What is the Sacral Chakra?
The sacral chakra, also referred to as Svadhisthana in Sanskrit, is the second energy center in the larger seven-chakra energy system found in the subtle body. The root word in Sanskrit for this chakra translates to mean sweetness.
Located in the lower abdomen, just below the navel at the front, and lower back at the back, the sacral chakra is linked to the water element and governs various aspects of embodied existence, including emotions, sensuality, personality warmth, creativity, and relationships.
In this post, you’ll learn the essence of the 3rd chakra, its associations, healthy expressions, and the benefits of its balanced expressions.
You’ll also find 50 positive sacral chakra affirmations to practice at the end of the post to support a healthy and balanced expression of this energy center.
Associations and Characteristics of the Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is associated with the color orange, symbolizing warmth, vibrancy and vitality. It embodies the energy of the water element, which is fluid, adaptable, and nurturing.
The spinal nerve bundle branches associated with this chakra (sacral plexus) include the pelvis, uterus, appendix, large intestine, groin, reproductive organs, and bladder.
Some descriptions also include the adrenal glands as being linked to the Sacral Chakra, which play a crucial role in regulating stress responses and maintaining a healthy balance within the body.
Healthy Harmonic Expression of the Sacral Chakra
When the sacral chakra is healthy and balanced, individuals can experience a range of positive expressions. A balanced and open sacral chakra expresses positive energy by promoting movement, flow, enjoyment, care, playfulness, sexuality, creativity, and the ability to come up with creative solutions to the things that emerge in life.
People with a balanced sacral chakra are typically in touch with their feelings and able to express them in healthy and authentic ways.
When the sacral chakra is open and balanced, it can manifest as graceful, relaxed movement, emotional intelligence, the ability to experience pleasure freely, an ability to nurture self and others comfortably (comfort with self-care, intimacy, and closeness), the flexibility to be comfortable with change, and the ability to develop and maintain healthy boundaries.
Creativity can flow effortlessly, and a deep sense of passion for life can be cultivated when this second chakra is healthy. This chakra, along with the heart chakra, helps in governing the ability to form and maintain healthy relationships, fostering intimacy and connection with others.
A balanced sacral chakra also supports a strong sense of self-love and self-worth, enabling individuals to set healthy boundaries while remaining open to new experiences. One's sensuality and pleasure are embraced freely, allowing for a harmonious integration of the physical and emotional aspects of life.
While the sacral chakra is said to be the seat of the complementary warming ("masculine") and cooling ("feminine") energies, when the Sushumna nadi is activated and balanced, these energies are unified. Activation of the Sushumna nadi (central channel) occurs when many of the other smaller nadi's (channels through which life energy flows), including the ida (cooling) and pingala (warming), are brought into healthy and holistic balance through different means (e.g. releasing limiting beliefs and unprocessed emotions, healing etc.). Activation and stabilization of energy flow through the Shushumna nadi can occur over time and is believed to result in an inherently happy or joyful disposition.
A healthy and balanced sacral chakra essentially helps individuals enjoy life to the fullest.
Yoga Poses for Balancing the Sacral Chakra
There are various yoga postures you can practice regularly to help balance the sacral chakra. Any yoga pose that connects you to the water element can be a supporting resource for balancing your sacral chakra and promoting healthy expression.
The following three poses can promote grounding, stability, and a sense of security when practiced regularly.
Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose): This seated pose involves bringing the soles of the feet together and gently opening the hips. It stimulates the sacral area, promoting flexibility and a healthy flow of energy. As the hips release tension, emotions associated with this chakra can find better movement, leading to emotional equilibrium.
Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose): This simple lying-down pose involves hugging the knees to the chest. It massages the abdominal area, stimulates digestion, and supports the reproductive organs, helping to balance the sacral chakra. The gentle compression can encourage emotional release.
Natarajasana (Dancer Pose): This balancing pose requires extending one leg behind while reaching the opposite arm forward to grasp the foot. Natarajasana is said to cultivate grace, balance, and a connection between the heart and the sacral chakra. It encourages creative expression and emotional release through physical movement.
If you’re new to yoga, consider practicing these postures under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor to ensure proper alignment and support your current skill level.
Yoga Mudras that Support Healthy Expression of the Sacral Chakra
While there are several different mudras that can help you balance your sacral chakra, try starting with the following three that focus on emotional equilibrium, reassurance, and flow. You can practice any of these mudras while seated in a comfortable position, with your back straight and shoulders relaxed for 5 to 15 minutes, and release the gesture after taking a few deep breaths.
Shanka Mudra (also called Conch Shell Gesture): To perform Shanka Mudra, extend your hands in front with palms up, touching the tips of thumbs to middle fingers, creating circles. Place the left hand near your heart, palm facing the body, and the right hand by your mouth, thumb pointing towards lips. This mudra is used to invoke tranquility, reassurance, and inner clarity.
Varuna Mudra: This mudra involves touching the tip of the thumb to the pinky finger while keeping the other fingers extended. It is thought to balance the water element and help regulate bodily fluids. Practicing this mudra can assist in maintaining emotional equilibrium and a sense of fluidity in life.
Hakini Mudra: To perform this mudra, bring the fingertips of each hand to touch each other, creating a steeple-like shape with the hands. This mudra is believed to harmonize the right and left hemispheres of the brain, fostering creativity, intuition, and emotional balance.
If you’re new to mudra practice, consult additional material for more background information and guidance.
50 Sacral Chakra Affirmations
Consistent and repeated practice of positive affirmations can be an effective way to embody new beliefs and update subconscious programs. Neuroplasticity allows you to reshape neural pathways in the brain and create new automatic thought pathways. A regular practice of using positive affirmations can also evoke relaxation, promote your self-awareness, and encourage more mindfulness in your daily routines.
Try using the following sacral chakra affirmations to promote healthy thought patterns and emotions related to the characteristics and associations of the second chakra. A committed sixty to ninety-day practice is a good place to start, and you can continue and add to your practice to deepen the integration of positive thoughts and emotions related to the characteristics and associations of the sacral chakra.
My sacral chakra is balanced, and I have all the orange frequencies I need.
I deserve to experience pleasure and have my needs met.
I am confident that what I offer the world is enough.
It is safe to express my sexual self in fun, creative, and healthy ways.
I attract healthy, nurturing relationships with loving, good people who also support me.
I know I can embrace change and make the best of my future.
Every day, I welcome the experience of joy and satisfaction.
I am full of inspiration and the potential for creation.
My body is vibrant, and I am comfortable inside it.
I am a strong, creative person, and I love what I create.
I enjoy passion and pleasure.
I welcome and make space for pleasure in my life.
I can gather information from my feelings.
I embrace and celebrate my sexuality.
My sexuality is sacred.
Life is pleasurable.
I enjoy life to the fullest.
I understand passion as an essential motivating force for vitality, power, and creativity.
I am at ease with sensation, feeling, emotion, pleasure, connection, intimacy, movement, and change.
I honor my second chakra and see it as an exciting part of my being.
I’m at ease in the flow of pleasure and excitation through my body.
I can tune into my body and tell when I’ve had enough.
I pay attention to my senses, live fully in the present, and enjoy the experience of being alive.
Pleasure invites me to relax.
Pleasure makes me more receptive to new ideas, and more enthusiastic about new tasks.
Pleasure is a natural means of inviting flow.
I can move forward comfortably in my life experiences.
I have the capacity for sexual satisfaction, physical pleasure, general enjoyment of life, comfort with intimacy, and the ability to accept movement and change gracefully.
I embrace and express graceful physical movements.
I have awareness and clarity of my emotional states.
I can nurture myself and others while still maintaining healthy boundaries.
I am attentive to the link between my emotions and my body instincts.
I am aware of myself as a distinct individual.
It is safe for me to be a distinct individual.
I am attentive to my feeling self, I am curious about the signals from my feeling self, and I give my feeling self internal space to be heard and understood.
I understand my emotions, I am emotionally literate.
I attach consciousness to my instinctual feelings, to the instinctual movement of psychic energy.
I name my feelings, I read them, and later appropriately communicate them through language.
I can express warmth and care for myself and others.
I prioritize healthy self-care in my life. I am comfortable with nurturing myself and tending to my needs.
I am grounded in my own sensate experience, in my bodily experience.
I know when to allow feelings to flow.
I can sense my own needs.
I can separate my own feelings from those of others.
Where any of my inner or outer movement is restricted, I identify the holding pattern and encourage movement in myself.
I pay attention to the subtle currents and impulses that flow through the body.
My emotional energy is channeled toward constructive ends.
I reclaim my right to feel.
My feelings are natural responses to the situations that affect me.
My emotions in my second chakra are the precursors to my actions from my third chakra.
Full enjoyment and satisfaction with life are natural expressions and experiences. A healthy, balanced sacral chakra can help you create, live, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Kidest OM is a manifestation and consciousness expansion author and teacher with indispensable books and online courses designed to help you attract and manifest what you want. Her books include "Anything You Want" and "Nothing in the Way: Clearing the Paths to Success & Fulfilment" which are available globally in eBook and print through online book retailers.