The sacral chakra is the second of the seven main chakras in our bodies and is connected to our emotions and creativity.

The sacral chakra represents our emotional well-being, passion, and the ability to flow with life. It is located in our sacrum, which sits over the pelvis about two inches below the belly button. The sacral chakra forms when we are between the ages of 8 and 14 years old during the time of emotional development and corresponds to our core needs of intimacy and directs how we relate to ourselves and others.

This post will cover self-care for healing the sacral chakra, how to know if it’s out of balance, and the tools and practices you can use to heal and bring the energy of this chakra back into balance.

In this post you will find:

• A definition of the sacral chakra, or swadhisthana
• Signs of imbalance
• Crystals, essential oils, and foods
• Affirmations
• A healing meditation
• Self-care practices to balance and heal the sacral chakra

SWADHISTHANA

The Swadhisthana (meaning “one’s own place”) is also known as the sacral chakra and is located just below the navel. It represents our feelings around creativity, sexuality, worthiness, and desire. The color associated with it is orange, which carries an enthusiastic, joyful vibration and is an equal mix of red and yellow (rooted and powerful). The element associated with the sacral chakra is water, representing fluidity, flow, and movement.

The mandala associated with swadhisthana has six lotus petals that are associated with qualities that must be overcome to purify it – anger, jealousy, cruelty, hatred, pride, and desire. The circles symbolize the cyclic nature of birth, death, and rebirth. The crescent moon symbolizes cycles of never-ending change and constant movement.

When the sacral chakra is balanced and open, you feel creative, passionate, playful, and full of vitality. You have a strong sense of worthiness and are able to express your desires. You radiate warmth, confidence, and generosity and are able to relate to your emotions and the emotions of others. You have a healthy sexuality with well-defined boundaries and feel comfortable in your own skin.

SIGNS OF A SACRAL CHAKRA IMABALANCE

The sacral chakra is your body’s energy center for creativity, pleasure, sensuality, and sexual energy. It acts as your emotional center. This is where you feel your passion, pleasure, and a connection to others. What would happen if someone close to you withheld intimacy, or you were hurt and chose to emotionally isolate yourself? What if you experienced sexual dysfunction or infertility issues?

When these things happen, your energy gets stuck at this energy center, unable to move freely though this intersection. This results in an energetic imbalance, which can manifest in the following ways:

Physical organs related to the sacral chakra are: the reproductive system, bladder, and kidneys. Physical issues associated with imbalance might include low back pain, UTIs, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, testicular or prostate disease, genital and sexual health issues, and sexual dysfunction, like fertility struggles, low sex drive, pelvic pain, or erectile problems.

An imbalanced sacral chakra can cause you to feel repressed about sex and your body, or could cause a sexual addiction. You might feel possessive, rigid, a need for control, creative blocks, dramatic or emotional. You might have poor boundaries, especially sexual ones, jealousy, oversensitivity, shame and guilt, a fear of being vulnerable, and this imbalance can trigger deep emotional wounds that haven’t yet healed.

Below are ways in which you can begin to unblock and connect with your sacral chakra:

CRYSTALS AND STONES

Choose a crystal based on what you are intuitively drawn to since that’s most likely the energy you need most. Crystals that are orange, golden, or brown work best for the sacral chakra. Place the stone next to you, lay it on your body where the chakra is located, wear it as jewelry, or carry one in your pocket.

Carnelian: highly energetic, brings a zest for life, helps to improve confidence and creativity, enhances fertility, accelerates healing, eases back pain

Amber: healing, relieves stress and anxiety, empowering, awakens sacral chakra, absorbs negativity and bad vibes and replaces with positive energy, enhances creativity, eases pain in joints and ligaments

Citrine: warming, uplifts mood, enhances positivity and promotes optimism, boosts self-esteem and confidence, wards off negative energy, helps treat issues related to the urinary tract and kidneys

Topaz: soothes, heals, stimulates, recharges, re-motivates and aligns the meridians of the body – directing energy to where it is needed, promotes truth and forgiveness, brings joy, generosity, and abundance

Tiger’s Eye: for the root and sacral chakras, balances the endocrine system, enhances self-confidence and inner strength

ESSENTIAL OILS

You can use the oils alone or buy or make your own mixtures. Just remember, if you are using oils directly on your skin, some can be irritating and need to be diluted with a carrier oil.

Here is a list of the essential oils that help with balancing and opening the sacral chakra:

Orange: has the ability to free up stagnant life energy and bring emotional ease, adaptability, optimism, and creativity

Tangerine: reduces anger, relieves anxiety, releases toxins, controls spasms, helps depression, aids with digestive problems

Bergamot: invigorates your senses and encourages the release of repressed emotions, releases stress, tension, feelings of despair, and low self-love, mood-boosting, heals urinary tract infections

Neroli: relieves stress, anxiety, grief, treats depression, promotes self-love and self-acceptance, lowers cortisol levels

Ylang-Ylang: evokes optimism and cheerfulness, lessens tension and stress, soothes fearfulness, helps to balance hormones

HEALING FOODS

Food carries its own energy that can help heal us energetically and it provides the nutrients to feed every cell in our body. The following foods help to balance the sacral chakra:

Orange foods are best for strengthening and healing the sacral chakra. Try carrots, mango, oranges, peaches, passion fruit, apricots, pumpkin, butternut squash, papaya, orange peppers, and sweet potatoes.

To nourish this chakra, you should also consume foods high in Omega-3s. These include eggs, salmon, nuts, and seeds (almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds). In addition, because it’s associated with the water element, staying hydrated will help keep this energy center healthy. Coconut water and herbal teas are particularly hydrating.

AFFIRMATIONS

To practice your chakra affirmation, find a quiet place, get comfortable, and focus on the location of the chakra you want to work on. As you say or meditate on the affirmation, visualize the color of the chakra and imagine that color flowing into your chakra space as you repeat the affirmation. The key to using affirmations is to feel the words of the affirmation as you speak them. The more you repeat the affirmation, the more natural and true it will feel.

Repeating affirmations is what makes them most powerful. Add them to your morning routine, say them while driving in the car, or find other ways to use them throughout your day.

Below are some powerful sacral chakra affirmations to help you release negative thoughts and feelings:

I have a right to be here in my body

I am safe in my body

I am connected to my innate creative energy

My body and energy are sacred to me

I am a beautiful creation and I spread my beauty wherever I go

I am free to express myself in whatever way feels divine to me

Who I am and what I do is enough

My body freely experiences pleasure

I allow my life to be a free flow of joy, creativity, and passion

My desires are important and I allow them to guide me

My feelings are important and I allow myself to fully experience my feelings

The relationships in my life are healthy and nourishing

MEDITATION AND BREATHWORK

Chakra balancing mediations can help you get quiet and tune into the energy center that needs attention. For the sacral chakra, try holding a carnelian gemstone in your hand, close your eyes, and take three deep, cleansing breaths. As part of your meditation, visualize cutting the cord with whatever you think may be blocking your sacral chakra. Repeat aloud, or silently in your head, “I ask that the highest vibration of love and light connect with my highest self to clear all unwanted energy. May this crystal hold the intention of balancing my sacral chakra.”

Next, lie comfortably on your back and lay the crystal over the area of your chakra. While it’s on your body, visualize the color orange filling up all the space in your second chakra with healing light.

SELF-CARE PRACTICES

Here are some practices that support the opening of the sacral chakra:

Physical: Connect with water.

Because the sacral chakra is linked with the element of water, any form of deep hydration will do it some good. That means drinking a lot of water throughout the day, and bonus if you add a few orange slices to reflect the orange color of the sacral chakra’s energy. Going swimming or being near a body of water can help open it up, and even taking a shower, or adding an orange essential oil to a warm bath will help, while relaxing you at the same time. Doing some yoga hip-opening postures such as wide angle pose or bound angle pose are simple and highly effective.

Mental: Get comfortable with stillness.

Because the sacral chakra deals with emotions and intimacy, an unbalanced energy center can benefit from some stillness. Getting comfortable with being still allows us to connect to our thoughts, which cause our emotions, and this awareness allows us to process these feelings in a healthier way. Make a practice of sitting still in a comfortable position for a few minutes every morning, taking the time to notice the sounds, smells, feelings, and sensations of the present moment. See if you can increase the time you sit by one minute each week. You could also dab some essential oil that supports the sacral chakra on your wrists to stimulate your senses.

Emotional: Get your feelings out on paper.

Journaling is one of the most effective ways to help us connect to our emotions. Take your journal and a pen and consider the following questions:

            Am I following and expressing my creative passions?

            Am I happy with my sex life?

            What am I currently creating in my life?

            What would feeling empowered in my creativity and sexuality look like?

Spiritual: Get your creative juices flowing.

Since the sacral chakra is all about creative expression, try tapping into your artistic side. You may feel as though you’re lacking inspiration right now, which is exactly why you need to get those juices flowing. There is no right or wrong. Creativity is completely personal. Do something that feels fun or lights you up. There are so many creative outlets to choose from: drawing, painting, sculpting, coloring, building something, baking, cooking a meal, arranging flowers, writing, or composing a song. If you really want to challenge yourself, try something you’ve never done before, like a new dance move, yoga class, recipe, or form of art. If you’re at a loss as to where you can start, ask a friend about something they’ve been working on and let their creativity inspire you.

What are some of your favorite ways to keep your sacral chakra balanced? Let me know in the comments below.