Solar Plexus Chakra

Located in the solar plexus, the manipura chakra connects to personal strength, willpower, and self-esteem. When this chakra is in balance, it empowers thoughts, words, and actions that come from a healthy place of personal strength and high self-esteem. The phrase, “I have a gut feeling,” is an example of the manipura chakra in full effect. This chakra is out of balance when we sense a dulling of our intuitive instincts, feel challenged by decision-making, and experience paranoia and anxiety. Often, when we sense something “in our guts,” we feel confused about its cause and react from a place of misunderstanding. Without healthy self-esteem and willpower, we lose the ability to tune in and listen to our instincts.

When we think, speak, or act in a way that is that harmful to someone, we often feel uneasy in the process. In these moments, we experience a healthy sense of remorse. Dwelling on guilt (and other related emotions) is self-destructive, however, the feeling of remorse is our manipura chakra’s warning to move forward in a more kind and loving way. When we choose not to listen to these feelings, we may continue acting in a way that is harmful to the self and to others.

Eating cows, pigs, chickens, and fish—or stealing the milk or honey of another animal for our personal use—suppresses the connection to our divine selves, and to the ability to follow through with our natural instincts. By preventing other beings from freely connecting to their natural instincts, we disconnect from our own. While eating the flesh or drinking the milk of farmed animals, we find ways to conceal the true nature of what is being consumed by calling it “filet mignon,” “hamburger,” and “bacon,” (or other euphemisms used to create illusions and disconnect from reality), rather than “dead cow,” or “pig flesh.” Reminders that our food choices result in the killing of another being  cause feelings of sadness and remorse. Alternately, when we ignore the message of this chakra, we suppress our spiritual growth.

The manipura chakra also connects with our digestive system and with personal strength, willpower, and self-esteem. Consequently, eating or exploiting another being—or anything that takes away their individual strength and power—goes against the nature of this chakra. When we connect to personal strength and willpower, we realize that it is not necessary to harm others to be healthy and strong. Instead, we build greater stamina and increase our self-esteem by making choices that benefit all beings.

Many of us are taught—at a very young age—to believe that we must drink cow’s milk to build strong bones and that we must eat farmed animal flesh to consume enough protein. The notion that we gain health and strength by taking a life from another creature is a backward one. Perhaps you know someone who is sensitive or “allergic” to dairy. These individuals often take medication so that they may continue to indulge in the same patterns that suppress spiritual growth and keep manipura chakra in a state of imbalance. When we grasp the truth that every life is equally valuable, and that we are all brothers and sisters, we realize it is not possible for us to benefit by exploiting other beings.

The manipura chakra at the solar plexus is the place where our physical beings and spiritual natures meet in a divine connection. Here, the individual self merges with the authentic self, and they become one. Because of this, the manipura chakra is an especially powerful energy center. This also explains why some people are attracted to existence-altering substances. For example, when a person uses marijuana, the body-mind-spirit connection slows down and this chakra opens, providing a glimpse at a new dimension of the divine, or authentic, self. This opening is a welcome one at first, but it comes on so quickly that it makes many people uncomfortable.

When we establish ourselves in asana, pranayama, meditation, and other spiritual practices, we create a solid foundation for realizing another dimension of the self. Once we are firmly rooted in a dedicated spiritual practice, these glimpses of the divine become a part of our everyday lives. When we use an external substance, such as marijuana, discomfort often arises because we are not working from within the self to gain a glimpse of the divine. We may replace this uncomfortable feeling—one of experiencing a new dimension of the self—with a comfortable feeling of eating. Satisfying “the munchies” is a way of experiencing comfort, or something that feels “normal.” This, in turn, disassociates us from any emotions or experiences that result from glimpsing the divine and creating a foundation for chakra awakening at the solar plexus.

It is possible to experience a vicious cycle of the “same suffering,” or samsara, by using substances such as marijuana recreationally. While a marijuana user may enjoy the feeling of divine connection received from the drug, it comes on so fast that it is not possible to maintain the high, once the effects have worn off. When a person is not prepared for the quickness of this high, it is easiest to suppress the feeling. This leads to stunted spiritual and emotional growth.

In their book, Risk to be Healed, Barry Vissell, MD, and his wife—registered nurse, Joyce Vissell—discuss how they experienced the effects of marijuana over a period of several years. Initially, they used it to forget about their worries and to enhance their spiritual growth. When they attempted to stop using the drug, they didn’t miss the “escape” factor, but they did miss the spiritual dimension, which made quitting a challenge. Eventually, they did stop smoking for several years. At some point, however, a friend gave them a bag of marijuana that he had grown with the utmost care. He told them that all it takes is “just one toke” to feel one with God. After meditating on the decision, the couple decided to smoke it. “With pure minds, pure hearts, and pure marijuana,” Joyce writes, “…we felt we were bound to have a pure experience. We prayed and kissed each other. We asked God to use the experience to strengthen us spiritually. We were strengthened, but not in the ways we had anticipated. Finally, we smoked. At first the colors of the ocean radiantly glowed. I felt myself expanding and opening. I knew this experience as the beginning of deep meditation. I was just about to sit back and enjoy the ride, when suddenly I felt as if a door were closed. I knew the ride of expansion was much longer and beautiful. The risk to give up marijuana (and all drugs) is the risk to feel.”

However, she continues, “As we give up drugs, it is as if a fog covering our being begins to evaporate. We begin to see and feel more clearly, including those unresolved issues we have buried deeply within our souls. Yes, this renewed clarity can be painful at first, but it is a risk we must take if we desire healing and true freedom. With willingness and perseverance, we will heal whatever it is that keeps us from feeling pure joy. Without the fog of drug use, we will learn to feel as never before, and we will reclaim our original freedom to dance in the light of clear awareness.”

Using drugs like marijuana may give us a glimpse of another dimension, but external substances only take a person so far. Either discomfort arises, followed by suppression, or the experience expands to a certain point and then stops instead of growing further. There are no shortcuts to remembering the authentic self, and the tools we require to make the connection are already (and always) within us.

There are many yogic practices that assist us with tapping into our divine nature within. We make a choice in our approach to spirituality: take the elevator or take the stairs. Despite appearances, the elevator is not necessarily the easier of the two paths. Bypassing or covering up roadblocks—those things in life that keep us from a state of yoga—prevents true freedom. To obtain a lasting peace, we “do the work” and let go of any perceived obstacles to our liberation. This choice equates to taking the stairs. Through exploration and dedication to various yogic practices, we may break the same cycles of suffering, and remember our divine connection, as we ascend the stairway toward peace.

Please watch and practice to the video below on the solar plexus chakra.