By Jade Doherty
Feeling uninspired and bored? It could be your Sacral Chakra or Svadhisthana Chakra. Here is your personal guide to balance the second chakra.
What most resonates with you?
Are you feeling:
Bored, stuck, uncreative, uninspired, low libido, or lustful
Creative, in the flow, connected, inspired
Or a mix of the two
These are all connected to your sacral chakra, or as it’s known in Sanskrit the svadhisthana chakra.
But what is a sacral chakra?! How do I balance it? And why does it matter?
In this series of articles on the Chakra system, after understanding the root chakra, today, let’s dive in and get some answers that may well transform how you feel on a daily basis.
We’ll look at how the sacral chakra affects you and what role it plays in the overall energy system of our subtle body. Let us also explore the nourishing ways you can heal and work with any imbalance (some people describe it as ‘blocked chakra’) in the sacral chakra. This can help to get unstuck, allow energy to flow, and life to be more creative, happy, and enjoyable!
What is a chakra?
Aside from the physical body, we also have a subtle, energetic body. Within it are pathways that flow with prana or life-force, and these converge at powerful energy centers, known as chakras. The seven primary chakras flow from the root (base of the spine) up to the crown chakra (top of the head).
Each chakra, or nerve center, is associated with particular qualities and emotions which transpire in different ways depending on which direction the energy is flowing. This may be felt as if they’re unbalanced or inactive (aka blocked) or balanced or active (aka open)!
Think of it like riding a bike. If there’s no forward flow the bike will naturally be off-balance and fall. However, when the bike is in motion, balance comes naturally. Conversely, trying to cycle backward is very difficult (if not impossible!) and will cause instability and imbalance. So, like cycling forwards, balance becomes easy (the upward flow of energy), and trying to cycle backward (the downward flow of energy) will result in instability.
When the energy is flowing upwards, you experience the positive qualities associated with that chakra. When it’s flowing downwards you experience the reverse.
For an overview of the whole chakra system, check out our Beginner’s Guide.
The sacral chakra at a glance
Name in Sanskrit: Svadhisthana meaning where you are established - sva = self + adhisthana = established. Another root word, svad, also translates as “to taste with pleasure” or “enjoy."
Element: Water
Location: Behind the genitals/reproductive organs
Qualities: Creativity, procreation (sexual drive or lust)
The dormant Kundalini Shakti (the ultimate life force energy) rests at the root chakra. When this dormant energy flows freely upward through the seven chakras it leads to an expanded state of consciousness. At the sacral chakra, the expanded consciousness is felt as creativity. Creativity, as obvious as it sounds, inspires you to create something new, original. From the procreation of a new life to art, ideas, writing, starting a new business, to cooking. When the same energy is moving in a downward direction, one tends to lose the creative spark and may even get more lustful. Life tends to become mechanical and monotonous and feels like you’re stuck in a daily rut and in a higher sexual drive. Likewise, each chakra is associated with some positive and some negative qualities, if the energy is moving upward, you feel positive quality or emotion and vice-a-versa.
When there is an imbalance, this happens
So, you may have sometimes felt some kind of a block or tension or negativity, let it be, don’t try to forcefully get rid of them. Know that it may be just the energy flow is downwards rather than upwards. With simple practices, you may be able to balance the flow of energy.
The sacral chakra, also referred to as the second chakra, is the home of creativity and (pro)creation. It’s also associated with sexuality and sensuality. When this chakra is aligned with the upward flow of energy and feeling good, you find that creativity flows, ideas come, and you feel alive and bright. Your creativity, vibrancy, and innovation, and inspiration blossoms.
With a downward flow of energy, the same energy at the sacral chakra can leave you lacking in inspiration and creativity or feel feverish, overly lustful, obsessive where sexuality becomes overindulgence rather than a joy and expression of procreative energy. People who are obsessed with sex are not very creative. Whereas when you are engaged in any creative activity, then lust does not trouble you. When the same energy manifests itself as creativity, then sex moves to the background. So here the energy could manifest either as a creative or procreative tendency. You need not label the energy as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. That is just how it is.
We want you to have a flowing and vibrant sacral chakra so that you can live a life of flow and vibrancy too! Let’s look at how to get this chakra thriving!
...and breathe
How to Get Unstuck
Creative blocks happen to everyone, and there are a ton of ways to increase your energy flow, and start feeling great. But how to start healing your so-called blocked sacral chakra, and get the creative energy flowing again?
The answer? Get creative, even when you feel so uninspired!
When we’re feeling this creative energy, life is just more fun. Even if you don’t think of yourself as being a creative person or an artist, creativity, be it a painting, a new recipe, or a photograph with your phone, can make life more pleasurable. When the energy flows, we flow, and life flows.
So what can you do?
Do something creative. Pick up a pencil and draw like a child. Go out into nature and take artistic photos with your phone. Write a paragraph about life or a poem about the sunrise. Sing!
Just doing something creative can help raise your energy and put you in a new state of being (and feeling!).
Pick an action and try it out for a few days, and notice how you feel afterward.
How to balance the sacral chakra: essential tools for life
Reigniting your creativity, and getting energy flowing, increasing inspiration is an ongoing practice- and it’s 100% worth it! The chakras show us that life is better when energy flows, so how in the flow and creativity do you feel?
Here are some great practices for you to try, and increase your flow, creativity, inspiration, and joy in the process:
Pick a pose
Yes, yoga! While there is no one pose that can “fix a blocked chakra” (remember we’re wanting to move the energy rather than target one chakra) yoga poses are a great way to get the energy flowing.
Any holistic practice, which is a practice involving asana, pranayama, and meditation, will help to get this energy flowing. Yet some nice poses that can help you connect with the sacral chakra include: Garland Pose, Camel Pose, Seated Forward Bend, and (of course - a big hip opener!) Pigeon Pose.
Sri Sri Yoga is a holistic form of yoga, incorporating ancient wisdom with modern needs, and teaching you not only the well-known asanas but also breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation too. So, if you’re looking to balance your chakras and get your energy flowing, do check it out!
Stop to smell the roses
Engage your senses! Slow down and enjoy your senses. When we rush through life, we miss the beauty and inspiration around us. So smell the roses, savor your coffee, notice the fabrics on your skin, look around you, and listen to beautiful music.
Get creative and playful
Rather than waiting for the muse to come to you, start something creative and invite the muse to you! Pick up a paintbrush, cook something new, or dance in your room. Evoking a playful mood to your creativity, not worrying about whether or not it’s good enough, but just enjoying it.
Cold showers!
You might not always feel like it, but a cold shower is a great way to get your energy moving and make you feel invigorated and alive! The sacral chakra loves cold showers, and now so do you!
Nourish yourself
Eating high prana food like whole grains, fresh vegetables, and fruits, as well as nuts and seeds, are very healing for the whole body including your sacral energy center. As this chakra is the water element, staying hydrated is great too to keep everything flowing.
Take a seat
Meditation. A foundational solution to (almost!) all our imbalances. When you find the right practice for you, meditation is naturally calming and restorative, creating a steadiness at your core. Try Sahaj Samadhi Meditation or dive into any of the activities mentioned in this post.
When all seven chakras are balanced, harmony pervades, and with it, a powerful sense of well-being.
Begin your chakra healing journey with Secrets of the 7 Chakras. Join this free on-demand 7-day meditation journey to awaken, rebalance, and harmonize your energy. Guided by meditation master Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, it is an opportunity to dive deeper into the profound wisdom of the chakras and cleanse each one through meditation. Emerge deeply rested, relaxed, and with personal insight. Register for free here.
Now that we've looked at how you can cultivate a balanced sacral chakra, next we will look at the solar plexus chakra.
Join in-person meditation and yoga classes across Sydney and Melbourne and join our community of like-minded individuals. Explore our Bondi, Newtown, North Melbourne, Manly, Richmond, St Kilda and Surry Hills classes to start your journey to understand the mind and find inner peace.
Jade Doherty is a freelance copywriter, meditator, and traveler, who is currently exploring Goa, India.
