Our bodies constantly communicate with the energies surrounding us. Every chakra preserves and channels pranic energy, which means life-force energy, in our astral, or energy, body. This is affecting the balance in our physical body. Of the 7 primary chakras, the second one is known as the Sacral Chakra, or Svadhishthana Chakra. This chakra is the pivot point for our sense of well-being, unearthing creativity and sexuality while keeping a healthy pairing of bladder and kidneys and even reproductive systems working. Find the guide to the Sacral Chakra, with definitions of the characteristics of the second energy center and critically important signs and symptoms for which you should look. We will also show you how to heal and balance this chakra with powerful yogic tools like yoga poses, chakra meditation, and positive affirmations.

What Is the Sacral Chakra?

The Sacral Chakra is the second energy center of the body. It is the energy center for vital force or prana ‘vyana,’ or the energy of circulation. It’s connected with water and with the bright orange colour. The purpose of this energy is to let go, accept change, and transformation in life. It is directly linked with our creativity, intuition, and sexual pleasure.

What Is the Meaning of the Sacral Chakra? 

The Sanskrit name Svadhishthana means “dwelling place of the Self”, supporting the personal extension and exploration of sexuality, desires, and creativity. It is called our own place because it is this chakra where human beings are settled in their minds, thoughts, and awareness.  

Where Is the Sacral Chakra Located? 

The Sacral Chakra is situated in the lower abdomen, four fingerbreadths below the navel. 

What Is the Sacral Chakra Responsible for?

The Sacral Chakra mainly controls the storage and distribution of vyana prana, and the water element in the body. Because of its location, it is also concerned with the bladder, kidneys, and reproductive organs; in this area of the body, it regulates energy flow.

Sacral Chakra Characteristics

Symbol

The artistic symbol of Svadhishthana Chakra consists of multiple circles, a crescent moon, and a lotus flower with six petals. The cycles in this symbol with the crescent moon repeat the story of life, death, and rebirth while the six petals allude to the six bad aspects of our nature that we need to overcome for leveling up in our mind and body.

Element: Water

The element of the Sacral Chakra is ‘Jala’, which means water. We obtain water from the food we consume and liquids we drink. The Svadhishthana Chakra controls the water element and serves to maintain and refresh it in our body.

A refreshing of the water element is very essential. For instance, if you have a bottle of water, refill it daily so that you always have fresh clean water. However, if you refill the bottle and do not touch it for weeks, the water will get contaminated and possibly infect you.

The water element controls our sense of happiness and satisfaction of life, and is linked with our sexuality, sensory desires, emotions, and creativity. When the element is getting refreshed it keeps our emotions and desires in balance, but when the element rots, we become addicted to sensory pleasures and controlled by our emotions.  

Prana: Vyana

The second energy center’s prana is ‘vyana’. Vyana is the circulation of prana. We receive it from the element water. Vyana is responsible for the movement of food, water, and energies in our bodies. When vyana is excessive, we become hyperactive and cannot concentrate. When we have less vyana, we become lazy and cut off from our emotions.

Color: Orange 

This Chakra is surrounded by the water element. Though the color of the water element itself is nothing but pure white, the earth element below it is red in color and the fire element above it is yellow, so this affects the water, coating it with some vermillion or orange color.

This brilliant color is a symbol of the dawning consciousness, just like the sun rises. Orange is the color of activity and purity; it is in this chakra that we design our life vision.

What Happens When the Sacral Chakra Opens?

The second chakra helps us to mold our desires. It is the center of passion that instills the idea of creative power. This gives a person the power to discover the choice and create intimate relationships. Based on this, Svadhishthana Chakra encourages emotional health, motivated by pleasure. In sexuality and the expression of emotional needs, plays an active part in our lives.

Emotional Intimacy, Relationships, and the Sacral Chakra 

This chakra is based on personal identity and how it reacts to the tempting forces of the physical world. Someone who has an open and well-balanced Sacral Chakra can enjoy one’s senses with self-control and keep emotions and relationships in balance.

When the Svadhishthana Chakra is out of balance, it leads to emotional disorders, less creativity, and obsession with sexual thoughts. A person with an open and balanced Svadhishthana Chakra can take risks and experience positivity and compassion in full.

What Happens When the Sacral Chakra Is Blocked?

This makes it become unstable in a puerile way when the Sacral Chakra is blocked or imbalanced. You will find that you are either too sensitive or not connected to your feelings. You may also lack creativity and discipline together with an addiction to sensory pleasure.

Depression, anxiety, and the fear of losing control in a relationship are all signs that this energy center is blocked. It also affects our connection to various physical aspects of life like work.

Also Read: Different Chakra Yoga Styles

Physical symptoms of an imbalanced Sacral Chakra:

• Chronic lower back pain
• Arthritis
• Genital or sexual problems
• Hip issues
• Anemia
• Joint problems
• Low energy
• Spleen and kidney issues
• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Sinusitis

Overactive Sacral Chakra Symptoms

Too much vyana is flowing through the body. The second chakra controls emotions, so excessive energy often translates into overwhelming feelings or emotions that can lead to the following symptoms:

Inconsistent emotional swings  Living in discontentment  Being addictive  Feeling detached from the world  Intense show of love  Compulsive sexual urges and other senses  

Underactive Sacral Chakra Symptoms

An underactive energy center can affect your overall physical and mental health. If the Svadhishthana Chakra is blocked, uncertainty to inability to cope with the changes of life prevail. The way of freely expressing desires obstructs the artistic abilities and you may start relying on others emotionally, which leads to a psychological imbalance and distancing from the Self. Other symptoms include: 

• Fear of pleasure 
• No creativity
• Fatigue
• Lack of motivation
• Feeling of insecurity
• Detachment
• Low sex drive
• Major Depression

Check out: 7 Chakra Yoga: Classical Poses for Holistic Health & Harmony

How to Unblock & Heal the Sacral Chakra

Indeed, there are many simple ways to restore the chakras’ balance. Healing the sacral chakra will bring a smooth flow of energy throughout the body. This can be achieved through chakra meditation, yoga poses, and even mudras (hand gestures). Here are four easy and effective ways you can balance your second chakra: 

Affirmations

Affirmations heal negative programming embedded in the subconscious by a positive way, and practicing affirmations can change what’s in the subconscious with a positive mind and raise the energy vibrations. Use the following Sacral Chakra affirmations to cultivate a balanced and positive vibe in your life:

• I am passionate.
• I am a creative being.
• I have boundaries that protect me.
• I am fulfilled in my passions.
• I embrace change as a healthy part of life.  
• I have an abundance of creativity. 
• My emotions are in balance.

Meditation

Meditation plays a vital role in balancing and opening chakras. Chakra meditation techniques are very similar to general meditation techniques. The main difference is the focus and end goal of the practice. Practicing Sacral Chakra meditation regularly can help channel positive energy and thought patterns, boosting your creativity, joy, and confidence.

Check out: 7 Chakra Yoga: Classical Poses for Holistic Health & Harmony

Sacral Chakra Yoga Poses for Energy Activation and Alignment 

Crow Pose (Kakasana)

1. Kakasana, or Crow Pose, brings mental balance and focus while strengthening the wrists and arms. Regular practice of this yoga asana stimulates the Svadhishthana Chakra, increasing core awareness, removing fatigue, and improving the function of your urinary tract, kidneys, and reproductive system.  Let’s start with standing on your mat with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend forward and your knees bend as well, placing them against your upper arms just above the elbows. The hold between your arms and knees is now maintained as you put your hands down on the ground. 
3. You transfer your weight onto your hands, therefore lifting your feet off the floor, one at a time, pulling them towards the hips.
4. When you feel stable, press through your hands to extend your arms as far as you can. 
5. Hold the posture as long as you feel it is comfortable to breathe evenly. Of course, remember to honor your body and make any adjustments necessary to find a comfortable and steady place in space.

Classical Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

Classical Triangle Pose, also known as Trikonasana, balances your urinary tract, kidneys, and gonads. This gentle stretch also tones and strengthens your abdominals and your back muscles, overall balancing and bringing your attention to concentration. 

• Inhale; bring arms up beside ears, reaching up and lengthening spine.
• Place your palms close together, with your hands still in one line above your forehead.
• As you breathe out, push your right heel into the floor and reach up and out to your left side.
• Start the movement at the base of your spine and keep both sides of your torso stretched out as you extend your whole torso to the left.
• Don’t forget to breathe deeply and to move mindfully, honoring your body’s needs and limitations.

Side Plank Pose (Vashishtasana)

This yoga position for the Sacral Chakra tones and strengthens your arms, core and legs and simultaneously channels energy to your sacrum. You can extend the leg up toward the ceiling for a wider opening in the hips and groin. This can be a bit precarious balancing-wise, so be careful.

• Begin in a high plank position, with your wrists below your shoulders, and legs straight, with your feet together. 
• Lift your left arm off the floor and rotate your body so that your left shoulder is above your right. Stack your left foot on top of your right, supporting the weight of your body on the outer right foot and right hand.
• Bend the left knee and draw your thigh toward your body. Then come inside the bent leg and use the top hand’s index and middle finger to grasp your big toe. Hold on and keep breathing steady. Get to an easy place in balance and enjoy the releasing in your hip flexor and stretching in your hamstring.
• Hold onto something to support you, and raise your left leg straight up toward the ceiling.
• Focus on maintaining your balance, keep looking up toward the ceiling, and sustain the position as long as possible, breathing rhythmically.

Standing Forward-Bend Pose (Uttanasana)

Balancing the energy center, Standing Forward-Bend Pose rejuvenates the hips, hamstrings, and calves. Relax your upper body, and enjoy this forward fold that reduces tension in the back and neck with benefits to release stress and anxiety. Begin standing on your mat with your feet together or hip-width apart.

• As you breathe out, bend gradually at your hip joints and let your torso fold forward.
• Keep your knees straight and bring your palms or fingertips to the floor, just in front of or beside your feet.
• As you breathe in, feel your front torso lift and lengthen a little with every breath. And as you breathe out, allow yourself to surrender a little more thoroughly into the forward bend.
• To come out of this pose, bend your knees until your torso touches your thighs. Press your heels onto the floor and start to roll your spine up vertebra by vertebra ending with shoulders and head.

Handstand Pose (Adho Mukha Vrkshasana)

Handstand Pose is a very powerful pose that liberates dormant energy in the sacrum and builds strength in the shoulders, back, and abdominals. 

Let’s begin in Downward-Facing Dog, arms over shoulders and strongly pressing into the ground.

• Move your feet in, toward your chest by lifting your legs off the floor, with your arms straight and your shoulder blades pulled away from your ears. Engage your core and suck your navel inward toward your spine.
• Looking a little forward, lift one leg up towards the ceiling and push off from the other leg. With a gentle hop, follow along with that leg so you’re standing on your hands.
• Squeeze your inner thighs together, point your feet towards the ceiling, and give all your attention to a point on the floor in front of you.
• Hold for as long as is comfortable, breathing evenly. To come out of the pose, lower one leg down with control.

Connect with Water

The Sacral Chakra is the water element and its flow. Connecting with water, like a lake or river, will balance this chakra. The shower or warm bath can also regulate overwhelming emotions.

Conclusion

This chakra, Svadhishthana, symbolizes creative potential, an ability to harbor fulfilling relationships and sexual energy. Suppressing such vital energy or obsessing over negative thoughts and patterns causes blockages that can harm your emotional and physical well-being. Whether practicing affirmations, yoga poses, or simply wading in a natural body of water, restoring balance to the second chakra is key to becoming a more empowered and confident individual.