MANIPURA
The Shining Sacred Jewel at the Naval Centre
The third chakra is known as the Manipura (often referred to as the Solar Plexus chakra) is associated with the colour yellow and the qualities of personal will, personal power, courage, clear decisive action, vision, dynamic action, assertiveness, discipline, determination, passion, vitality and resilience.
Manipura is the seat of fire and the source of our deepest willingness to go beyond the known. When balanced it offers us energy and insight, will power and follow-through, self-reliance, vitality and healthy. However, it can only be as balanced as the Muladhara and Swadhisthana.
In an unbalanced state, the Manipura is the source of self-doubt, fear, insecurity, anger, blame, victimhood living, depression, lethargy and leaves us in a state of constantly wanting and dissatisfied with life.
ASTROLOGY & MANTRA
Master of the monkey mind & devoted to Ram & Sita.
The planet associated with the Manipura is Mars, the warrior god. The Manipura chakra is connected to the Ishta Rama, Arjuna and Hanumana who represents supreme strength, discipline and devotion. Hanuman helps us to connect with our inner power and this seat of fire, gate of energy located at the naval centre.
You may choose to chant the Hanuman Chalisa to strengthen your inner fire and connect with the beloved energy, courage and grace of Hanuman.
Chanting the Sacred sound, Bija Mantra of “RAM” and visualizing the vibrant yellow essence of this chakra helps to stimulate this gate of energy so that it may balance, expand and fuel our efforts in life with confidence and courage. The yogic practice of tapas connects us with Manipura. Tapas is a daily practice that stokes these fires and roasts the karmic seeds of our samskaras. By roasting these karmic seeds before they take root we essentially burn away potential karmas which have yet to sprout in our lives. This is a deeply purifying and empowering yogic practice that results in deep spiritual realizations and the activation of latent, inherent gifts awaiting fertile ground.
Chanting Gayatri Mantra is a wonderful practice for illuminating the light within. Life on Earth is solar powered ~ nothing grows without sunlight here on Earth and this particular Mantra is a powerful tool and practice for connecting to the Sun. It asks that we are connected to and illumined by the light of the Sun, the light of God.
Om Bhur Bhuvah Swaha
Tat-savitur Vareñyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat
~
Om
In each of the three planes of existence,
we recall within ourselves and meditate upon
that wondrous Spirit of the Divine Solar Being;
may Divine Light guide our inner vision.
RADICAL RESPONSIBILITY
The energetic vibrations that govern the Manipura is the Natural Law of Responsibility - Cause and Effect, or Karmic Law. Ultimately we balance and empower our Manipura by taking radical responsibility for our lives. Taking responsibility for our lives is the Spiritual path, but in order to achieve this we must first realize that our energetic vibration and rhythm condition and create our experiences. As long as we are "playing the victim" in any aspect of our lives, we are not in our power and therefore, not yet able to manifest and create the life we truly desire with ease and grace.
If we can think of life as one big feedback loop then we can start to see the constant energy exchange in which we are co-creating our lives.
Yogic wisdom teaches us that the Seer is the Seen, the Experiencer is the Experience and the Dancer is the Dance. What that means is that every report is ultimately a reflection and testament to the state of consciousness of the reporter. This is why you can have twelve people experiencing the same event and each individual person will have a different experience of it. We are all one but we are not the same.
Everything we do in a low Vibration will come back to us as a low Vibration effect of what we have created.
Nothing escapes this Universal Law.
Every cause has an effect.
Every effect has a cause.
Nothing happens by accident.
Nothing appears without a purpose.
Each moment is simultaneously the effect of our previous choices and the cause of our future experiences. Each moment holds the power to change our future and our past. Everything that we experience is experienced through our consciousness. The past exists in our consciousness as memory and the future exists in our consciousness as anticipation, but both are held in consciousness; therefore, even trauma held within the different layers of our bodies is held in our own conscious awareness of it. From the yogic perspective, trauma is a response to an event which we were not able to process or accept at the time of its happening. However, when we realize that the traumas stored within us are not the event itself (because that is in the past), but in our consciousness, we may discover true healing. This is an incredibly liberating realization to have. It is not a commentary on the traumatic event itself, it is a commentary on the power of our consciousness to choose its state and perception. It empowers us to once again take control of our reality by taking our power back and engage with life in a co~creative manner.
Healing is a process and it is not something one can or should rush. Given that our modern day way of life and society is inherently traumatizing on a routine basis, everyone has work to do. Understanding this Universal Law and aligning our Manipura with this knowledge means that we are willing to take radical responsibility for our lives and this becomes our Source of power and the energy for Transformation!
Every challenge or trigger that presents itself becomes an opportunity to ask: When did this start? Why is this happening? Reflection, contemplation, awareness. What do I have to learn from this? Each day becomes an opportunity to grow and expand our consciousness.
Sometimes when we are vibrating low we need an experience at the same level of that frequency to mirror what we are feeling with the clarity of a shock. Drama is what happens when we are not paying attention. As we become more aware there is less room for unnecessary drama to surface and our emotions are more balanced.
Always without judgement, ask yourself: “How am I Vibrating?” As we learn to change our Vibration, our way of thinking changes the Rhythm and this changes the effects of our cause. We become empowered as conscious Co-Creators of our reality.
IMBALANCE & HEALING
An imbalanced manipura may manifest as a lack of will power, fatigue and low self-esteem. You may find yourself to be a “people-pleaser”, seeking approval outwardly from others and looking to the outside world for the source of your confidence, but it cannot reflect what we do not embody.
To heal, open and balance the Manipura we need to begin by exploring where we hold the most resistance to Life. Stepping out of our routines / comfort zones will help to wake up latent energies within this chakra and move us toward the discovery of repetitive behavioural patterns that are leaking, suppressing or blocking this vital source of energy.
What must I understand, let go of or embrace in order to free up my energy?
What boundaries do I need to set in order to protect vital energy leaking from this area?
YOGIC PRACTICE FOR MANIPURA ~
Breath of Fire ~ perhaps one of the most potent practices for stoking the fires of Manipura is breath of fire. With a tall spine seated either in Vrjasana or cross-legged on a cushion with your hips elevated, arms extended and resting on your knees, eyes and mouth closed, simultaneous exhale and bump the naval in towards the spine. The inhale will happen automatically between each forced exhale ~ all through the nose. Gradually increase the pace until you find a consistent and strong rhythm that is sustainable for several minutes at a time. This powerful practice charges and clears the Manipura chakra while also purifying the energy channels, chakras and nadis throughout the body. It oxygenates the blood and the brain, builds prana in the cells, clarifies and strengthens the aura and the pranamaya kosher. Simultaneously it creates clarity in the mind, elevates the spirit and balances our emotions. A truly powerful and healing practice to integrate into one’s daily practice.
Kriya ~ warrior sets, cosmic breath, pranayama
Asana ~ Sun Salutations, backbends, upward facing dog, fish, wheel pose to activate, open and stimulate this chakra.
Meditation & Mantra ~ chant the bija sound “RAM” while concentrating awareness at the naval centre and visualize yellow.
JYOTISH
There are many insights to be gathered from your Vedic birth chart analysis. In every reading we looking into your physical, astral, energetic, karmic, dharmic and eternal soul self. For example, if one’s Sun or Mars is debilitated or strongly afflicted in their natal chart, this very often results in low self-esteem or lack of will power, courage or self-discipline. However, there are many remedies for strengthening the Sun which can alleviate this challenge.
These practices require a certain maturity and readiness to take responsibility for one’s state of consciousness, but when sincerely practiced with an open mind and devoted heart, can dramatically and quickly improve one’s life.
This is just one of many examples that illustrates the kinds of insights we receive into one’s self with the Science and Light of Jyotish. The true depth of insight available is very challenging to express in words, as with all yogic teachings, Jyotish must be experienced to be realized and understood.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR BALANCING MANIPURA
Practise meditation.
Sun-gazing at sunrise and sunset is a wonderful way to connect to the solar energy rooted in Manipura (solar plexus).
Pause throughout the day and take 5 long, slow, deep breaths ~ focus on breathing into the Manipura, relaxing the belly and allow it to fully expand with each breath. Each breath is a gift and something for which to be grateful.
The Manipura chakra is directly connected the salivary glands and digestive system and therefore, responds directly to the kinds of foods we eat. Eat foods that are full of light. Plants turn light into food, into nourishment that enlivens and energizes the body. In the yogic traditions we do not eat meat or anything that was once a conscious, living being. Ethically and responsibly sourced eggs and dairy are of a different nature as they are passively given without the taking of a life. In harmonious relationship with the animals who possess these Divine offerings, humans and animals benefit greatly. Although plants are an expression of consciousness, they do not have the complexity of emotions all animals possess. Photosynthesis is a highly sophisticated process of Divine intelligence plants use to create food. When we eat plants, they fuel our cells with light.
Wear the colour yellow and gold to connect with the energy of Manipura.
Wear real gold jewelry. Gold channels the energy of the sun through the skin.
Within the Himalayan Kriya yoga tradition there are a series of chakra clearing, cleansing and charging kriyas. 1:1 initiation into these powerful practices are available through myself and in every Jyotish reading, guidelines for specific practices are given that support you in balancing your, unique chakra system.
Understanding the Universal Law of Karma (cause & effect) means that we are taking radical responsibility for our lives and our choices. This is spiritual practice moment to moment, day to day, life to life..
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti, Hari Om Tat Sat
