The Sacral Chakra

Hello again! Now it is time to continue the journey through the chakras, and look at the sacral chakra.

The sacral chakra is located just below the belly button, and is associated with creativity and sexuality, and is to do with our appetite for both food and sex. When we are balanced here, we are in touch with our emotions, and are open to receiving and giving pleasure.

In her excellent book, "Eastern Body, Western Mind", Anodea Judith talks about how as a society we are out of touch with our sexuality: sexuality is simultaneously magnified and yet at the same time rejected. So, healing the sacral chakra is about reclaiming our right to feel, and to be in touch with those feelings.

The sacral chakra governs the sexual and reproductive organs, the spleen, and the urinary system. Imbalances in this chakra can lead to disorders of the reproductive system, any kind of menstrual difficulties or menopausal symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and loss of appetite - for food, for sex or ultimately for life.

Balance in this chakra is exhibited in being in touch with emotions and able to express them, healthy boundaries, experiencing pleasure and graceful movement.

Healing the imbalances associated with this chakra is to do with learning to get in touch with feelings in a healthy way, and learning to be in touch with pleasure (in a healthy way.) Affirmations that are helpful here are to do with deserving pleasure, being in touch with feelings and expressing them and enjoying life.

The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be very good for getting in touch with the emotional tone related to an experience. I have just seen time and time again with clients how working with the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on an issue whilst talking about it leads to getting in touch with the underlying emotions, and releasing them.

Energy healing is also useful in a general sense for similar reasons. Talking about an emotional issue in the case taking, and then receiving hands on healing can lead to getting in touch with emotions, and releasing them. I have noticed as well that the process of receiving energy healing and practising the Emotional freedom technique (EFT), either alone or with a therapist, leads to an increased ability to be aware of emotions, and fully feel them.

Specific types of emotional healing can also be helpful. An inner child healing, a past life healing or a relationship cord healing can go back to the original wounding and release the energy associated with it, leading to deep healing.

Other practices which I believe can be very helpful here are tantra and free dance practices such as five rhythms or biodanza. Tantra is a spiritual path that celebrates life and believes that all of life, including sexuality, is part of spiritual life. As such, it helps to foster a healthy, balanced attitude towards sex, and to reclaim our right to pleasure (in life generally as well as in a healthy sex life.)

Similarly, both biodanza and 5 rhythms dance encourage being in touch with emotions, and dancing them to different types of music - both on our own, and with partners.

Finally, the healthy balanced colour connected with the sacral chakra is a deep orange, and the balanced sound is "OH."

That's all for the second chakra - next time I shall be taking a look at the Solar Plexus, the third chakra - to do with our sense of self, and our place in the world.