Manipurna, the solar plexus chakra, is the 3rd
chakra up and is a fiery yellow. I could
tell you about its association with the Hindu god energy of Vishnu, the seed
syllable ram, and how citrine
resonates with the solar plexus. You can
find any of that, and more, with a cursory google search. And no doubt, I'll geek out on the esoterica
of the chakras at some point and write posts that explore the more arcane
aspects of chakra theory ad infinitum.
Correspondences, symbols and imagery are wonderful, and if they resonate
with you they can be used as a kind of energetic shorthand, bringing out the
qualities they represent.
But, in their essence, the chakras are YOU. They are your energy centers. Your chakras are co-created by your body's
kinetic, electric energy and the subtle shifts in electromagnetism created by
hormonal balance. Whether you are aware
of it or not, 'believe' in it or not, your chakras are engaging with the world
around you.... because you are engaging with the world around you. And if I tell you this-and-that about the
correspondences of the solar plexus chakra, if I give you an essay on the
(albeit fascinating) various theories of the chakra's association with
symbology and imagery from various traditions; I will only be helping you to
distance yourself from your own experience.
If you are living an embodied human life, you don't need anyone else to
tell you what your experience of your own energy is, you are living it. Giving someone else the authority of your
experience leaks your power. And
Manipurna is all about power.
Manipurna is the fire, the strength that supports the
heart. Manipurna is will and
intent. Manipurna is power.
Power. Such a loaded word. As a young woman in our culture, it is
interesting to put fingers to keys to talk about power. Society would like to tell me I don't have
it. Politicians do tell me I don't have it.
Many people claim it for themselves or on behalf of a religion or a
country. Others think it can be bought
or stolen. Somehow we think that through
war we can establish it. But power is not about control. Power is
not about power-over, coercion, or authority in the sense of wrong and
right. I can deny my power. I can forget about it, neglect it, not use
it. But no one can take my power from
me. Nor I from them. Power
is not relational. It has nothing to
do with anyone else.
Power is
self-esteem and self-confidence and self-efficacy all rolled into one. Power
is a way of walking in the world. Power is being so full of one's own energy,
so centered in one's own self, that no one can push us over or insert their
projections into our sense of self. How
do we lose power, then? In essence, by
consistently denying it. Sometimes we
internalize the idea that it is something outside of ourselves, needing to be
obtained. Sometimes we find ourselves
triggered by the actions of others into (frequently habitual) actions and
patterns that lead us to deny, ignore, or scatter our energy.
How do we cultivate power?
Through yoga of course, that's why this is a post for a blog on
yoga! But seriously, we cultivate power through reclaiming the parts of
self we have denied, repressed, shunned.
We cultivate power through
physical work: when you get your heart rate up, blood pumping, skin alive with
moisture, muscles warm you feel like you fill up your body, like you fill up
the space between outstretched hands. We
cultivate power by saying
"YES" to what nourishes us, to what our inner voice wants and asks
for. Usually that means saying
"NO" to something else. We
cultivate power by trusting
ourselves. By believing in
ourselves. By recognizing our own
authority. We can cultivate power by
strengthening the core – yes, through an ab workout. Manipurna is located at the solar plexus,
just below the sternum, at the top of the abdomen: by strengthening the
physical, we strengthen the energetic.
We cultivate power by
practicing discipline. Through
dedication.
In my experience, the yoga mat is the best place to practice
all of this. On the mat, I can look at
the parts of myself I try to hide away, repress, deny. I can hold space for the meeting between me
and me. I can breathe into it. On the mat, I can get embodied – filling up
my skin, filling up my luminous body, filling up the room! On the mat, I can work out: engaging muscles,
mind, and awareness. On the mat, I can
explore what is my "YES" and what is my "NO." On the mat, I am alone. As teacher or as student, with others or in a
solo practice, ultimately it is me, myself and I on my mat. I have no choice but to work with myself,
learning trust, exploring my limits. To
stand in Vrksasana, I have to trust
that my one foot will hold my whole body – or else I would crumple to the
ground. On the mat, I learn to believe
in myself. When I take a variation on a
pose, moving into or out of a lunge to meet the anatomy of my hips; I am
recognizing my own authority. And every
time I roll out the mat and step onto it, I am living my dedication to this practice.
I cultivate power
through my yoga practice. I invite you
to join me.
Tomorrow night (THURSDAY 5:45-7:15) we'll explore Manipurna
through a practice of strong standing poses (hint: the warrior is an impeccable
embodiment of power), core work
balancing the extension of backbends, and chanting. We'll end class with the deep restoration of
yoga nidra. And because symbols ARE
powerful, I'll be wearing a yellow shirt.
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