeper into your front leg. Press your feet firmly into the mat, sending energy from the core of your pelvis down into the Earth.
6. Inhale and straighten your front leg. Turn your feet to be parallel, and then step or jump your feet back together. Repeat Warrior I pose on the other side.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

1. Stand in Tadasana (as described in Chapter 7) in bare feet, with your feet hip-width apart. Experience stability. Take a deep breath and allow the strength of something greater to support you as you prepare to become a Warrior.
2. Inhale and step or jump your feet about 3 to 4 feet apart. Turn your left foot in a little, and open your right leg 90 degrees to the front of your mat. Your right foot should be directly in line with the arch of your left foot. You should be able to feel your front foot connect with the floor, neither too arched nor too flat. Open your arms before and behind you, lengthening through your fingertips, your palms facing down. Your ankles should be in line with your wrists.
3. Firm your muscles and hug your shins toward each other. Keeping your left leg straight, exhale and bend your right leg into a square so your knee is directly over your ankle. Your right knee should track to the little toe side of your right foot. Turn your head and gaze out over your right hand.
4. Concentrate on feeling power in your legs. Rely on your breath to support you in this challenging pose. With every inhalation, elongate your spine; with every exhalation, feel grounded down into your legs as you lunge more deeply into your right leg. You are a Warrior!
5. Inhale and straighten your bent leg. Step or jump your feet back together. Repeat on the other side.

Boat Pose (Navasana)

1. Sit on the floor and stretch your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Keeping your body straight and your core muscles firm, exhale and lean back, raising your legs to 60 degrees and lowering the trunk by 30 degrees. Balance on the front of the buttock bones. Extend energy out through the legs, keeping the feet flexed.
3. Raise the arms to shoulder level, palms facing each other, and stretch your arms long to loosely grasp your partner’s hands. Your elbows should align with your knees. Place the flat of your foot against your partner’s, touching as lightly as possible. (Don’t push the feet into each other.) Breathe evenly and try to balance together, riding on the waves of breath for as long as you can.
4. Come down slowly together. Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position with your hands on your knees. Breathe as you look deeply into your partner’s eyes.

Astrology for the Awakened Solar Plexus Chakra

Now, we’re going to look more closely at the astrological correspondences for the third, or Solar Plexus chakra. In Chapter 4, you learned:

• The planetary rulers of the Solar Plexus chakra are Mars 7 and Pluto ;.
• The signs for the Solar Plexus chakra are Aries E and Scorpio P.

Planetary Ruler	Sign(s) Ruled
Mars 7	Aries E, co-ruler of Scorpio P
Pluto ;	Scorpio P, co-ruler of Aries E

Knowing the energy of astrology’s planets and signs that correspond to the Solar Plexus chakra helps you understand how to bring awakened third chakra power to life. Yoga Warrior and Boat poses use concentration, strength, and balance to stimulate third chakra power in your body. Astrology gives that spinning power a meaning and a purpose in your life. To look at how the chakras are interpreted in an astrological birth chart, see Appendix A, where we’ll look at Michelle Obama’s birth chart. Transiting planetary energy can also affect astrological cycles and the way they are felt and experienced.

How Mars 7 Awakens the Solar Plexus Chakra

Mars 7 is one of astrology’s personal planets. Mars 7 is the natural ruler of Aries E and the first house of identity, personality, the physical self, and childhood. Mars 7 is the natural co-ruler of Scorpio P (its energy is weaker than the ruler’s) and the eighth house of sex, death and regeneration, rebirth, psychic powers, higher mathematics and atomic energy, and political resources. As a personal and inner planet, Mars 7 governs personal expression, core identity, and your inner being.

Mars 7 is the champion of assertiveness and personal courage, and it generates physical energy, emotional desires, and boosts your ego. Bold and decisive with the strength needed to compete, Mars helps you know how to pick your battles, learn to manage anger, and act to achieve your goals. Mars lends power to the Solar Plexus chakra, spinning core strength at the center of your being (and fueled by the passions of the Sacral chakra). In a balanced Solar Plexus chakra, Mars is strong without hurtful aggression. It avoids indecision and indolence by nurturing the courage for you to feel secure in your passions and confident of your path.

How Pluto ; Awakens the Solar Plexus Chakra

Pluto ; is one of astrology’s transpersonal planets. Pluto is the natural ruler of Scorpio P and the eighth house of sex, death and rebirth, psychic intuition, and higher mathematics. As a transpersonal or outer planet, Pluto ; (with its longer orbit) governs astrological cycles influencing whole generations of people. Astrologers continue to designate Pluto ; with planetary status. There are indications that astronomers might reverse Pluto’s downgrade to “dwarf planet” and reinstate its full planetary status as well.

Pluto ; is the planet of your soul’s journey, charting its evolution. The Solar Plexus chakra feels the influence of Mars 7 because it is the weaker co-ruler (with Pluto ;) of Aries E. This means the transformative disruption of Pluto ; receives the support of Mars’s 7 bold and courageous action in awakening Solar Plexus energy. Mars provides the push that gets Kundalini energy to spin the Solar Plexus chakra with Pluto’s power of creative destruction and personal rebirth.

How Aries E Awakens the Solar Plexus Chakra

Aries E with its yang, Fire element energy, is ruled by the warrior Mars 7. Aries’s rush to take on the world with wholehearted enthusiasm suits Solar Plexus’s chakra energy perfectly. Eager, inquisitive, and straightforward to the point of bluntness, Aries loves to meet any challenge. The Solar Plexus chakra welcomes strong-willed Aries’s hard-charging passion to get there first. With Aries’s influence, awakened Kundalini serpent power in the Solar Plexus chakra is channeled from the Sacral chakra to spin with the desire to act and to go where no one has gone before.

How Scorpio P Awakens the Solar Plexus Chakra

Scorpio P is ruled by Pluto ;, with Mars 7 as its co-ruler. As the weaker planetary ruler of Scorpio P, Mars’s 7 influence lends a warrior’s courage to the Scorpion’s probing intensity. Mars directs the Scorpion’s emotional intensity from Pluto into the magnetism of leadership. By awakening the Solar Plexus chakra’s power, Scorpio’s laser focus on the evolution of the soul (led by Pluto) is given the awesome force of persistence by Aries and its Mars ruler.

Solar Plexus Chakra Rising

The pioneering spirit of Aries E/Mars 7 provides the surge to push Kundalini energy from the passionate Sacral chakra to the powerful Solar Plexus chakra. That power surge risks coursing offtrack or petering out without the soulful magnetism of Scorpio P/Pluto ; to draw the soul upward to its unknown potential. To give the Solar Plexus chakra its proper balance, both zodiac signs must be present.

Once you’ve hit upon the right cause to liberate your soul’s passions, the Solar Plexus chakra will activate. Filled with purpose and the desire to act, a perseverance that never gives up, your Solar Plexus chakra spins with a power whose source resides below in the passions of your Sacral chakra. The life force rises up to meet your compassion in the fourth chakra, or Heart chakra.