Svadhistana Chakra:
Hello Sweetness: go with the flow

Svadhisthana or sweetness is our second chakra and is the energetic emotional hub of our bodies. The core of this chakra is located at the lower abdomen, low back, and reproductive organs. The chakras desire is for sensate pleasure. Sensory gratification often is found in seeking excessive eating, sexual activities, and use of drugs. However, if you are to deprive yourself of pleasure it only gives it an increased power and significance. That opposite end of the spectrum ends up in a deficiency and it is someone who allows no pleasure at all.

The element of this chakra is water and it invokes a sense of fluidity with life. When svadhisthana is balanced there is grace, acceptance, and compassion towards yourself and others. Ultimately it is the ability to go with the flow.

Going with the flow is easier said than done sometimes. Being able to shift and adapt can be an art. In coaching we call it dancing in the moment, in yoga it’s being present, in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy it’s what’s happening now, and some may even think of it as flying by the seat of your pants. It’s something we can all learn.

One way that I have approached balancing my second chakra is looking at my menstrual cycle in a new way. In the past I avoided my cycle, and tried to pretend like it wasn’t happening. I would be in pain, quite moody, and wasn’t feeling my best but I would push myself and still act as if my body wasn’t telling me to slow down. My reaction had been to resist reality and deny what was happening.

What I learned from this chakra is that my cycle is a time of rest, a few days a month where I can and need to slow down. My shift in perspective has allowed me to honor my body and give myself the quiet supportive time it needs. I am not embarrassed any longer by my cycle and I do not try to hide it. The days where I practice just a few restorative postures rejuvenate me for the rest of the month.

By learning to go with the flow of my body on those days I am less rigid. I no longer judge myself for not having the energy to do as much as I normally can and for not being able to do the inversions that I so love. At the same time I acknowledge my exaggerated emotions and let them be released instead of fighting to keep them in. The second chakra is balanced when we can freely express our emotions.

There is a sweetness that comes when you let yourself go with the ebb and flow of life rather than being static or resistant. Here are a few real life practices that can balance the second chakra:

–    Get a massage
–    Take a bubble bath
–    Go for a swim
–    Gentle yoga or mindful vinyasa

Shanti,

Liza Laird

Want to learn more about the chakras? Join Ashley this summer at Kriplau for the Chakra Detox Immersion: A Complete Physical, Mental + Emotional Detox, July 1-6, 2012. A one-of-a-kind multi-media immersion to demystify the chakras.