Ektaya
Manipura, the solar plexus chakra. Your center of personal power, willpower, and transformation.
Located in the upper abdomen, in the hollow between the navel and the breastbone, the Solar Plexus Chakra, or Manipura in Sanskrit, is the third main energy center. Its name, beautifully translated as “the City of Jewels,” evokes the intense brightness of an inner sun.
Chakras are an idea from the yogic traditions, a way of describing inner experience. They are not an anatomical fact, and they are not linked to any illness. Once we have built our foundation (Root) and explored our inner waters (Sacral), Manipura introduces the fire element. In that tradition, it is the forge of our vital energy, the seat of our confidence and self-assertion, and the engine that turns our intentions into real action in the world.
Symbolism and Correspondences
In the yogic tradition, Manipura is pictured as a bright sun-yellow lotus with ten petals. At its center, an inverted red triangle stands for the Fire element (Tattva Agni), representing the heat that digestion needs, both physical and subtle.
- Location: Solar plexus, the pit of the stomach (above the navel, below the ribs).
- Color: Yellow (light, intellect, solar energy, gold).
- Element: Fire.
- Bija mantra: RAM (रं).
- Key function: Willpower, self-esteem, personal power, action, digestion.
- Associated stones: Citrine, tiger's eye, amber.
Inner Fire and Self-Assertion
The solar plexus chakra is said to govern our personal power, our willpower, our discipline, and our confidence in ourselves. In yogic thought, it is also the seat of our “digestive fire” (Agni), which is responsible not only for taking in food, but also for our ability to “digest” and absorb our life experiences.
It is the center of our “right to act” and our “right to assert ourselves.” When it burns steadily, we have the drive to claim our place. We can set healthy boundaries, make clear decisions, take on challenges, and take responsibility for our lives with courage and integrity.
When Your Inner Sun Is Balanced and When It Isn't
When Manipura is balanced: you feel confident, proactive, and in charge of your own direction. Your self-esteem is healthy and steady. You have the energy to see your projects through, and you digest things easily, in the body and in your emotions. You carry a natural, warm authority.
When Manipura is out of balance: a blockage (underactivity) can show up as low self-esteem, passivity, constant indecision, a victim mindset, or a lot of tiredness. At the other extreme, overactivity can lead to aggression, an excessive need to control yourself and others, arrogance, all-consuming ambition, and often exhaustion.
Caring for This Chakra
Caring for your solar plexus chakra means learning to master your fire: getting some sunlight, doing physical activities that strengthen your core (abdominal exercises), setting achievable goals to build self-confidence, and daring to take calculated risks. It's the shift from passivity to conscious action.
To sort out self-confidence versus self-esteem, and to know where to start, you can read Self-Confidence vs Self-Esteem: First Steps. To work with this fire over a full week, the “Feed Your Fire” step of Inner Renaissance guides you to define your values, set an intention, and make a pact with yourself.
This is a wellbeing practice, not medicine. If you have a physical symptom that lasts, such as stomach pain or constant tiredness, see a doctor first.
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