3rd Chakra

The 3rd Chakra – The Navel Chakra – Manipura

The Third Chakra is associated with fire

The Manipura Chakra is located in the navel center or the abdomen. This chakra is associated with the element fire and it represents will, power, digestion and assertiveness. The 1st chakra is solid. The 2nd chakra is change and movement. When solid matter is rubbed together using movement, the result is fire and energy – just as two sticks rubbed together create a fire.


The Navel chakra represents transformation and overcoming inertia. It has been called the “fire in the belly.” This fire, or will power, gives us the energy to change, grow, and act in our lives. We were given a form or a vehicle (our body) as represented by the 1st chakra. We were also given the ability to move and change, as represented by the 2nd chakra. The third chakra gives us the intelligence, spark and power to move our bodies into action.

This chakra is associated with the color yellow. The color yellow has the third longest wavelength (570 nm) and third slowest frequency (530THz) in the visual color spectrum.

Navel Chakra

In a very real sense, the navel or abdominal area is representative of transformation. It is in the belly that food (solids – 1st chakra) are digested (movement – 2nd chakra) and turned into energy for the body (metabolism – 3rd chakra).  Additionally, all bodily movements related to the abdominal muscles. Have you ever had surgery or an injury to the abdomen? If so, you’ll understand that without properly strengthened and working abdominal muscles, any type bodily movement is very difficult.

The symbol for the Navel Chakra is a ten petal lotus flower. Additionally, there is a downward pointing red triangle in the center of the symbol representing fire.

Blocks in the Navel Chakra

Blocks in the third center can lead to low levels of energy, motivation, low self-esteem, difficulty making decisions and feeling powerless. When we are stuck in the third chakra, we are unable to move forward in our lives. We may be unhappy in a current relationship or career. We may be overweight and unhealthy. We may struggle with addictions or

The stone Amber represents the 3rd chakra

other bad habits. Yet we have yet to tap into the internal will power and fire needed to break free and move forward with our lives.

In order to open the third chakra we must utilize our personal will power. We have to take personal responsibility for our lives and our current situation. We must stop blaming other people or external circumstances for whatever our current situation is. Playing the victim is a sure-fire way to keep the third chakra closed and remain stuck in our lives.

We must first realize that we make decisions every single day. These decisions lead us, ever so slowly, to where we are and where we’ll be. Think about all the decisions you made just this morning: what did you decide to have for breakfast? Did you decide to go to work? What did you decide to wear? Did you decide to kiss your significant other goodbye? Did you decide to feed your pets? Etc…

Many of these may not seem like decisions – if you have a pet, of course you fed it. If you have a job, of course you went to work (unless you were ill). However, these are indeed decisions. First, give yourself credit for making them. Second, meditate on the motivation behind the decisions. It is from this motivation, or purpose, that your life has motion. Rather than going about your day blindly and unconsciously, go about your day with your eyes open and strong consciousness.

Everyone in this world has a purpose. When our decisions and our actions are aligned with that purpose, the road of life become easier to travel. The only person who will ever know if you are on the right track is you. Meditate and contemplate where you are in your life today and think about the decisions you’ve made to arrive at the present moment. If everyday feels like a struggle, maybe it’s time to sit down with yourself and have a serious conversation.

Fear is an emotion that will block the third chakra. We may be afraid to make changes in our life which we know we must make. If you feel afraid, ask yourself why. Try to get to the root of the fear. Once you have discovered the root, allow yourself to feel this fear. Visualize the worst possible situation, and feel afraid. Why? By allowing ourselves to feel our emotions, we can diffuse them.
But also realize that fear can be our way of warning us not to make silly decisions. For example, why don’t we climb a mountain without the proper gear? Because we are afraid of falling down. Why don’t we drive 200mph? Because we are afraid of crashing our car.  These are real fears. The challenge here is to decipher the real fears from the imagined fears.

Breath of Fire to Open the Third Chakra

Breath of Fire is a Kundalini Yoga breathing technique. You can perform this energizing breath on its own or while holding nearly any yoga pose. Take a look at the video below for description and instruction of breath of fire:
http://youtu.be/F6lg7XOdXIM

Yoga Poses to Work the Third Chakra

Poses which strengthen and stretch the abdominal muscles are perfect for opening the third chakra.
Take a look at the video below for opening the third chakra:
http://youtu.be/cVHGCOvAUOs
Additionally, here are a few more poses for the third chakra:

	Bow Pose		Boat Pose