How To Work On The Sacral Chakra
Explore the sacral chakra & find balance with 8 transformational tips!
Feeling out of touch with your emotions, detached from your creativity, or frustrated sexually? If you resonate with any of these feelings OR if you just want to learn how to keep your chakras in balance, keep reading to learn different ways you can balance and/or unblock your sacral chakra!
Working on our chakras allows us to understand ourselves on a deeper level. The chakras provides us with a better understanding of how to work on our body, mind, and energy cohesively. In this series, you’ll learn more details about each individual chakra along with tips on how you can work to balance each energy center.
We covered the root chakra and now we’re up to the sacral chakra!
If you are new to the chakras and want to learn more about the basics, I suggest reading this post here: What Are The Chakras?
What is the sacral chakra?
The sacral chakra is the second energy center of the chakra system. This energy center encompasses our pelvic region, lower abdomen, and lower back.
The sacral chakra’s name in Sanskrit (which is the language that the chakras originated from) is ‘Svadhisthana’. Svadhisthana in English means ‘her favorite standing place’. This gives you a hint that this energy center is very connected with our feminine energy. We all have both masculine and feminine energy within us regardless of gender.
The sacral chakra is part of our lower three chakras which means it relates to how we interact in the physical/material world. If you read the root chakra post, you’ll know that ‘lower’ doesn’t mean less important. All of the energy centers are important, our goal is to create balanced flow within them all.
What does a balanced sacral chakra look like?
When the energy of the sacral chakra is balanced, we’re able to express our emotions, tap into our creative side (we all have one), and are comfortable with our sexuality.
The element associated with this energy center is water which means this is a very ‘fluid’ energy center. It likes to ‘go with the flow’.
Our emotions are fluid as they always come and go. Emotions only last 60-90 seconds on their own, it’s the mind that keeps you stuck in a specific emotion.
Creativity is fluid as to create something new, we need to flow with our ideas.
Sex also has a fluid nature about it. Sex is about letting go to pleasure and this is a good thing. We deserve to experience pleasure in life whether it be sexually or from material things. Pleasure isn’t something we need to deprive ourselves of. (Of course this is in moderation, if we had sex all day, this energy center would become overactive and all of our other energy centers would suffer.)
The fluidity of this energy center helps us to tap into the fluid and ever changing nature of life. When we can live in harmony with this fluidity, we are overall more content and peaceful in our lives.
What does an unbalanced sacral chakra look like?
I think it’s healthy for all of us to take the time to make sure we’re keeping all of our chakras balanced, but there are some indications that you may need to place some extra focus on the sacral chakra.
Remember, this is looking deeper into our energetic connection to the mind and body. While working with your energy can most definitely create profound effects, it’s not intended to replace medical treatment. If you are experiencing physical, mental, or emotional symptoms, consult with your medical doctor.
Some possible indications of an unbalanced and/or blocked sacral chakra include:
- Pelvic floor issues
- Lack of creativity
- Sexual issues
- Lower back issues
- Relationship issues (in terms of intimate relationships)
- Difficulty dealing with your emotions or avoiding emotions
- Feeling an overall sense of ‘rigidity’
The Hips & Emotions
As we know, the body and mind are connected. What happens in the body impacts the mind and what happens in the mind impacts the body.
There seems to be a connection between stored, unreleased emotions and tight hips.
I’ve learned this from many different sources throughout my yoga education. There are studies that show that emotions can correlate directly to the physical body. I couldn’t find any specific research articles looking at the relationship between the hips and emotions particularly, (maybe they’re out there, they can sometimes be difficult to find). So instead, I wanted to share with you a personal experience that has related to this topic of the hips and emotions.
I first learned about this relationship when doing my yoga teacher training. I learn about how the hips can basically store unreleased emotions and that some people may experience emotional release when doing hip openers.
After learning this information, I shared it with my mom. She shared with me that this exact thing had happened to her in a yoga class a few years back. While doing pigeon pose, which is a pretty deep hip opener, she felt her hip release and she was able to go deeper into the pose. She said as soon as this happened, she felt a wave of emotions come over her and she started to cry. At the time, she had no idea why this happened but after I shared this information with her, it made sense. Her hip released and her emotions released.
Now I know most of us don’t enjoy crying but sometimes we need to. What a beautiful thing the mind body connection is.
The beauty in letting go and going with the flow
Life is an ever-shifting journey, and our response to change determines our experience. We can be rigid and try to avoid change at all costs, or we can surrender to the flow of life.
There is beauty in surrender and allowing yourself to let go. It isn’t always easy but the beauty lies in the ability to release and let go, opening ourselves to new possibilities and growth.
Finding balance in the sacral chakra allows us to more easily tap into this flow.
Now that you understand what this energy center is all about, let’s look at the different ways you can balance and/or unblock your sacral chakra.
8 Ways To Work On The Sacral Chakra
1. Work On Hip Mobility & Hip Flexibility
As a recap from the information above, the sacral chakra relates to our emotions and the hips store unreleased emotions. So hip openers are perfect for releasing any stuck energy in the sacral chakra.
I have a post that teaches you 5 different ways to work on hip mobility which you can find here: Hip Mobility Exercises
You’ll learn in that post that working on mobility is different than flexibility. In the case of working on the sacral chakra, both hip mobility & hip flexibility work well to open it’s energy, so your classic hip stretches will also be beneficial.
2. Connect With Water
The element of the sacral chakra is water so this is an amazing way to balance the energy here. We interact with water on a daily basis but how often do we stop to mindfully connect with this element.
There are many ways you can connect with the element of water.
You can visit a body of water and mindfully observe it.
You can take a mindful bath.
My suggestion and one of my personal favorite ways to connect with water is creating a mini ritual out of taking a shower. If this intrigues you, learn about how you can do this here: Transform Your Shower Routine Into A Ritual of Renewal
You can also connect with water by making it your main beverage of choice and by being mindful & offering it gratitude while you consume it. So instead of reaching for a drink that is filled with crap & sugar….choose water.
3. Tap Into Your Creative Side
We all have a creative side, you don’t have to be ‘artsy’ to be creative.
Gardening is a form of creating.
Putting together an outfit can be a creative process.
This blog is a form of creating for me.
There are so many different ways you can tap into your own creativity.
If you are ‘artsy,’ then totally use that to tap into your sacral chakra’s energy. But if your like me and anything you draw looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old, think about other ways you enjoy expressing your creativity.
A suggestion I can offer you that many of you probably already do is cooking.
This is often done in a ‘boring job’ like way, where we are just trying to get food on the table. And I get it, life gets busy.
But on days where you have a little extra time, can you tap into the creative aspects of putting together a meal. Even if you follow a recipe, you are still in that ‘creation’ mode. The key here is to attune your mindset to the fact that you are tapping into your creative side while cooking instead of just mindlessly going through the motions.
4. Connect With The Moon
The moon affects the tides of our waters…water is the element of the sacral chakra.
The moon gives off a feminine energy (the sun is more masculine). The sacral chakra is predominately a feminine energy.
You get where I’m going with this.
There are many, many ways you can work with the moon, that would be an entire post in itself, but here are two simple ways you can do this:
- Moon gazing
- Go outside on a clear night and observe the moon in all her beauty. Unlike the sun, you can look directly at the moon so take advantage of this!
- Set time to meditate on the new and full moon
- You of course can mediate during any phase of the moon, but this is a nice way to connect with the moon and it’s continuous beautiful cycle.
5. Chant "Vam"
“Vam” is the seed sound or bija mantra of the sacral chakra. Each chakra has a word/sound associated with it that is said to embody the essence of that energy center.
This can be an easy way to balance the energy of a chakra.
For the sacral chakra, chanting ‘Vam” can help bring it into balance. It’s best to say it aloud; you may repeat the word as many times as you feel you need.
6. Allow Yourself To Enjoy The Pleasures Of Life
Of course, you can over due this but in general, you have the right to experience the pleasures in life.
This could be sexually but it’s not limited to this.
Enjoy the pleasure in experiencing tasty food.
Enjoy the pleasure of a hot warm shower.
Enjoy the pleasure of experiencing a new place.
The options are endless! You are worthy and deserve to experience pleasure, remember that.
7. Move Your Body In A Fluid Way
Finding fluidity in movement is another wonderful way to work with the energy of the sacral chakra.
This can be done with an activity like dancing.
This can also be experienced in a yoga practice. Most vinyasa type yoga classes are very fluid in nature. There are also certain ways you can change up traditional yoga poses to use them to tap into your fluidity.
My personal favorite is doing a fluid cat cow. Basically instead of just moving through normal cat/cow, you tap into your intuition and move your body in whatever way it needs. You can move in small circles, you can move in large circles, you can move forward & back, it’s about tuning into the fluidity of your body.
This yoga class is great for connecting with the sacral chakra as it moves in a fluid manner and works on hip opening: Yoga Flow To Dancer Pose
8. Wear Orange
Each chakra has a color associated with it. The color of the sacral chakra is orange.
Basically, the chakras follow the colors of the rainbow. Like the colors of the rainbow become higher in frequency as you move up from red, so do the chakras.
The root chakra is the lowest frequency and the frequency raises as you move up the energy centers.
This is another simple way you connect with the sacral chakra. Wearing it’s color brings your awareness to the intention you have of bringing balance to this energy center.
Now you know 8 different ways you can work on your sacral chakra!
These tips are designed to help you find balance throughout this energy center.
I had 8 tips for you in the last post on the root chakra and I didn’t plan on 8 again, it just happened! Coincidence or am I tapped into my intuition…that’ll be for the post on the third eye chakra.
I hope you all embrace the beautiful fluid nature of this energy center and that you find abundant joy along the way.
Namaste
Sources:
Judith, Anodea. Wheels Of Life: The Classic Guide To The Chakra System . Llewellyn Publications, 2019.
Kaivalya, Alanna. Chakra Yoga: A Beginner’s Guide to Chakra Healing. Alanna Kaivalya, 2016.
Minich, Deanna. Chakra Foods for Optimum Health: A Guide to the Foods That Can Improve Your Energy, Inspire Creative Changes, Open Your Heart, and Heal Body, Mind, and Spirit. Mango Publishing Group, 2020.
Discloser: Links included in this post may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links provided I may receive a small commission.
