Tips on Balancing the Sacral Chakra

Last month, balancing the first or root chakra was briefly described. This month, we follow the energy upward from the root chakra to the second or sacral chakra.

Understanding The Sacral Chakra

The root chakra is at the base of the spine, and the sacral chakra is located about two inches below the naval.

The Sanskrit name for the sacral chakra is Svadhisthana (although you may see it as Swadhisthana). It means “self” and “residence” and rules our wide range of emotions, our sense of self, our sexuality, and our creativity.

Enthusiasm and passion are two words one thinks about when considering the sacral chakra. Our ability to feel passion (not just sexual passion, but passion in all parts of our life), joy, and sensuality, self-worth, honor and integrity, and the balancing of all these emotions.

The color associated with this chakra is orange or sometimes burnt orange.  

Physically this chakra stabilizes the sex organs, as well as the kidneys, the digestive system including the upper intestines, bladder, skin, lower back, and bodily fluids.

The sense attached to the sacral chakra is the sense of taste. 

Water is its element (thus bodily fluids).

The Mantra for the sacral chakra is “I feel.”

A Balanced Sacral Chakra

When your sacral chakra is balanced, you feel passionate. You are excited with your life and communicate these feelings freely.

Consider that much of our ability to communicate comes from our environment as children.

Were we allowed to openly communicate that we were happy, angry, sad? Were you allowed to grieve when a family member or pet passed on? Or were your emotions repressed and you were encouraged or even forced to become stoic and hide those emotions?

Balance allows you to enjoy life and embrace your sexuality. At times you feel playful; at other times you might be sad or even temporarily depressed due to a given circumstance. You know your boundaries and respect them.  

You feel creative and that creativity is stimulated by the passion of trying something new or by a success in your field. And you enjoy this with humility.

An Out-Of-Balanced Sacral Chakra

If the sacral chakra is excessively out of balance, people may become manipulative, power hungry, or “control freaks” (we’ve all known them). They can have strong cravings that can lead to addictions due to boundaries and self-control not existing in this state. Infidelity can become an issue with an out-of-balance personality. These are the people who stand too close and invade your space and have inappropriately strong (but unnecessary) emotions. To some of them, everything is a crisis that they have to control.

A weak chakra will manifest itself with the person being extremely shy, retiring, guilt ridden (including their sexuality), self-conscious, lacking in social skills, and exhibiting helplessness in many parts of their lives. They may be compassionate but it goes beyond that to the point where they continually put others before themselves, to the point of hindering their own comfort or even survival. They deny themselves pleasure and often have a rigidity in their beliefs and attitudes that make people around them uncomfortable.

According to Eastern traditions, physical imbalances may manifest in kidney or urinary problems, lower back pain, fertility/impotence problems, PMS, digestive issues. Addictions (alcohol, drugs, sex, food, junk food, etc.) become a concern in this area. You may start in balance with a healthy enjoyment of a glass of wine or a piece of cheesecake and then increase and finally spiral out of control and into a full blown addiction.

Emotionally, if your creativity has an outward expression, the imbalance may be present when you feel that old “creative block.”

Fear is at the top of the list in this category—fear of fun, feelings, rejection, self-worth, or waiting for all the good things in your life to come crashing in. These people feel the “crash” is inevitable. This can lead to depression, frustration, and skepticism about everything and everyone around them. This leads to lack of motivation and possibly to vindictiveness.

These are only a small sampling of the out of balance personality.

Tips on Balancing the Sacral Chakra

So how do we get this chakra back in balance? There are many modalities. Some work; some don’t. Since much of healing comes from the body and mind working in synch; you can try one or many of the following depending on your belief system.

Aromatherapy

• Sandalwood
• Ylang-ylang
• Neroli
• Orange
• Tangerine
• Geranium
• Rose
• Rosemary
• Jasmine  

These essential oils can be used in several ways. My favorite is the easiest—use a diffuser. This can be as easy as a drop of essential oil on a cotton ball that is placed where you can sniff it. I have a diffuser that goes on for five minutes every twenty-five minutes. I use this one at night. If you work in an office, they now make diffusers with a USB you can plug into your computer. The scents stay close and are relatively unobtrusive to those working around you.

Body oils and lotions are easy as well, just ensure that only pure essential oils and not chemical fragrance oils are the main ingredients.

An aromatherapy bath with bath salts can be made with any of the oils above, or a blend. (If you’re new to blending, start with two or three oils or you might be unhappy with the result). The bath should be exotic—I like neroli, but you can add a drop of mandarin orange or sandalwood, clary sage, patchouli, or cinnamon. Use orange candles (scented with essential oils) and use soft music with water sounds.

You can also diffuse a drop of your oil of choice on a pad and inserted into an aromatherapy necklace

Since the element of this chakra is water, music with sounds of the ocean, a waterfall or rainfall in the background might be a good choice for you.

Herbs & Garden Therapy

I planted a wild chakra garden in one of my old horse paddocks. It’s about 100 feet by 130 feet.  I let it return to the wild and cut a huge spiral path in it with chakra spots to sit and contemplate.  

There are two ways to use plants in each chakra area. You can use the colors of the plants, or you can use plants that are good for that part of the body. I put in some of both.

In the second chakra area (orange) there is Calendula, nasturtiums, and ditch lilies that are orange. Herbs planted in this area include chamomile, lady’s mantle, black cohosh, mint, and raspberries.

If you are a crystal fan, some of the sacral chakra crystals include bloodstone, carnelian, orange spinel, moonstone, mystic topaz, tiger’s eye, and fire agate.

Affirmations  

• I welcome healthy change.
• I am flexible.
• I embrace my sexuality.
• My emotions are healthy.

Nature Therapy

If possible, the ideal place to meditate is near water. If you don’t have any nearby, a fountain will work nearly as well.

Wearing orange to help feel open and creative, or if you look awful in orange (as I do), wear orange jewelry under your blouse.  

Exercise

Another way to help your sacral back into balance is to dance! Five minutes of your favorite dance every day will certainly help maintain balance! Longer is better, of course!

Yoga poses can also help. Try out the triangle, pigeon pose, kneeling crescent moon, fish pose, and bridge poses.

Nutrition Therapy

As always, a well-balanced diet is the most important thing. If you can, work with a nutritionist and your health care professional to determine if you are lacking in some nutrient and what you need in order to improve the condition.

Since this is the water element, be sure to drink lots of liquids—juices (with minimal sugar), tea, coffee (in moderation), and water. Consume fresh fruits that are juicy, e.g., oranges, papayas, mangos, melons, strawberries, tangerines, apricots, passion fruit, and cranberries. Smoothies with tropical fruits are a summer treat.  

Eat a lot of vegetables, especially orange ones, e.g., yams, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin and carrots are especially helpful.

The following recipe is a soup. You can use either squash or pumpkin as the main ingredient.

Wild salmon is also good for balancing the sacral chakra, as well as nuts and seeds like cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower and pumpkin, caraway and/or sesame seeds.

Herbs to consume include either orange or those associated with the areas of the body. Ginger, licorice, mints, cinnamon, vanilla, carob, hibiscus (tea is wonderful), and black cohosh are good ones. Using fennel and Calendula in your salads can help with balancing.

The list can go on and on. Remember, out of control eating can be emotional eating and this chakra, in balance, will keep that in control. Eating should be a pleasurable experience.

Have you ever studied the sacral chakra? What tips can you share?