Y ou can  use a y oga block to sit  on in this pose if your hips are tight or the
squat is hard o n your knees. Practicing Kegels or mula b andha (see
description above) is ideal in th is pose. If you can, hold this pose for up to
one minute. Pelvic T ilts:  Lie  flat  on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat
on t he floor , hip-width apart an d parallel, with your toes pointi ng forward. W alk your heels close to your bottom. Place your arms alongside you with
your pal ms faci ng down. The position looks like a preparation for bridge
pose ( setu bandhasana ) , a  yoga asana you may be familiar with (describedon page 130 ). Begin  the tilt by squeezing your buttocks and lifting your
tailbone and first three vertebrae , one vertebra at a time. Then sq ueeze, hold
for five seconds , lower , and rele ase. Repeat this exercise twenty-five times. Pelvic t ilts brin g heat and ene r gy to the first chakra, stimula ting all the
nerves. Standing Mountain Pose — T adasana :  S tand tall with your feet paral lel
and toes  pointed  forward. A gre at way to do this grounding pose is to use a
yoga block and place it between your upper thighs. Spread out your toes,
and firm ly plant your feet on the floor . Draw the ener gy up through your
legs. Squeeze your buttocks while slightly opening your thighs outward. Stack yo ur verte brae, each one on top of the one below , and lift the crown
of your head with your head in a neutral position. Roll your sho ulders back
and down, and allow your arms  to hang like plumb lines. Close your eyes
and feel the dynamic of your feet firmly rooted to the earth an d the crown
of your head flo ating upward toward the sky . Notice how good it feels to be
balanced, grounded, and immovable. B ALANCING THE  F IRST  C HAKRA THROUGH  F OOD
It’ s impo rtant on  your healing journey to eat only whole foods that are fresh
and com e directly from the eart h. Reduce your consumption of processed,
packaged, canned, or frozen food. When y ou’re fe eling unground ed, eat heavier foods such as proteins,
hearty soups, bread, oils, and sw eet fruit. Y ou can also focus on eating root
vegetables and potatoes. If you’ re feeling too heavy and sluggish, try eating
what A yurveda calls a Kapha-p acifying diet: focus on bitter , p ungent, and
astringent tastes; e at more beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, and whol e
grains such as quinoa; reduce meat consumption. W EIGHT  L IFTING T O  B ALANCE  M ULADHARA
Those w ho live mainly focused on the first chakra instinctual ly build up
their muscles through weight tra ining. In fact, lifting weights is an excellent
way to physical ly balance the first chakra. Y ou must be grounded to liftweights; otherw ise you would topple over under the weight. Th e heaviness
(even with lighter weights) will make you stronger and more rooted to the
earth. W eight training is a grea t way to play around with gravity , the first
chakra ener gy . Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
When it comes to mental and emotional healing in the first chakra, you
need to think about three basic thought concepts: worry , trust, and security . W ORR Y
W e all suf fer from worry at on e time or another . It’ s not always easy to
delve into the past and think about our development of trust and security ,
but i t might be worth doing this if you struggle with issues of tru st or worry . Concern is valid at times, such as when you have dif ficulty paying bills on
time or your ma rriage is on shak y ground. Y et worry isn’ t warr anted if you
can do nothing to change the situation. In many dif ferent religions and spiritual practices we’re warned not to
worry . In the Bible, Jesus says in Matthew 6:27, “Can all your worries  add a
single moment to your life?” In all 12-step programs, the meetings conclude
with the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the ser enity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the differ ence. W orry i s a blockage in and of itself. It blocks the flow of en er gy to
creative solution s. W orry causes us to act out of fear instead of love. When
we act out of fear — or rather react, in most cases — we usually create new
problems and obstacles. Maybe you developed worry from your upbringing — maybe your
parents constant ly worried. Or perhaps you developed worry from uncertain
circumstances i n your past, such as parents divorcing, poverty , or adysfunctional family home. Whatever the case, you have the power to
change i t now . Y ou can start by saying the Serenity Prayer to yourself daily
and truly thinking about the things you can change versus the things you
can’ t.
T RUST
If you didn’ t gro w up with a healthy sense of trust, you may fin d it dif ficult
to tr ust others a nd your environment. There is no magic bullet to building
trust bac k to a n ormal level. But if you’re open to learning, y ou can take
baby ste ps towa rd its attainment. As you think about the concept of trust,
think about things in the environment that are certain. For example, you can
trust that the sun will rise each morning and set each night. Y ou can trust
that you  have twenty-four hours in the day . Y ou can trust that there are four
seasons and certain celebrations or milestones on the calendar . Y ou can trust
that your body will need be tween s ix and nine hou rs of sleep per night,
depending on your personal nee ds. Y ou can trust that you will need to eat
about th ree times per day and that if you follow the principle s of healthy
living, your body will perform for you. Think a bout all  the things you already trust but take for granted. For
example, do you have a bank account? Do you deposit money into it? If you
do, you trust that the bank will eventually give you back the m oney when
you need  it. Do you drive a car? If so, you trust all the other drivers to stay
in their lanes and not run into you. When it comes to people and loved ones, first try noticing little things
you trust. When a boyfriend shows up on time for a date, you l earn to trust
him. Or when a new friend remembers it’ s your birthday , you b egin to trust
that she cares fo r you. Do you see how trust is a flowing dynamic? W e tend
to overlo ok the little gestures in relationships, even though trus t building is
usually an accumulation of a lot of little things. When y ou approach “feeling” concepts such as trust from the
perspective of the first chakra, you might believe that things are cut-and-
dry . Ins tead of trust being a  flowing quality , it stays concrete and
categorical. T ake for example a two-year -old child, who can change like or
dislike o f a person depending on an individual experience. If a parent takesaway a toy beca use of bad behav ior , the small child might shout out, “I hate
you, Daddy!” In that moment, the child feels hate because of a single
experience that was displeasing  to her . First chakra people behave in a
similar way . They tend to be m ore rigid when it comes to deeper concepts
like trust. But as you move up the chakras, you will notice that things get a little
fuzzier , without  well-defined boundaries, when it comes to emotional
matters. For now , allow yoursel f to be open to taking steps to trust and see
where it takes you. S ECURITY
T ied into  trust, feelings of secur ity or lack thereof can be a prob lem in first
chakra b alancing. When you experience life through the first chakra alone,
you might think you have to do it all alone. Y ou might fal l under the
illusion that the world is a scary place and you have to fend for yourself or
else you will die . (That is, by the way , the essence of survival of the fittest.) Until you can b egin thinking otherwise, try living in the present moment. Present-moment awareness is n ot even a spiritual practice at this point. It
simply means looking around y ou and looking at yourself. Are you living? Are you breathing? Do you have  clothes on? Did you have a meal recently? Do you have a roof over your head? Are you okay right now? If so, you are
secure. If y ou’re in a precarious situa tion, such as being homeless o r in an
abusive househo ld, go back to the Serenity Prayer . Is there something you
can change about your situation? Is there someone you can reach out to? As you move up through the chakras you will learn that security is
elusive. If you s eek security for security’ s sake, you’ll never achieve it. The
universe is constantly shifting and changing. W anting security at all costs is
essentially the same as wanting to hold on to the universe an d hoping it
won’ t ch ange. If  you think abou t it, that’ s completely absurd. D o what you
need to do. Get a job, pay your bills, do good works, give to ch arity , serve
others and the greater good, and that’ s it. Y ou can’ t control the rest. I kn ow a  man who was very successful at his job and had a great salary . All throughout his years at his job he worried constantly that h e would belaid of f and that  his great salary  would be taken away . Instead of enjoying
his j ob day to day , being grateful, happy , and joyful, he ruined his everyday
life b y w orrying he would lose it. And do you know what happe ned? He got
laid of f. Then he  found another great job with a great salary , worried all the
time, and got la id of f from tha t job too. Sometimes the act of worrying
about security will take away that security . Deep-seated em otions aren’ t easy to balance. W ithout a doubt, i t took years
to d evelop these ways of thinking and reacting, and it can ta ke years to
change t o new ways of thinking. Be patient with yourself as y ou practice
overcoming these first chakra limitations. T ake it one step at a ti me and one
day at a time. Healing the Spiritual Body
Meditation is a great way to reduce the fight-or -flight response. It teaches
you to take a step back from reaction mode. Meditation red uces stress
hormones, normalizes blood pressure, reduces heart rate, and improves
immune function. When you look at the ef fects of meditation, you see the
complete opposite of the ef fects of the fight-or -flight response. Below is  a first chakra meditation. Y ou can have someone read it to you
while yo u have your eyes closed; record yourself reading it out loud, and
then liste n with your eyes closed ; or purchase a copy of the audi o version of
this book and listen to the guided meditations whenever you need them. MULADHARA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit c omfortably and close your e yes. Make sure your sitting bon es are
firmly p ressed to  the floor . T o accomplish this, take the fleshy parts of
your bo ttom an d bring them o ut to the sides a little. Inhale d eeply
through your nose from your l ower belly . As you exhale, press the
ener gy d ownward toward your first chakra as you bring your belly
button inward to your spine. Repeat this full, deep breath five times.Now pla ce your  awareness on th e root chakra, at the base of yo ur
spine. Imagine a swirling, whir ling wheel that is deep red in color ,
spinning around  like a planet spinning on its axis. Imagin e this
powerful ener gy flowing through you and circulating throughout your
perineum, your coccyx, the base of your spine, and your first three
vertebrae. As y ou breathe deeply , begin t o visualize your bottom planting
roots deep into the soil. Imagin e these roots getting enriched by the
fertile ea rth. Y ou are becoming one with the earth and its magn ificent
wealth. All the resources you need are here. They are present in the
here and now , and they are not far away from you. In ex change for you trusting the earth in all its wisdom, the earth
returns to you t he ener gy you need in the form of vibrations . Feel
these vib rations pulsating throug h your lower body . W elcome th em as
they bri ng healing ener gy to y our feet, knees, legs, sciatic n erves,
pelvis, and lower back. Now that your root chakra is awakened, you begin to feel ease and
trust that the earth will provide for you in due time. Y ou have planted
your roo ts, like planting seeds in  fertile soil, and all you need to  do is
wait for the seeds to grow into beautiful blossoms. Y our worry  melts
away with each breath. Y ou a re grounded. Y ou are safe. Y ou are
secure. All your basic needs are met. Notice h ow connected you feel to the earth. Notice how your ro ot
chakra feels awake and alive. Y ou can enhance the vibrations by
chanting the mantra sound LAM  three times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
T o remi nd your self to stay gro unded, wear the color red, eit her in your
clothing or accessories such a s a red bracelet or ribbon. Y ou can also
procure red mala beads to wear or hold during your meditation. Crystals and gems are useful in chakra healing since they c arry the
earth’ s ener gy . First chakra crystals include garnet, red jasper , black
tourmaline, and bloodstone.First Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. I accept my bod y as it is. I am grateful for my journey here on earth,
and I will imme rse myself completely in it. Even though my b ody
appears to be solid, I know it’ s a constant flow of ener gy and
information. As such, I know m y body can always change fo r the
better . 2. I fee l co nnected to the earth an d draw ener gy from it, knowing  that
Mother Earth provides for me in all her lavish abundance that
surrounds me at all times. 3. T oday I will connect with nature. I will enhance my sense of smell
by takin g in the fragrances of flowers, plants, trees, or fresh-cut
grass. I will wat ch animals play , or I will sit down and play with  my
pets. I will sit on the earth and meditate.T2  T H E  S A C R A L  C H A K R A
S v a d h i s t h a n a
ELEMENT :  W ater (Jala)
COLOR:  Orange
MANTRA SOUND:  V AM
he word Svadhisthana  means “sweetness,” which is a great way to
describe this chakra of attraction. Svadhisthana is the chakra of
creativity and sexuality . It is als o referred to as the “sacral chakra.” It’ s the
second chakra of matter and the point of awakening from the self in
survival to the self reaching out toward others. The second chakra is the
focal point of pleasure, desir e, sexuality , and procreation. While the
anatomical region certainly indi cates that this chakra is lar gely focused on
sexual matters, matters of creati vity are of equal importance. A person who
can harn ess the sexual ener gy o f the second chakra can accomplish great
things. The elem ent of the Svadhisthana chakra is water , or jala  in Sanskrit. W ater is cohesive in nature. It binds, brings together , creates love and
devotion, and connects us to one another . Think of the sexual fluids that
bind together a woman and m an in sexual harmony; these f luids come
together to create life. Wh ile the first chakra is bound by the earth element,
the second chakra has the flowing nature of water . The anatomical region of the second chakra is the sacral plexus, from
the top of the pubic bone up to the navel. It includes the lower abdomen, thegenitals, and the womb. The second chakra is also responsible for the
bladder and kidneys. The sen se we associate with Sv adhisthana is taste, especially the sweet
taste. The sense or gan is the tongue. The A yurvedic dosha correspo nding to the second chakra is Kapha,
which is  compo sed of water an d earth. Svadhisthana is ruled by the guna
tamas. The color we att ribute to the sacral chakra is orange. The mantra, or bija
(seed) sound, we vocalize for the second chakra is V AM . Second Chakra Ailments
Illnesses and disorders of the second chakra include sexual and
reproductive dysfunction such a s repeated miscarriages, abortio ns, frigidity ,
erectile dysfunc tion, and premature ejaculation. Second chakra imbalance
can also cause uterine, bladder , and kidney problems as well as lower -back
stif fness and addictions. Emotional af flictions include eating disorders, low
self-esteem, envy , and jealousy . Second Chakra Energy
Svadhisthana en er gy comes from the dynamic of its water e lement and
lunar ener gy . W ater plays a big p art on our planet and in our bodies. Almost
three-fourths of the earth is covered in water and about two-thirds of the
human b ody is made up of wat er . The moon has a major influence on the
tides, our moods, women’ s men strual cycles, and even the birth of babies. This dyn amic dance between the water element and the moon  mirrors the
dualistic awakening that happens in the Svadhisthana chakra. The first chakra ener gy of survival and its earthly limitations evolves to
the second chakra ener gy of water and the search for connection. The
awakened sexual ener gy leads to desire for earthly pleasures. It’ s no longer
about needing and accumulating  things; it’ s about desire. Food is no longer
just a necessity for living; eating becomes a tantalizing sensual experience. The con cept of polarity plays o ut in the chakras as it does in life. The
first chakra carries yang, or mas culine ener gy , and the second chakra carriesyin, or feminine ener gy . Then i n the third chakra the ener gy shifts back to
masculine, and so on. The cele stial body of the second  chakra is the moon. The ener gy of the
moon is  feminine, passive, and changing. W ater is the element that gives
way to life. The womb of creati on, literally and metaphorically ,  is rooted in
the second chakra ener gy . Out of the se cond chakra come music, art, poetry , and dance. Imagination develops in this chakra, as does the deep desire for marriage
and family . Imagine the ebb and flow of the oceans. No longer are we bound to a
seemingly solid state where we must find our place. Now we’re moved to
taste what the e arth has to of fer . Think of baby sea turtles em er ging from
their cozy nests in the sand and making their way to the ocean to begin life. Discovering the  second chakra’ s delights is an exciting awakening. For
the first time we  experience true duality , in the romantic sense, a nd we learn
the meaning of cause and e f fect. In the stage of development that
corresponds to the second chakra, a baby learns how to playfully
manipulate others to get what he wants. When he flirts with his caregivers
by performing, laughing, giggling, or repeating some funny antic , he gets
hugs, kisses, and much love. W e start to learn the ef fect we have on other
people and how to woo them to our side. The moo n ener g y of the second chakra is a passive but attractive ener gy . It includ es deep  emotions, inner strength, nurturing, and nourishing. The
mermaid is an archetypal ener gy of the Svadhisthana chakra. In mythology ,
mermaids are known for their alluring beauty and melodious voices. Depictions of mermaids show them beautifying themselves by combing
their hair and adorning themselves with jewels. They are sexually
tantalizing, sed uctive, and charming as they attract sailors with their
luscious song. However , they also have an independent and rebellious side
to them, and they only appear by the light of the moon. Our Societal Relationship with the Second Chakra
In the W est, or  more particularly in the United States, the predominant
lifestyle shows an overindulgence of second chakra pleasures. Everything
Americans do is big. W e eat lar g e amounts of food, especially in  restaurantsbecause they have to give you  enough bang for your buck. W e are the
lar gest consumers of prescription pills, painkilling medications in particular
— we consume 80 percent of th e world’ s supply of opioids. W e spend more
than $90 billion per year on alc ohol consumption. And Americans have on
average around $16,601 in credi t card debt. W e are enthralled with stars and
sex symbols, and we attempt to live out pleasures vicariously through them
by way of reality TV shows. W e are a society of overindulgence. The concept of delayed gratific ation holds little ground here. W e want
things th e way we want them, and we want them quickly . T he constant
search for pleasure and the avoidance of pain, without regard for the
consequences, is a second chakra imbalance. Like the small wooden boy in Disney’ s Pinocchio  who is led to Pleasure
Island and indulges in many fo rbidden pleasures but then barely escapes
with his  life, we too have begun to see consequences of choo sing such a
lifestyle. Chronic lifestyle  diseases such as diabetes,  obe sity , heart d isease,
hypertension, st roke, cancer , and alcohol and drug addictions af flict 133
million U S adul ts, or roughly ha lf the adult population. W e’re getting fatter ,
sicker , and more addicted by the day . Pleasure in itself isn’ t a bad th ing. W e need to seek out pleasure and
avoid pain for o ur bodies to kno w that all is well. However , it’ s the excess
that is harmful. It’ s the inability to overcome the persistent ur ge to indulge
rather than direct this creative ener gy toward a higher purpose. W omen W orking the Second Chakra
W omen are readily hardwired for the strengths of second chakra ener gy . The wom b of creation is within them, and they possess the sa me creative
power as the Creator of the universe. This blessed gift gives them the ability
to n urture, to b e highly sensitive, and to have a heightened sense of
intuition. W omen are also naturally blessed with the passive inner strength
of t he second c hakra. This strength imbues women with th e power of
attraction. In mythology , many goddesses are portrayed as passively
awaiting good things while ado rning themselves with jewels or brushing
their thick, luxurious hair . The idea in this portrayal is that the goddessdoesn’ t have to do anything but  relax, and like a magnet, she attracts good
things to her . In m odern society , women are pulled to live more in yang ener g y , which
is mascu line, fo rward moving, and competitive. As they compete in the
workplace with their male counterparts, they must take on more masculine
roles. Bu t in order to remain ba lanced, all people, women as well as men,
must embrace both ener gies, yi n and yang, and problems can result when
women move too far into yang ener gy . Some women feel that they must
deny the ir femininity in certain situations at work or at home, a nd this can
create imbalance s. For example, at work a woman might feel compelled to
dress more like a man to avoid  potential sexual harassment or to fit in a
mostly male workplace. T ypically , wome n who naturally have more yin ener gy find it e asier to
swing th e pendulum back: they’re able to embrace their femininity while
performing mor e masculine activities, and they don’ t have a d if ficult time
remaining balan ced. On the other hand, women who naturally feel more
comfortable in a masculine role might not strive to temper their yang ener gy
with their inherent yin. Health problem s can result w hen women lose this balance. Some
women who overidentify with yang ener gy develop depression, lupus,
cancer , high blood pressure, and other diseases. Many others have a hard
time get ting pregnant. Fertility and procreation are natural when the second
chakra is balanced. In fact, they ’re a normal and healthy part of the process
of life. But today , because of th e demands of higher education and work,
many women wait until after age thirty-five to try to get pregnant. W aiting
this long  decrea ses a woman’ s c hance of getting pregnant in the  first place. Then, when she finally does get pregnant, she must face the fear of not
being on par wit h her male co-workers because of the physical v ulnerability
of being pregnant and having a child. So instead of embracing pregnancy as
a natura l time to enjoy being a woman and to embody goddess ener gy , she
can suppress these feelings in order to fit in. Excessive yang  ener gy also sp ills into relationships and family life. Many w omen are single mothers and must play the role of b readwinner ,
disciplinarian, h omemaker , parent, and head of household. W omen who are
used to having p ower and respect in the workplace then take that same yang
ener gy and apply it to parenting and marriage.The problem is, women aren’ t p hysically built to sustain the demands of
taking on every single task of bo th a man and woman, such as working full-
time, taking care of a household , creating babies, raising children, being a
great wife, balancing the budget, lifting weights five days a  week, and
volunteering. W ow! It was exh austing just writing all of that . Y et many
women are doing all this. In the not-too-distant past, women didn’ t even
handle t he traditional household roles alone. They had support networks. Extended family members shared tasks, and the burden was spread across
many instead of piled up on one. W omen today feel ashamed that  they can’ t do it all, but they were never
meant to . They shouldn’ t consid er it a weakness to need help o r to want to
embrace their femininity . W omen should be proud of their ability to create,
to acknowledge their emotions, to be nurturing and sensitive. These are all
great qu alities. W omen shouldn ’ t be afraid to ask for help or  admit that
they’re not Hercules. (Y ou shou ldn’ t be able to carry six grocery bags in
one haul.) I discov ered my swelling yang ener gy when I was learning to dance
salsa. I had recently come out o f a harsh breakup, and I made the decision
to learn how to salsa dance. Partner dancing is very much a sec ond chakra
activity . It’ s flowing, dynamic, and sensual and has a sense o f give-and-
take. While I fully embrace my feminine side,  I am a high-powered woman. I am a single mom. I run my own business, my household, and my life. I’m
used to being in control. But whoa, did I learn the hard way that that doesn’ t
work on  the dance floor! I took on dance lessons like I take on l ife. I said to
myself, I’m goin g to work har d and learn this right. I’m going to be a g r eat
dancer , learn the steps, and perfect this. I was so goal oriented and yang in
my thinking, you’d think I was a CEO launching a startup. Salsa da ncing is  dif ficult to lear n, but it’ s not a left-brained activity . It’ s
an a rt. I t’ s move ment and creativity . Supportive — and, I might add, very
patient —  dance partners taught me how to embrace my second chakra
ener gy . They did this by gently reminding me, “Relax. Let me lead.” The
first one  hundre d or so times I danced salsa, I heard that phrase again and
again. The funny thing is, I thought I was  letting them lead. I learned how
to be a woman once again on the dance floor . If I hadn’ t let my dance
partners lead, the dynamics of duality and polarity could have never taken
place. Y ou can’ t have two leade rs or two followers on the dance floor — itsimply doesn’ t work. The beauty is in yin and yang meshing together
perfectly to create the work of art you see in dance competitions. W omen need to decide what ener gy they truly want to embrace in their
relationships. So metimes I see w omen who really want to be feminine and
act through yin ener gy , but they don’ t let themselves, out of fear of being
weak. In reality , though, weakness lies only in not knowing who you are or
in sending out conflicting messages to the world that don’ t reflect what you
feel inside. I see  this especi ally in dating. Because they’re overidentified with yang
ener gy , many women have bec ome more assertive in dating and in some
cases downright aggressive. T raditionally , thanks to his competitive yang
nature, a man would want to pursue the wo man, woo her , and win her heart. But toda y , when  women take o n the yang role, the ener getic transfer can
take aw ay the man’ s drive to go out there and work hard to get what he
wants. As a  woman, figuring out how to balance your second chakra involves
knowing how you would like to embrace your feminine ener gy so you can
keep it open and flowing at all t imes. Figure out who you are and how you
want this ener gy to manifest, and stick with it. For example, if you’ve
always w anted t o be a stay-at-ho me mom, but family pressures have caused
you to remain in a full-time job, you can work toward the role you want to
embrace. Y ou could, for exam ple, explore the options of a home-based
business working only part-time . I have a friend who ran a home daycare as
soon as her first  child was born. It allowed her to have income while being
able to stay at home with her children. For your own health, try not to let
society’ s expectations get in the way of knowing what’ s right for you. When
you meditate, focus on your sec ond chakra and especially your female sex
or gans, and ask yourself if you’re fully embracing who you are. If you’re
not, wha t’ s holding you back? Stay true to yourself, and you’ll f ind you can
more easily become your own best friend. Living Life in the Svadhisthana Chakra
A person living in the second chakra is like a child exploring the world for
the first  time without restraint. Imagine the person is a butterfly flitting
from flower to flower , tastin g, experiencing, and then flying of f toexperience some more. The words that describe this person are imagination ,
emotion , and indulgence . When it comes to dealing with emotional second chakra people, you’d
better watch out. While first chakra people tend to get angry and violent
when they’re upset, second ch akra people throw temper tantrums to get
what they want. They sulk, cry , and use emotional blackmail to get their
way . Y ou may feel you’re on an emotional roller coaster in their presence. Balanced second  chakra people are carefree and imaginative. They like
to play out the dramatic role of heroine or dream of being fam ous actors. They may not have the wherewithal to buckle down and set goals to achieve
their dreams, but they talk a g ood game on how they will be rich and
famous. They love art, poetry , and romance. Like kids in a candy shop, second chakra people tend to over indulge. They overeat, usually eating to o many sweets, and indulge in alcohol or
drugs. The overindulgence may very well come in other forms such as
shopping, gamb ling, or hoarding. Addictions are typically a problem for
people living completely in second chakra ener gy . Recognizing Second Chakra Imbalances
When yo ur seco nd chakra is out of balance, it can cause you to be reactive,
to g et bogged d own in deep, dark emotions, and to for get your higher
purpose. Y ou can get caught up in emotional battles with yourself or others,
which keeps you operating from a low level. Y ou lim it yourself and your Sv adhisthana power when you engage in
negative self-ta lk because your emotions tell you, for example, “Y ou
screwed up again. Y ou just gaine d ten pounds”; or when you down an entire
bottle of  wine because you feel your husband will never understand you; or
when you get back at a lover by having sex with someone else. Also, ha ving shameful feelings about your own sexuality will create
blockages and hinder your creativity . Blocking the flow of ener gy c an be as
harmful as overindulging in the ener gy without boundaries. Accepting Second Chakra GiftsThe gifts you re ceive from your sacral chakra are perhaps some of the most
powerful and transformative gifts of all. Sex T ransmutation
According to Napoleon Hill, au thor of the world-famous book Think and
Gr ow Rich , sexual ener gy is the most potent ener gy we possess as humans. He explains that it’ s the most powerful, motivating, and moving ener gy if
we transmute it wisely — in other words, channel it into other creative
pursuits and bring new ideas in to being to make the world a better place. And, he continues, if we combine sexual ener gy with the ener gy of love
(fourth c hakra), we can attain anything we put our minds to. He calls this
power sex transmutation. Y ou can channel your sexual ener gy into any creative activity , whether
it’ s baki ng a delicious dessert, m aking a costume, choreographing a dance,
or in venting a n ew electronic device. Entrepreneurs, writers, and scientists
are e xamples of those who know how to successfully use sexual ener gy by
converting it into creative power . Sexual Intimacy
Using se xual ener gy for sexual intimacy and pleasure is discu ssed in the
Y oga Sutras of Patanjali. The first yoga sutra presents the yamas, moral
precepts for those who wish to live a yogic and disciplined lifestyle. The
fourth yama is bramacharya . Br amacharya can be interpre ted as sexual
restraint. The original concept was to refrain from sexual activity to
preserve the sexual fluids, known as shukra  in Sanskrit, to gain greater
illumination. In a way , it m irrors the philosophical thought of sex
transmutation. Bramacharya was intended to mean that sexual d esire is not
to be used for selfish and self-serving means. A person who has several
sexual p artners or goes from on e partner to another isn’ t exercising sexual
restraint. The practice of brama charya means using your sexual ener gy for
sexual pleasure in a committed and intimate partnership, where your
concern is to give to your beloved.Healing Svadhisthana
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I have the right to feel what I feel. I allow myself to follow my dreams. I deserve pleasure and
goodness in my life. I go with the flow . Healing the Physical Body
Since so much of the second ch akra involves the emotional body , healing
your emotions is an integral pa rt of healing Svadhisthana. As we explore
second chakra physical healing, I’d like you to think about such things as
accepting your gender , your sex or gans, the beauty of your physical body ,
and your sense of taste. While gender and sex aren’ t the same thing, the
polarity of second chakra ener gy , which includes opposites, indicates
gender identity . For example, s ome women are ashamed of b eing female
and ther efore hide their bodies behind unflattering clothes or they hunch
their shoulders as they walk or stand. Some men, who may have been
beaten down by o verbearing mothers, are afraid to show their strength and
masculinity . E NHANCING  Y OUR  S ENSE OF  T ASTE
Y our sense of taste is linked to the water element, the A yurvedic Kapha
dosha, a nd the second chakra. Our sense of taste can become polluted by
eating the wrong foods, such as  deep-fried, processed, and artificial foods,
and by drinking alcohol. T asting  your food is part of the sensua l experience
of being alive. Y ou can enliven and enhance your sense of taste by swishing
with or ganic food-grade raw sesame oil. In th e fir st chakr a healing section, I suggested eating in silence. Y ou can
take this  one step further by tr uly tasting what you’re eating and paying
close attention to the flavors you enjoy . A good way to wean yourself of f
junk food is to sit in silence and feel the sensory experie nce of the
unhealthy food. Y ears ago, I use d to eat fast food from time to time. When I
noticed the coating of grease stuck to my tongue and teeth or the sugarcoating left in my mouth after drinking sugary beverages, I immediately
noted that I hated the taste. Then it was easy to let go of those things. E MBODYING  W A TER
Second chakra healing practices that involve water or water -like
movements can be soothing. Some people are drawn to bodies of water for
activities like swimming, surfin g, or sailing. Others prefer dancing, tai chi,
or qigong. Y oga, especially a slow flow , is great for continual second chakra
healing. Y ou will know intuitively which water -like movement practices
resonate with you. Choose movements that open your hips, stimulate your
internal or gans, and strengthen your lower back. F OCUSING ON  P ROPER  B REA THING
Most people don’ t know how to mindfully breathe. W omen a re taught to
suck in their tummies or wear pants that are too tight. Men m ight tighten
their bel ts to try to look thinner . As a result, many wind up ches t-breathing,
which creates shallow and pani cky breath. As you breathe nat urally , your
belly should inflate and defla te. This is known as belly-b reathing or
diaphragmatic b reathing, and it involves inhaling from the low er abdomen
around t he area of the second ch akra. Y ou will feel your lower belly puf fing
out as you inh ale properly . T o get a full healing breath, r efrain from
tightening your stomach muscle s. Let it all go. V isualize the air circulating
freely , in a swir ling wheel, throughout your abdomen. As you exhale, you
will feel  your tummy moving i nward, toward your spine. When you shift
your breathing in this way , into the area between your pubic bone and belly
button, immediately you will feel calmer and more relaxed. H ONORING  Y OUR  M ENSTRUAL  C YCLE
While th is secti on is dedicated to women, men reading this book can use
this kno wledge to help and support the women in their lives. W e live in a
society t hat is constantly on the go. In the modern world, it’ s not acceptableto take sick days, slow down, or show lack of dr ive toward
accomplishment. This philosophy goes against the grain of creativity . Creative though t and creative e ndeavors are best sought out in silence and
stillness. Creative ener gy needs space to move through its channels. When
you fill your sch edule with too m uch to do and move full speed ahead, there
is no room for space or pause. W omen have been blessed with a natural
cycle to slow them down at least once a month: their menstrual cycles. Their natural b odily rhythms call for t his space in grounding and quietness. A w oman’ s body asks for rest, relaxation, and introspection during the time
of menses. If she honors those needs, she will be reinvigorate d as a new
cycle be gins. As a result the second chakra will stay open and a ligned. Not
only will she exp erience increased fertility and flow in her life, she will also
benefit f rom increased creativity  in the way of abundance and manifestation
of desires. F OODS T O  E NHANCE  R EPRODUCTIVE  T ISSUE
A yurvedic reme dies to help with fertility and to heal reprodu ctive tissue
( shukra dhatu ) inc lude adding asparagus, broccoli, or ganic milk, or ganic
fresh da tes, or ganic fresh ripe m angoes, and or ganic rice pudding to your
diet. T o reduce toxins before trying to conceive, detox the first and second
chakras by taking gentle herbs  such as senna or the A yurvedic formula
triphala . Spi ces such as cumin, black cumin, and turmeric are also good  for
reproductive tissue. These foods and spices will help heal r eproductive
tissue in both men and women. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S ECOND  C HAKRA
Y in yog a is a g reat style of yoga to help balance the second chakra. The
idea behind yin yoga is to keep  the body cool by doing slow movements
and hold ing the  poses for three to five minutes each. During a yin class,
you’re assisted with yoga prop s such as blocks, blankets, b olsters, and
straps. A set of yin yoga poses assists in opening your hips a nd workingyour con nective tissue. The poses below are yin poses, except the last one,
dhanurasana. I’v e included dhanurasana, a yang pose, because it helps bring
vibrant ener gy to the second chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www .youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor . Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas . Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for . Left-Nostril Br eathing — Ida Nadi Pranayama :  Sit tall and place your
left hand on your lap. Place the index and middle finger of your right hand
on your right no stril to close it. Slowly inhale and exhale through your left
nostril only . Do this breathing technique for a minute or two. Cow an d Cat Poses:  O n all f ours, spread out your fi ngers on the floor and
flex your toes. As you inhale, lift your tailbone up toward the sky , raise
your he ad and look up, and lo wer your belly toward the floor . As you
exhale, draw your belly button in toward your spine and your chin down
toward y our che st, lower your t ailbone, and raise your spine in to a curve,
like an angry Halloween cat. Do eight sets of cow and cat. Pigeon Pose — Eka Pada Rajakapotasana :  From your all-fours position,
slide your right knee forward, and set it down in front of your left knee. Bring your right heel forward, away from your pelvis as much as possible. Extend y our left leg all the way behind you, and set your left  foot on the
floor as you brin g your hips clo se to the floor . Come down to your elbows
and rest your forehead down. If your hips are tight, you can place a bolster
or pillow underneath your right hip. Hold for three minutes, then switch to
the other side. Cobra Pose — Bhujangasana :  Lie flat on your belly . Slide your feet
together so your big toes touch. Place your forehead to the floor . W ith your
palms on the floor , bring your fingers slightly behind your shoulders with
your elb ows bent. Squeeze your bottom, and press your pubic bone towardyour ma t. Bring  your shoulders back and away from your ears. Press down
on your hands, a nd hug your elb ows against your torso to lift your head and
upper chest of f the floor . Be mindful of your feet and make su re they stay
on the floor . If you’re doing this properly , you should feel this pose in your
lower back (area of the second chakra) and triceps. T o make the pose a yin
pose, as  you lift your head and  chest, set your elbows down  underneath
your ribs and place your hand s and forearms down on the mat, like a
sphinx. Relax your shoulders down, and breathe as you stimulate your
lower belly and lower back. Hold for two minutes. Happy Baby Pose — Y oga Nidrasana :  Have you ever seen a baby hold his
feet and giggle h appily on his ba ck? That’ s the idea of the happy baby pose. On your back, lift your legs up and bend your knees, drawing your knees
and feet wide a part. Hold the outer edges of your flexed feet with your
hands. It will look like an upside-down squatting posture. If you can’ t clasp
your feet, hold on to your ank les or calves. T o stimulate yo ur kidneys,
inhale d eeply an d hold your bre ath. Still holding your breath, rock side to
side six to eight  times, then exh ale as you come back to the center . Repeat
the series two to three times. Reclining Bound-Angle Pose / Reclining Butterfly Pose — Supta
Baddha Konasana :  Lie on your back. Bring the soles of your feet together
as your knees open wide, into a butterfly shape. Allow your h ips to relax
completely . If the stretch is too intense, you can place y oga blocks
underneath your knees. Place your hands on your belly , and focus on your
breath. Hold the pose for three to five minutes. Bow Pose — Dhanurasana :  Start on your belly with your arms at your
sides. Bring your feet up into the air , and reach up to catch them with your
hands. Y ou can take hold of yo ur feet or your ankles. Lift your head and
chest, an d breath e deep into you r lower belly . A deep rhythmic  breath will
create a rocking motion and will stimulate your internal or gans. This is also
a gr eat pose to do for menstrual cramps. Hold the pose for one to two
minutes and repeat two to three times. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
From repressed sexuality to low self-esteem to overindulgence, issues
surrounding the emotional body  of the second chakra are many . Healing
this area will help you overcome many emotional scars and advance in your
emotional and spiritual journey . B UILDING  S ELF -E STEEM
Good se lf-esteem can be a resul t of nature and nurture. Sometimes children
who gro w up in the same fami ly have varied levels of self-es teem. Other
times, lo w self-esteem seems to result from abandonment or emotional or
physical abuse in childhood. No matter the cause, it can be challenging to
build self-esteem back up to normal levels. The practice of yoga, including a focus on chakra healing, can help raise
self-esteem. People with low self-esteem are constantly seeking approval
from oth ers. Th is is known as object r eferral . Object referral says, “I’m
valuable because of what I do,  who loves me, or what I have .” Right or
wrong, i t’ s what  happens. But in  reality , it’ s impossible to please  or impress
everyone — one hundred peopl e will have one hundred dif fere nt opinions
of you — and to  even try to do so is exhausting. Self-referral, on the other
hand, sa ys, “I’m  valuable because I’m an integral part of this great big
universe. I’m needed and wanted b ecause I’m here. God, M other Nature, or
my Higher Power is in me, an d I hold the same creative essence that is
contained in them.” When you  assimilate yoga practices and philosophy ,
you beg in to shift your focus fro m object referral to self-referral. When this
shift hap pens, you have an aha moment—you finally realize tha t everything
you hav e been striving for in th e way of approval (and, of course, falling
short) is an unattainable goal. Y ou’re already perfect as you are. Become your best friend. Before you say something to yourself or think
something about yourself, ask if you would say it to your best friend. N UR TURING  Y OURSELFT ake care of your body as a goo d mother would take care of her child. She
makes sure the c hild is eating th ree to five times per day and getting plenty
of nutrie nts. She ensures the chi ld gets enough rest. She takes her child out
for w alks daily . She caresses and strokes her child’ s skin and r eassures her
child when she’ s frightened. She makes sure her child has time for play ,
work, an d friend s. A good moth er takes her child for wellness checkups and
gives her vitamins to grow . T ake care of yourself in all the same ways. Nurturing is a se cond chakra trait. Y ou will enhance your second chakra
ener gy when you nurture yourself. H EALING FROM  A DDICTIONS
People who suf fer from addiction, in any form, have a sec ond chakra
imbalance. Addicts seek pleasu re through the object of addiction at all
costs. T hey will  charm and dec eive others to get that object. Like second
chakra ener gy , there is a sense of reaching out toward others, but the goal
isn’ t for connection and love in the higher sense of the chakra but rather to
attain a tempora ry fix for a transcendent moment in bliss. Howe ver , all false
attempts to reach transcendence and enlightenment by destructive means
create ka rmic de bt and leave the user in a deeper hole of indebtedness each
time. I’m very  much attached to the subject of addiction because I have a
loved one who suf fers from alcoholism. I became so entrenched in the study
of a lcoholism that I wrote a bo ok about it titled Help! I Think My Loved
One Is an Alcoh olic: A Survival Guide for Lovers, Family , and F riends. I’m
a firm believer in 12-step programs for any addiction. Some addictions may
be heale d throug h practices such as meditation and yoga, but as one of my
friends i n recove ry told me, the -ism is still there. Addiction doesn’ t happen
overnight, and it’ s not undone overnight. If you or someone you love suf fers
from addiction, I highly recommend getting professional help in addition to
using chakra-based healing or other holistic and spiritual practices. E MOTIONAL  H EALINGMind-body conn ection in health is undeniable. Study after study , including
one pub lished i n the Janu ary 11, 2017, issue of  The Lancet , shows that
emotional health can have as m uch of an impact on your heart health as
tobacco use or o besity . Doing emotional health exercises is just as useful as
physical exercis e. Those who ar en’ t hardwired with an optimistic emotional
outlook may need to practice increasing emotional health daily to
strengthen those muscles. Here are a few things you can try daily:
• Say , cha nt, or write positive af firmations, and refrain from ne gative
self-talk. • W rite your thoughts down in a journal. • Have in-person experiences wit h good friends and not simply online
relationships. • V olunteer your time once a week or once a month. • Keep a gratitud e journal: on a regular basis, write down the things
you’re grateful for . Healing the Spiritual Body
Aligning with and accepting your power of creation can hel p heal your
second chakra spiritual ener gy . Y our power to create was freely given to
you by your Cre ator and therefore is good. In healing the second chakra, we
work to overcome limiting beliefs about our sexuality and creativity . S EXUALITY
Religious interpretation of sexu al intimacy has given this natural, human,
and God-given act a dirty name. The many words we hear in religious
circles around sex include shameful , dirty , sinful , and lustful . I believ e this
creates a shadow ener gy around sexuality and vilifies it. As a result, people
sneak around behind closed doo rs and talk about sexual intimac y in hushed
tones. This aura of oppression can cause people to act toward extremes and
wreak havoc on relationships.I personally don’ t believe that the Creator of the universe, who gave us
consciousness and conscious awareness of love and intimacy , intended for it
to b e this way . T o heal your s exual ener gy , you may need to  shift your
thinking and behavior toward a healthier pathway . The W estern interpretation of  T antra or T antric sex, in its purest
meaning, gives a clearer picture of a more spiritual experience with sex. W e
are d if ferent from other animals  in that we have the capacity to con trol and
modify o ur emotions, breath, bodily functions, and connection to each other
and to spirit. W e have the choice to act dif ferently than with the instinctual
and hardwired reactions programmed in our brains by our predecessors. From m y understanding in connection with yoga, which means “to
yoke,” “ to unite,” or “to join together ,” the act of sexual intim acy can be
spiritual in nature, as a way to honor the body , mind, soul, and s pirit of your
partner and vice versa. In accordance with bramacharya , this union is best
explored in a committed, exclusive, and long-term relationship. Instead of
pure me chanical performance, s o to speak, spiritual sexual intim acy brings
more awareness to the physical connection. It involves taking the time to
get to know your partner on every level and arriving at the level of
vulnerability nee ded to create union in a yogic sense of the word . The act of
lovemaking can be a truly transcendent experience. In this understa nding of transcendent sexuality , you wouldn’ t want to
take lovemaking lightly , but instead come at it from a vantage point not of
shame b ut of purity — a sense of purity that comes from within you, as a
true rec ognition of the gift your sexuality brings, rather th an an idea
imposed on you from someone or something external. When you assimilate
this understanding into your being, you won’ t want to squander your sexual
ener gy on a subpar or purely physical experience. Some of the things you might want to explore within yourself as you
look toward healing the sexual power of your second chakra are the
following:
1. What is my view of my own sexuality? 2. What was I taught about sexuality growing up? 3. Have I ever given away my bod y to another because of demand s put
upon me?4. Have I ever ha d a sexually intimate experience in which I  felt
connected to my partner in body , mind, soul, and spirit? 5. Have I ever used sex to get what I want? 6. Has my view of sexual intimacy changed over the years? 7. H ave I
had physical symptoms in my second chakra as a result of my
beliefs about my sexuality? (Examples are lower back pain, uterine
problems, erectile dysfunction, and ovarian cysts.) 8. How will I change my view of my own sexuality to help hea l my
second chakra? C REA TIVITY
As I was growin g up, I thought the creative gene had been given  only to my
sister , who was naturally artistic . I looked at my scribbles and stick-figure
drawings and felt destined to a life of desk work and intellectual pursuits. Y et as I grew up I learned I did have some creativity in my gene s. After
all, writi ng is creative. But I als o love to bake, cook, and dance. Creating is
all about taking raw materials that you know , such as words or food
ingredients, and putting them together to create something new . So even if
you’re an accountant and have discovered a more ef ficient w ay to enter
numbers, you’re a creator . That bei ng said,  awakening the creative ener gy of the second chakra is
about op ening y ourself to the c reative mind of the universe to  assist you
along the way . Napoleon Hill in Think a nd Gr ow  Rich  says, “The great
artists, w riters, m usicians, and poets become great  because they acquire the
habit of relying upon the ‘stil l small voice’ which speaks f rom within,
through the faculty of cr eative imagination.” He explains that this crea tive
imagination, als o known as “ hunches,” is only obtained through four
sources: infinite  intelligence, one’ s subconscious mind, the mind of another
person, or another person’ s subconscious mind. He explains that genius is
only released through this meth od and that most people don’ t  access this
incredible force during the entire  span of their lifetime. I’m reminded of the
great W alt Disney , who, despit e major failures and setbacks, worked the
second chakra in a positive way to create magic for families across the
globe.T aking a break f rom daily monotony to do something creative ca n allow
your imagination to run wild. Daydreaming, imagining, and mind
wandering are wonderful ways to create anything you desire. As speaker
and auth or T ony Robbins says, “Everything in your external world  started
in your internal world.”
T oday , t ake thirty minutes out of your day to do something creative. T urn of f all elec tronic devices, and give your imagination free re in. Become
immersed in the creative flow . SV ADHISTHANA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
W earing clothing that allows you to breathe fully into your lower
belly , sit comfortably with you r eyes closed. T ake a couple of deep
inhalations and deep exhalatio ns, imagining the breath circulating
throughout the area of the second chakra. V isualize a deep orange color m oving in a spinning motion, like a
disk, cleansing the area above the pubic bone and below the navel. Imagine this spinning disk catching debris,  toxins, and any other
negative impressions left in the Svadhisthana chakra. Imagine the
disk, like a mag net, attracting all negative and clogged ener gy from
your bladder , sex or gans, lower  back, and pelvis. Once the spinning
orange d isk has collected all debris from the second chakra, it now
pulverizes that negativity and turns it into dust. That dust will be
eliminated throu gh your excretory system. Now your second cha kra is
free from all blockages and negativity . Next, im agine b eautiful, cleansin g water such as clear ocean water
moving through the second chakra, polishing it and making it like
new . Imagine the swishing soun d as the salt water flows throughout,
bringing harmony back to your creativity chakra. Y ou are now ready to move into  a higher aspect of second chakra
ener gy . Y ou are freed from addictions, lust, cravings, low self-e steem,
sexual d ysfunction, and infertil ity . Y ou are now ready and open to
create whatever it is that you d esire. Y ou are free to create a baby , a
new job , a new home, a new re lationship, a new company , or a new
work of art. W hatever you can imagine, you can achieve. Y ourcreative ener gy is at one with the creative mind of the universe. In
your he aling, you draw from this ener gy , the ener gy of S ource. Creativity flows through you and outward. Y ou are infinite
possibilities. Notice how connected you feel to the water element. Notice ho w
awake a nd alive your creativity chakra feels. Y ou can enhance the
vibrations by chanting the mantra sound V AM  three times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
Y ou can remind yourself to focus on second chakra healing by wearing the
color orange or surrounding yourself with orange objects throughout the
day . The gemstones for this chakra are amber , orange calcite, citrine, and
orange aventurine. Second Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. Af firmation: I am strong and healthy . I am valuable and perfect the
way I am. I am a creative force like the One who created me. 2. I wi ll spend part of my day near a water source — a flo wing
fountain, a pond, a river , a stream, or the ocean — or I will imm erse
myself in water sounds such as falling rain or ocean waves. As I
listen to and experience the power of water , I will imagine the
fluidity of my own body . Even though it’ s seemingly solid, it’ s ever
flowing and transforming. 3. I will embrace the power of lunar ener gy and its cycles of waxing
and wan ing. I know that I too have cycles within my body , a nd I
respect t hose cyc les. I will respe ct my need for rest and relaxation as
well as activity . I will align mys elf with the earth’ s cycles of day and
night and the ch anging of the se asons, and in so doing I will move
with the creative flow of the universe. 4. I wi ll re spect m y need to play , dance, sing, paint, bake, and ex press
myself and my body in creative ways. I know that giving in to this
carefree side of who I am will create balance in my life.T3  T H E  S O L A R  P L E X U S  C H A K R A
M a n i p u r a
ELEMENT :  Fire (T ejas)
COLOR:  Y ellow
MANTRA SOUND:  RAM
he t hird chakra is called Mani pura, and the translation is “lu strous
gem” or “the dwelling place of the self.” The Manipura chakra is
strong a nd impo rtant as it repre sents the emer gence of personality into the
outer wo rld. It’ s  the seat of the ego. The element and planet of the third
chakra go hand in hand, as the element is fire and the planet is the sun. The
physical location of the Manipura chakra is the solar plexus, the area just
above the navel. Imagine Manipura as a bright yellow sun shining outward
and sho wing itself to the worl d. The pancreas, adrenal glands, digestive
system, and diaphragm and pso as muscles are all a part of the solar plexus
chakra. The sense for Manipura is sight, and the sense or gan is the eye. The third chakra is the last o f the chakras of physical mat ter . The
lessons we learn from the first three chakras help us move into higher
planes where opportunities for spiritual awakening exist. Many stay stuck in
the lessons of th e first three cha kras, repeating them time and again but not
necessarily learn ing how to reap  the benefits of these ener gies from a higher
perspective. Certainly it’ s easy to slip up from time to time, but if you learn
how to transcend  the limitations of the chakras of matter , you wi ll be able to
change and evolve so that the next time a problem arises yo u handle itdif ferently . And  that is truly what the third chakra rep resents —
transformation. Manipura is our center of person al power . When this chakra is properly
open an d aligne d, we feel a sense of power in our actions. W e feel we can
ef fectively mani fest our needs and desires, and make a dif ference in our
lives. When balanced, Manipura ’ s power brings about change and forward
movement to achieve goals. Imbalanced, it generates self-serving or
inef fective actions. The A yu rvedic d osha for the th ird chakra is Pitta (fire and water), and
the guna is rajas. The colo r we attribute to the solar plexus chakra is yellow like the sun. The mantra, or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the third chakra is RAM . Third Chakra Ailments
Diseases of the third chakra may include diabetes or other diseases of the
pancreas, ulcers , hypoglycemia , digestive disturbances such as irritable
bowel syndrome , digestive tract dysfunctions, and diseases of the liver and
kidneys. Mental  ailments include a severe chemical form of dep ression with
suicidal tendencies. Third Chakra Energy
The des ires for prominence, importance, and success are all p art of third
chakra ener gy . A strong Manipura chakra will have you shine brightly to
the wor ld. Whil e the second c hakra has yin, or female ener g y , the third
chakra has yang, or masculine e ner gy . Linked to the A yurvedic mind-body
type Pitt a, which is composed of  fire and water , third chakra ener gy is about
the sun’ s heat, brilliance, and vibrancy . The sun is bright, shiny , beautiful, and warm. It’ s also penetrating,
constant, and nourishing. The e ner gy of the sun makes people driven, goal
oriented, passionate, and brillian t. People embodying the sun’ s ener gy will
strive hard and never quit. However , the sun can also be hot, overbearing,
too bright, scorching, and unre lenting, and people who are too driven by
solar en er gy can display these qualities. They might be quick to anger ,
hotheaded, overimposing, or critical.As with  all ener gies, you can u se third chakra ener gy for pos itive or
negative ends, depending on your perspective. Let’ s suppose  you must
finish a  work project. Y ou ne ed Manipura’ s inner drive and boundless
ener gy to complete the project. However , if you use it to boss people
around, criticize, and point out that your way is better , you may be using it
in the negative. Inner Power
T o a chieve any task, you need  drive, focus, and discipline. Y our drive
comes f rom desire and will. Focus allows you to move ahead in your task
without distracti ons. Discipline is the willpower to put together drive and
focus to reach your goal. Personal power reflects healthy development of the third chakr a. T ake,
for exam ple, a child whose sens e of self emer ges and who begins to express
himself as separate from his parents. Loving parents will view his sense of
individuality and independence as normal development. They will lovingly
guide him while letting him have his own personal preferences and desires,
which may or m ay not match theirs. This child will grow up to have a
positive sense of self and will n ot be afraid to take risks and assert himself. He will be able to ef fectively s tand out from the crowd and trust his own
judgment versus  blindly following out of fear . On the other ha nd, parents
who aren’ t psychologically h ealthy will look at a child’ s sense of
independence as a threat and may squelch his need to dif ferentiate himself. These parents will create unhealthy ties through guilt trips, shame, and
codependent be haviors. They will refuse to cut the umbilical cord, so to
speak. A child who grows up in this kind of environment will have
dif ficulty assert ing his will and knowing what he wants to do in life to
celebrate his unique talents. He may be afraid to stand out from the crowd. As an adult, this child may feel disempowered or choose friends and lovers
who contribute to this sense of disempowerment by dominating over him. In a dulthood, he will need to  work through those third ch akra issues,
formed in early childhood, to take ownership of his inner power . W illpowerFrom inner power arises willpower . Carnal and material desires, formulated
in the second chakra, are held in check by the third. W illpower says, “I will
not h ave that sec ond piece of ca ke” or “I need to stay faithful to  my spouse
despite the fact that this attractive person is coming on to me.” W illpower
helps create the focus needed to manifest desires with one-pointed attention. For me it says, “ I will spend two hours daily writing this book regardless of
all t he distractions in my life.” Y our inner fire comes forth t o for ge the
pathway toward your destiny . Strong willpower helps you delay
gratification. This shows a personal evolution from second chakra ener gy
and its tendency toward impulsiveness and immediate gratification. People
who har ness the willpower ener gy of the third chakra can accomplish great
things personall y and to help others. Inner power and willpowe r combined
give us our sense of positive self -worth. They tell us what we want and how
to get it. Radiant Y ou
Y ou can use thir d chakra ener gy to stand out from the crowd like a beacon. When you’re using it in the pos itive, you rise above as a shining example
for your  friends, family , and pe ers. Often through achievements in school,
work, or  athletic  competition, those working the positive Manipura ener gy
will be inspirations for those looking to attain the same goals. However , if
your dri ve is to seek approval for the sake of being put up on a pedestal,
you will  constan tly fall short an d seek more until you fall completely , often
from a state of exhaustion. Even in great accomplishments there must be a
higher purpose to balance out the temporary high of rising to the top. W e have all hear d stories of film  or sports celebrities who rise to the top
and have everything, only to fall from grace, lose all their money , or
become entrapp ed in the clutches of addiction. This also happens in
everyday life to ordinary people who succeed in getting the top salary ,
opulent house, luxury car , or ideal family , only to realize that they’re
fundamentally u nhappy . W ithou t a higher sense of purpose, we all see our
bright lights go out. At this point, the link to the higher chakr as becomes
indispensable.Our Societal Relationship with the Third Chakra
If w e we re to place the United S tates, as a country , into a chakra ener gy , the
third one would be it. W e are a country of overachievers, c onstantly on the
go. W e demand  that stores be open 24/7, and we want everything bigger ,
better , faster , and stronger . W e  also tend to be a society of individuals
climbing some invisible ladd er . Sometimes, particularly in  corporate
America, we strive to outshine one another and even “scorch” the
competition. As you look at the history of the United States, it m akes sense
that we embody  third chakra ener gy .
_OceanofPDF.com_Chakra_Healing_for_Vibrant_Energy_-_Michelle_S_Fondin.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Y ou can  use a y oga block to sit  on in this pose if your hips are tight or the
squat is hard o n your knees. Practicing Kegels or mula b andha (see
description above) is ideal in th is pose. If you can, hold this pose for up to
one minute. Pelvic T ilts:  Lie  flat  on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat
on t he floor, hip-width apart an d parallel, with your toes pointi ng forward. W alk your heels close to your bottom. Place your arms alongside you with
your pal ms faci ng down. The position looks like a preparation for bridge
pose ( setu bandhasana ), a  yoga asana you may be familiar with (describedon page 130 ). Begin  the tilt by squeezing your buttocks and lifting your
tailbone and first three vertebrae, one vertebra at a time. Then sq ueeze, hold
for five seconds, lower, and rele ase. Repeat this exercise twenty-five times. Pelvic t ilts brin g heat and ene r gy to the first chakra, stimula ting all the
nerves. Standing Mountain Pose — T adasana :  S tand tall with your feet paral lel
and toes  pointed  forward. A gre at way to do this grounding pose is to use a
yoga block and place it between your upper thighs. Spread out your toes,
and firm ly plant your feet on the floor. Draw the ener gy up through your
legs. Squeeze your buttocks while slightly opening your thighs outward. Stack yo ur verte brae, each one on top of the one below, and lift the crown
of your head with your head in a neutral position. Roll your sho ulders back
and down, and allow your arms  to hang like plumb lines. Close your eyes
and feel the dynamic of your feet firmly rooted to the earth an d the crown
of your head flo ating upward toward the sky. Notice how good it feels to be
balanced, grounded, and immovable. B ALANCING THE  F IRST  C HAKRA THROUGH  F OOD
It’ s impo rtant on  your healing journey to eat only whole foods that are fresh
and com e directly from the eart h. Reduce your consumption of processed,
packaged, canned, or frozen food. When y ou’re fe eling unground ed, eat heavier foods such as proteins,
hearty soups, bread, oils, and sw eet fruit. Y ou can also focus on eating root
vegetables and potatoes. If you’ re feeling too heavy and sluggish, try eating
what A yurveda calls a Kapha-p acifying diet: focus on bitter, p ungent, and
astringent tastes; e at more beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, and whol e
grains such as quinoa; reduce meat consumption. W EIGHT  L IFTING T O  B ALANCE  M ULADHARA
Those w ho live mainly focused on the first chakra instinctual ly build up
their muscles through weight tra ining. In fact, lifting weights is an excellent
way to physical ly balance the first chakra. Y ou must be grounded to liftweights; otherw ise you would topple over under the weight. Th e heaviness
(even with lighter weights) will make you stronger and more rooted to the
earth. W eight training is a grea t way to play around with gravity, the first
chakra ener gy. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
When it comes to mental and emotional healing in the first chakra, you
need to think about three basic thought concepts: worry, trust, and security. W ORR Y
W e all suf fer from worry at on e time or another. It’ s not always easy to
delve into the past and think about our development of trust and security,
but i t might be worth doing this if you struggle with issues of tru st or worry. Concern is valid at times, such as when you have dif ficulty paying bills on
time or your ma rriage is on shak y ground. Y et worry isn’ t warr anted if you
can do nothing to change the situation. In many dif ferent religions and spiritual practices we’re warned not to
worry. In the Bible, Jesus says in Matthew 6:27, “Can all your worries  add a
single moment to your life. ” In all 12-step programs, the meetings conclude
with the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the ser enity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the differ ence. W orry i s a blockage in and of itself. It blocks the flow of en er gy to
creative solution s. W orry causes us to act out of fear instead of love. When
we act out of fear — or rather react, in most cases — we usually create new
problems and obstacles. Maybe you developed worry from your upbringing — maybe your
parents constant ly worried. Or perhaps you developed worry from uncertain
circumstances i n your past, such as parents divorcing, poverty, or adysfunctional family home. Whatever the case, you have the power to
change i t now. Y ou can start by saying the Serenity Prayer to yourself daily
and truly thinking about the things you can change versus the things you
can’ t. T RUST
If you didn’ t gro w up with a healthy sense of trust, you may fin d it dif ficult
to tr ust others a nd your environment. There is no magic bullet to building
trust bac k to a n ormal level. But if you’re open to learning, y ou can take
baby ste ps towa rd its attainment. As you think about the concept of trust,
think about things in the environment that are certain. For example, you can
trust that the sun will rise each morning and set each night. Y ou can trust
that you  have twenty-four hours in the day. Y ou can trust that there are four
seasons and certain celebrations or milestones on the calendar. Y ou can trust
that your body will need be tween s ix and nine hou rs of sleep per night,
depending on your personal nee ds. Y ou can trust that you will need to eat
about th ree times per day and that if you follow the principle s of healthy
living, your body will perform for you. Think a bout all  the things you already trust but take for granted. For
example, do you have a bank account. Do you deposit money into it. If you
do, you trust that the bank will eventually give you back the m oney when
you need  it. Do you drive a car. If so, you trust all the other drivers to stay
in their lanes and not run into you. When it comes to people and loved ones, first try noticing little things
you trust. When a boyfriend shows up on time for a date, you l earn to trust
him. Or when a new friend remembers it’ s your birthday, you b egin to trust
that she cares fo r you. Do you see how trust is a flowing dynamic. W e tend
to overlo ok the little gestures in relationships, even though trus t building is
usually an accumulation of a lot of little things. When y ou approach “feeling” concepts such as trust from the
perspective of the first chakra, you might believe that things are cut-and-
dry. Ins tead of trust being a  flowing quality, it stays concrete and
categorical. T ake for example a two-year -old child, who can change like or
dislike o f a person depending on an individual experience. If a parent takesaway a toy beca use of bad behav ior, the small child might shout out, “I hate
you, Daddy. ” In that moment, the child feels hate because of a single
experience that was displeasing  to her. First chakra people behave in a
similar way. They tend to be m ore rigid when it comes to deeper concepts
like trust. But as you move up the chakras, you will notice that things get a little
fuzzier, without  well-defined boundaries, when it comes to emotional
matters. For now, allow yoursel f to be open to taking steps to trust and see
where it takes you. S ECURITY
T ied into  trust, feelings of secur ity or lack thereof can be a prob lem in first
chakra b alancing. When you experience life through the first chakra alone,
you might think you have to do it all alone. Y ou might fal l under the
illusion that the world is a scary place and you have to fend for yourself or
else you will die. (That is, by the way, the essence of survival of the fittest. ) Until you can b egin thinking otherwise, try living in the present moment. Present-moment awareness is n ot even a spiritual practice at this point. It
simply means looking around y ou and looking at yourself. Are you living. Are you breathing. Do you have  clothes on. Did you have a meal recently. Do you have a roof over your head. Are you okay right now. If so, you are
secure. If y ou’re in a precarious situa tion, such as being homeless o r in an
abusive househo ld, go back to the Serenity Prayer. Is there something you
can change about your situation. Is there someone you can reach out to. As you move up through the chakras you will learn that security is
elusive. If you s eek security for security’ s sake, you’ll never achieve it. The
universe is constantly shifting and changing. W anting security at all costs is
essentially the same as wanting to hold on to the universe an d hoping it
won’ t ch ange. If  you think abou t it, that’ s completely absurd. D o what you
need to do. Get a job, pay your bills, do good works, give to ch arity, serve
others and the greater good, and that’ s it. Y ou can’ t control the rest. I kn ow a  man who was very successful at his job and had a great salary. All throughout his years at his job he worried constantly that h e would belaid of f and that  his great salary  would be taken away. Instead of enjoying
his j ob day to day, being grateful, happy, and joyful, he ruined his everyday
life b y w orrying he would lose it. And do you know what happe ned. He got
laid of f. Then he  found another great job with a great salary, worried all the
time, and got la id of f from tha t job too. Sometimes the act of worrying
about security will take away that security. Deep-seated em otions aren’ t easy to balance. W ithout a doubt, i t took years
to d evelop these ways of thinking and reacting, and it can ta ke years to
change t o new ways of thinking. Be patient with yourself as y ou practice
overcoming these first chakra limitations. T ake it one step at a ti me and one
day at a time. Healing the Spiritual Body
Meditation is a great way to reduce the fight-or -flight response. It teaches
you to take a step back from reaction mode. Meditation red uces stress
hormones, normalizes blood pressure, reduces heart rate, and improves
immune function. When you look at the ef fects of meditation, you see the
complete opposite of the ef fects of the fight-or -flight response. Below is  a first chakra meditation. Y ou can have someone read it to you
while yo u have your eyes closed; record yourself reading it out loud, and
then liste n with your eyes closed ; or purchase a copy of the audi o version of
this book and listen to the guided meditations whenever you need them. MULADHARA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit c omfortably and close your e yes. Make sure your sitting bon es are
firmly p ressed to  the floor. T o accomplish this, take the fleshy parts of
your bo ttom an d bring them o ut to the sides a little. Inhale d eeply
through your nose from your l ower belly. As you exhale, press the
ener gy d ownward toward your first chakra as you bring your belly
button inward to your spine. Repeat this full, deep breath five times. Now pla ce your  awareness on th e root chakra, at the base of yo ur
spine. Imagine a swirling, whir ling wheel that is deep red in color,
spinning around  like a planet spinning on its axis. Imagin e this
powerful ener gy flowing through you and circulating throughout your
perineum, your coccyx, the base of your spine, and your first three
vertebrae. As y ou breathe deeply, begin t o visualize your bottom planting
roots deep into the soil. Imagin e these roots getting enriched by the
fertile ea rth. Y ou are becoming one with the earth and its magn ificent
wealth. All the resources you need are here. They are present in the
here and now, and they are not far away from you. In ex change for you trusting the earth in all its wisdom, the earth
returns to you t he ener gy you need in the form of vibrations. Feel
these vib rations pulsating throug h your lower body. W elcome th em as
they bri ng healing ener gy to y our feet, knees, legs, sciatic n erves,
pelvis, and lower back. Now that your root chakra is awakened, you begin to feel ease and
trust that the earth will provide for you in due time. Y ou have planted
your roo ts, like planting seeds in  fertile soil, and all you need to  do is
wait for the seeds to grow into beautiful blossoms. Y our worry  melts
away with each breath. Y ou a re grounded. Y ou are safe. Y ou are
secure. All your basic needs are met. Notice h ow connected you feel to the earth. Notice how your ro ot
chakra feels awake and alive. Y ou can enhance the vibrations by
chanting the mantra sound LAM  three times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
T o remi nd your self to stay gro unded, wear the color red, eit her in your
clothing or accessories such a s a red bracelet or ribbon. Y ou can also
procure red mala beads to wear or hold during your meditation. Crystals and gems are useful in chakra healing since they c arry the
earth’ s ener gy. First chakra crystals include garnet, red jasper, black
tourmaline, and bloodstone. First Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. I accept my bod y as it is. I am grateful for my journey here on earth,
and I will imme rse myself completely in it. Even though my b ody
appears to be solid, I know it’ s a constant flow of ener gy and
information. As such, I know m y body can always change fo r the
better. 2. I fee l co nnected to the earth an d draw ener gy from it, knowing  that
Mother Earth provides for me in all her lavish abundance that
surrounds me at all times. 3. T oday I will connect with nature. I will enhance my sense of smell
by takin g in the fragrances of flowers, plants, trees, or fresh-cut
grass. I will wat ch animals play, or I will sit down and play with  my
pets. I will sit on the earth and meditate. T2  T H E  S A C R A L  C H A K R A
S v a d h i s t h a n a
ELEMENT :  W ater (Jala)
COLOR:  Orange
MANTRA SOUND:  V AM
he word Svadhisthana  means “sweetness,” which is a great way to
describe this chakra of attraction. Svadhisthana is the chakra of
creativity and sexuality. It is als o referred to as the “sacral chakra. ” It’ s the
second chakra of matter and the point of awakening from the self in
survival to the self reaching out toward others. The second chakra is the
focal point of pleasure, desir e, sexuality, and procreation. While the
anatomical region certainly indi cates that this chakra is lar gely focused on
sexual matters, matters of creati vity are of equal importance. A person who
can harn ess the sexual ener gy o f the second chakra can accomplish great
things. The elem ent of the Svadhisthana chakra is water, or jala  in Sanskrit. W ater is cohesive in nature. It binds, brings together, creates love and
devotion, and connects us to one another. Think of the sexual fluids that
bind together a woman and m an in sexual harmony; these f luids come
together to create life. Wh ile the first chakra is bound by the earth element,
the second chakra has the flowing nature of water. The anatomical region of the second chakra is the sacral plexus, from
the top of the pubic bone up to the navel. It includes the lower abdomen, thegenitals, and the womb. The second chakra is also responsible for the
bladder and kidneys. The sen se we associate with Sv adhisthana is taste, especially the sweet
taste. The sense or gan is the tongue. The A yurvedic dosha correspo nding to the second chakra is Kapha,
which is  compo sed of water an d earth. Svadhisthana is ruled by the guna
tamas. The color we att ribute to the sacral chakra is orange. The mantra, or bija
(seed) sound, we vocalize for the second chakra is V AM. Second Chakra Ailments
Illnesses and disorders of the second chakra include sexual and
reproductive dysfunction such a s repeated miscarriages, abortio ns, frigidity,
erectile dysfunc tion, and premature ejaculation. Second chakra imbalance
can also cause uterine, bladder, and kidney problems as well as lower -back
stif fness and addictions. Emotional af flictions include eating disorders, low
self-esteem, envy, and jealousy. Second Chakra Energy
Svadhisthana en er gy comes from the dynamic of its water e lement and
lunar ener gy. W ater plays a big p art on our planet and in our bodies. Almost
three-fourths of the earth is covered in water and about two-thirds of the
human b ody is made up of wat er. The moon has a major influence on the
tides, our moods, women’ s men strual cycles, and even the birth of babies. This dyn amic dance between the water element and the moon  mirrors the
dualistic awakening that happens in the Svadhisthana chakra. The first chakra ener gy of survival and its earthly limitations evolves to
the second chakra ener gy of water and the search for connection. The
awakened sexual ener gy leads to desire for earthly pleasures. It’ s no longer
about needing and accumulating  things; it’ s about desire. Food is no longer
just a necessity for living; eating becomes a tantalizing sensual experience. The con cept of polarity plays o ut in the chakras as it does in life. The
first chakra carries yang, or mas culine ener gy, and the second chakra carriesyin, or feminine ener gy. Then i n the third chakra the ener gy shifts back to
masculine, and so on. The cele stial body of the second  chakra is the moon. The ener gy of the
moon is  feminine, passive, and changing. W ater is the element that gives
way to life. The womb of creati on, literally and metaphorically,  is rooted in
the second chakra ener gy. Out of the se cond chakra come music, art, poetry, and dance. Imagination develops in this chakra, as does the deep desire for marriage
and family. Imagine the ebb and flow of the oceans. No longer are we bound to a
seemingly solid state where we must find our place. Now we’re moved to
taste what the e arth has to of fer. Think of baby sea turtles em er ging from
their cozy nests in the sand and making their way to the ocean to begin life. Discovering the  second chakra’ s delights is an exciting awakening. For
the first time we  experience true duality, in the romantic sense, a nd we learn
the meaning of cause and e f fect. In the stage of development that
corresponds to the second chakra, a baby learns how to playfully
manipulate others to get what he wants. When he flirts with his caregivers
by performing, laughing, giggling, or repeating some funny antic, he gets
hugs, kisses, and much love. W e start to learn the ef fect we have on other
people and how to woo them to our side. The moo n ener g y of the second chakra is a passive but attractive ener gy. It includ es deep  emotions, inner strength, nurturing, and nourishing. The
mermaid is an archetypal ener gy of the Svadhisthana chakra. In mythology,
mermaids are known for their alluring beauty and melodious voices. Depictions of mermaids show them beautifying themselves by combing
their hair and adorning themselves with jewels. They are sexually
tantalizing, sed uctive, and charming as they attract sailors with their
luscious song. However, they also have an independent and rebellious side
to them, and they only appear by the light of the moon. Our Societal Relationship with the Second Chakra
In the W est, or  more particularly in the United States, the predominant
lifestyle shows an overindulgence of second chakra pleasures. Everything
Americans do is big. W e eat lar g e amounts of food, especially in  restaurantsbecause they have to give you  enough bang for your buck. W e are the
lar gest consumers of prescription pills, painkilling medications in particular
— we consume 80 percent of th e world’ s supply of opioids. W e spend more
than $90 billion per year on alc ohol consumption. And Americans have on
average around $16,601 in credi t card debt. W e are enthralled with stars and
sex symbols, and we attempt to live out pleasures vicariously through them
by way of reality TV shows. W e are a society of overindulgence. The concept of delayed gratific ation holds little ground here. W e want
things th e way we want them, and we want them quickly. T he constant
search for pleasure and the avoidance of pain, without regard for the
consequences, is a second chakra imbalance. Like the small wooden boy in Disney’ s Pinocchio  who is led to Pleasure
Island and indulges in many fo rbidden pleasures but then barely escapes
with his  life, we too have begun to see consequences of choo sing such a
lifestyle. Chronic lifestyle  diseases such as diabetes,  obe sity, heart d isease,
hypertension, st roke, cancer, and alcohol and drug addictions af flict 133
million U S adul ts, or roughly ha lf the adult population. W e’re getting fatter,
sicker, and more addicted by the day. Pleasure in itself isn’ t a bad th ing. W e need to seek out pleasure and
avoid pain for o ur bodies to kno w that all is well. However, it’ s the excess
that is harmful. It’ s the inability to overcome the persistent ur ge to indulge
rather than direct this creative ener gy toward a higher purpose. W omen W orking the Second Chakra
W omen are readily hardwired for the strengths of second chakra ener gy. The wom b of creation is within them, and they possess the sa me creative
power as the Creator of the universe. This blessed gift gives them the ability
to n urture, to b e highly sensitive, and to have a heightened sense of
intuition. W omen are also naturally blessed with the passive inner strength
of t he second c hakra. This strength imbues women with th e power of
attraction. In mythology, many goddesses are portrayed as passively
awaiting good things while ado rning themselves with jewels or brushing
their thick, luxurious hair. The idea in this portrayal is that the goddessdoesn’ t have to do anything but  relax, and like a magnet, she attracts good
things to her. In m odern society, women are pulled to live more in yang ener g y, which
is mascu line, fo rward moving, and competitive. As they compete in the
workplace with their male counterparts, they must take on more masculine
roles. Bu t in order to remain ba lanced, all people, women as well as men,
must embrace both ener gies, yi n and yang, and problems can result when
women move too far into yang ener gy. Some women feel that they must
deny the ir femininity in certain situations at work or at home, a nd this can
create imbalance s. For example, at work a woman might feel compelled to
dress more like a man to avoid  potential sexual harassment or to fit in a
mostly male workplace. T ypically, wome n who naturally have more yin ener gy find it e asier to
swing th e pendulum back: they’re able to embrace their femininity while
performing mor e masculine activities, and they don’ t have a d if ficult time
remaining balan ced. On the other hand, women who naturally feel more
comfortable in a masculine role might not strive to temper their yang ener gy
with their inherent yin. Health problem s can result w hen women lose this balance. Some
women who overidentify with yang ener gy develop depression, lupus,
cancer, high blood pressure, and other diseases. Many others have a hard
time get ting pregnant. Fertility and procreation are natural when the second
chakra is balanced. In fact, they ’re a normal and healthy part of the process
of life. But today, because of th e demands of higher education and work,
many women wait until after age thirty-five to try to get pregnant. W aiting
this long  decrea ses a woman’ s c hance of getting pregnant in the  first place. Then, when she finally does get pregnant, she must face the fear of not
being on par wit h her male co-workers because of the physical v ulnerability
of being pregnant and having a child. So instead of embracing pregnancy as
a natura l time to enjoy being a woman and to embody goddess ener gy, she
can suppress these feelings in order to fit in. Excessive yang  ener gy also sp ills into relationships and family life. Many w omen are single mothers and must play the role of b readwinner,
disciplinarian, h omemaker, parent, and head of household. W omen who are
used to having p ower and respect in the workplace then take that same yang
ener gy and apply it to parenting and marriage. The problem is, women aren’ t p hysically built to sustain the demands of
taking on every single task of bo th a man and woman, such as working full-
time, taking care of a household, creating babies, raising children, being a
great wife, balancing the budget, lifting weights five days a  week, and
volunteering. W ow. It was exh austing just writing all of that. Y et many
women are doing all this. In the not-too-distant past, women didn’ t even
handle t he traditional household roles alone. They had support networks. Extended family members shared tasks, and the burden was spread across
many instead of piled up on one. W omen today feel ashamed that  they can’ t do it all, but they were never
meant to. They shouldn’ t consid er it a weakness to need help o r to want to
embrace their femininity. W omen should be proud of their ability to create,
to acknowledge their emotions, to be nurturing and sensitive. These are all
great qu alities. W omen shouldn ’ t be afraid to ask for help or  admit that
they’re not Hercules. (Y ou shou ldn’ t be able to carry six grocery bags in
one haul. ) I discov ered my swelling yang ener gy when I was learning to dance
salsa. I had recently come out o f a harsh breakup, and I made the decision
to learn how to salsa dance. Partner dancing is very much a sec ond chakra
activity. It’ s flowing, dynamic, and sensual and has a sense o f give-and-
take. While I fully embrace my feminine side,  I am a high-powered woman. I am a single mom. I run my own business, my household, and my life. I’m
used to being in control. But whoa, did I learn the hard way that that doesn’ t
work on  the dance floor. I took on dance lessons like I take on l ife. I said to
myself, I’m goin g to work har d and learn this right. I’m going to be a g r eat
dancer, learn the steps, and perfect this. I was so goal oriented and yang in
my thinking, you’d think I was a CEO launching a startup. Salsa da ncing is  dif ficult to lear n, but it’ s not a left-brained activity. It’ s
an a rt. I t’ s move ment and creativity. Supportive — and, I might add, very
patient —  dance partners taught me how to embrace my second chakra
ener gy. They did this by gently reminding me, “Relax. Let me lead. ” The
first one  hundre d or so times I danced salsa, I heard that phrase again and
again. The funny thing is, I thought I was  letting them lead. I learned how
to be a woman once again on the dance floor. If I hadn’ t let my dance
partners lead, the dynamics of duality and polarity could have never taken
place. Y ou can’ t have two leade rs or two followers on the dance floor — itsimply doesn’ t work. The beauty is in yin and yang meshing together
perfectly to create the work of art you see in dance competitions. W omen need to decide what ener gy they truly want to embrace in their
relationships. So metimes I see w omen who really want to be feminine and
act through yin ener gy, but they don’ t let themselves, out of fear of being
weak. In reality, though, weakness lies only in not knowing who you are or
in sending out conflicting messages to the world that don’ t reflect what you
feel inside. I see  this especi ally in dating. Because they’re overidentified with yang
ener gy, many women have bec ome more assertive in dating and in some
cases downright aggressive. T raditionally, thanks to his competitive yang
nature, a man would want to pursue the wo man, woo her, and win her heart. But toda y, when  women take o n the yang role, the ener getic transfer can
take aw ay the man’ s drive to go out there and work hard to get what he
wants. As a  woman, figuring out how to balance your second chakra involves
knowing how you would like to embrace your feminine ener gy so you can
keep it open and flowing at all t imes. Figure out who you are and how you
want this ener gy to manifest, and stick with it. For example, if you’ve
always w anted t o be a stay-at-ho me mom, but family pressures have caused
you to remain in a full-time job, you can work toward the role you want to
embrace. Y ou could, for exam ple, explore the options of a home-based
business working only part-time. I have a friend who ran a home daycare as
soon as her first  child was born. It allowed her to have income while being
able to stay at home with her children. For your own health, try not to let
society’ s expectations get in the way of knowing what’ s right for you. When
you meditate, focus on your sec ond chakra and especially your female sex
or gans, and ask yourself if you’re fully embracing who you are. If you’re
not, wha t’ s holding you back. Stay true to yourself, and you’ll f ind you can
more easily become your own best friend. Living Life in the Svadhisthana Chakra
A person living in the second chakra is like a child exploring the world for
the first  time without restraint. Imagine the person is a butterfly flitting
from flower to flower, tastin g, experiencing, and then flying of f toexperience some more. The words that describe this person are imagination,
emotion, and indulgence. When it comes to dealing with emotional second chakra people, you’d
better watch out. While first chakra people tend to get angry and violent
when they’re upset, second ch akra people throw temper tantrums to get
what they want. They sulk, cry, and use emotional blackmail to get their
way. Y ou may feel you’re on an emotional roller coaster in their presence. Balanced second  chakra people are carefree and imaginative. They like
to play out the dramatic role of heroine or dream of being fam ous actors. They may not have the wherewithal to buckle down and set goals to achieve
their dreams, but they talk a g ood game on how they will be rich and
famous. They love art, poetry, and romance. Like kids in a candy shop, second chakra people tend to over indulge. They overeat, usually eating to o many sweets, and indulge in alcohol or
drugs. The overindulgence may very well come in other forms such as
shopping, gamb ling, or hoarding. Addictions are typically a problem for
people living completely in second chakra ener gy. Recognizing Second Chakra Imbalances
When yo ur seco nd chakra is out of balance, it can cause you to be reactive,
to g et bogged d own in deep, dark emotions, and to for get your higher
purpose. Y ou can get caught up in emotional battles with yourself or others,
which keeps you operating from a low level. Y ou lim it yourself and your Sv adhisthana power when you engage in
negative self-ta lk because your emotions tell you, for example, “Y ou
screwed up again. Y ou just gaine d ten pounds”; or when you down an entire
bottle of  wine because you feel your husband will never understand you; or
when you get back at a lover by having sex with someone else. Also, ha ving shameful feelings about your own sexuality will create
blockages and hinder your creativity. Blocking the flow of ener gy c an be as
harmful as overindulging in the ener gy without boundaries. Accepting Second Chakra GiftsThe gifts you re ceive from your sacral chakra are perhaps some of the most
powerful and transformative gifts of all. Sex T ransmutation
According to Napoleon Hill, au thor of the world-famous book Think and
Gr ow Rich, sexual ener gy is the most potent ener gy we possess as humans. He explains that it’ s the most powerful, motivating, and moving ener gy if
we transmute it wisely — in other words, channel it into other creative
pursuits and bring new ideas in to being to make the world a better place. And, he continues, if we combine sexual ener gy with the ener gy of love
(fourth c hakra), we can attain anything we put our minds to. He calls this
power sex transmutation. Y ou can channel your sexual ener gy into any creative activity, whether
it’ s baki ng a delicious dessert, m aking a costume, choreographing a dance,
or in venting a n ew electronic device. Entrepreneurs, writers, and scientists
are e xamples of those who know how to successfully use sexual ener gy by
converting it into creative power. Sexual Intimacy
Using se xual ener gy for sexual intimacy and pleasure is discu ssed in the
Y oga Sutras of Patanjali. The first yoga sutra presents the yamas, moral
precepts for those who wish to live a yogic and disciplined lifestyle. The
fourth yama is bramacharya. Br amacharya can be interpre ted as sexual
restraint. The original concept was to refrain from sexual activity to
preserve the sexual fluids, known as shukra  in Sanskrit, to gain greater
illumination. In a way, it m irrors the philosophical thought of sex
transmutation. Bramacharya was intended to mean that sexual d esire is not
to be used for selfish and self-serving means. A person who has several
sexual p artners or goes from on e partner to another isn’ t exercising sexual
restraint. The practice of brama charya means using your sexual ener gy for
sexual pleasure in a committed and intimate partnership, where your
concern is to give to your beloved. Healing Svadhisthana
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I have the right to feel what I feel. I allow myself to follow my dreams. I deserve pleasure and
goodness in my life. I go with the flow. Healing the Physical Body
Since so much of the second ch akra involves the emotional body, healing
your emotions is an integral pa rt of healing Svadhisthana. As we explore
second chakra physical healing, I’d like you to think about such things as
accepting your gender, your sex or gans, the beauty of your physical body,
and your sense of taste. While gender and sex aren’ t the same thing, the
polarity of second chakra ener gy, which includes opposites, indicates
gender identity. For example, s ome women are ashamed of b eing female
and ther efore hide their bodies behind unflattering clothes or they hunch
their shoulders as they walk or stand. Some men, who may have been
beaten down by o verbearing mothers, are afraid to show their strength and
masculinity. E NHANCING  Y OUR  S ENSE OF  T ASTE
Y our sense of taste is linked to the water element, the A yurvedic Kapha
dosha, a nd the second chakra. Our sense of taste can become polluted by
eating the wrong foods, such as  deep-fried, processed, and artificial foods,
and by drinking alcohol. T asting  your food is part of the sensua l experience
of being alive. Y ou can enliven and enhance your sense of taste by swishing
with or ganic food-grade raw sesame oil. In th e fir st chakr a healing section, I suggested eating in silence. Y ou can
take this  one step further by tr uly tasting what you’re eating and paying
close attention to the flavors you enjoy. A good way to wean yourself of f
junk food is to sit in silence and feel the sensory experie nce of the
unhealthy food. Y ears ago, I use d to eat fast food from time to time. When I
noticed the coating of grease stuck to my tongue and teeth or the sugarcoating left in my mouth after drinking sugary beverages, I immediately
noted that I hated the taste. Then it was easy to let go of those things. E MBODYING  W A TER
Second chakra healing practices that involve water or water -like
movements can be soothing. Some people are drawn to bodies of water for
activities like swimming, surfin g, or sailing. Others prefer dancing, tai chi,
or qigong. Y oga, especially a slow flow, is great for continual second chakra
healing. Y ou will know intuitively which water -like movement practices
resonate with you. Choose movements that open your hips, stimulate your
internal or gans, and strengthen your lower back. F OCUSING ON  P ROPER  B REA THING
Most people don’ t know how to mindfully breathe. W omen a re taught to
suck in their tummies or wear pants that are too tight. Men m ight tighten
their bel ts to try to look thinner. As a result, many wind up ches t-breathing,
which creates shallow and pani cky breath. As you breathe nat urally, your
belly should inflate and defla te. This is known as belly-b reathing or
diaphragmatic b reathing, and it involves inhaling from the low er abdomen
around t he area of the second ch akra. Y ou will feel your lower belly puf fing
out as you inh ale properly. T o get a full healing breath, r efrain from
tightening your stomach muscle s. Let it all go. V isualize the air circulating
freely, in a swir ling wheel, throughout your abdomen. As you exhale, you
will feel  your tummy moving i nward, toward your spine. When you shift
your breathing in this way, into the area between your pubic bone and belly
button, immediately you will feel calmer and more relaxed. H ONORING  Y OUR  M ENSTRUAL  C YCLE
While th is secti on is dedicated to women, men reading this book can use
this kno wledge to help and support the women in their lives. W e live in a
society t hat is constantly on the go. In the modern world, it’ s not acceptableto take sick days, slow down, or show lack of dr ive toward
accomplishment. This philosophy goes against the grain of creativity. Creative though t and creative e ndeavors are best sought out in silence and
stillness. Creative ener gy needs space to move through its channels. When
you fill your sch edule with too m uch to do and move full speed ahead, there
is no room for space or pause. W omen have been blessed with a natural
cycle to slow them down at least once a month: their menstrual cycles. Their natural b odily rhythms call for t his space in grounding and quietness. A w oman’ s body asks for rest, relaxation, and introspection during the time
of menses. If she honors those needs, she will be reinvigorate d as a new
cycle be gins. As a result the second chakra will stay open and a ligned. Not
only will she exp erience increased fertility and flow in her life, she will also
benefit f rom increased creativity  in the way of abundance and manifestation
of desires. F OODS T O  E NHANCE  R EPRODUCTIVE  T ISSUE
A yurvedic reme dies to help with fertility and to heal reprodu ctive tissue
( shukra dhatu ) inc lude adding asparagus, broccoli, or ganic milk, or ganic
fresh da tes, or ganic fresh ripe m angoes, and or ganic rice pudding to your
diet. T o reduce toxins before trying to conceive, detox the first and second
chakras by taking gentle herbs  such as senna or the A yurvedic formula
triphala. Spi ces such as cumin, black cumin, and turmeric are also good  for
reproductive tissue. These foods and spices will help heal r eproductive
tissue in both men and women. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S ECOND  C HAKRA
Y in yog a is a g reat style of yoga to help balance the second chakra. The
idea behind yin yoga is to keep  the body cool by doing slow movements
and hold ing the  poses for three to five minutes each. During a yin class,
you’re assisted with yoga prop s such as blocks, blankets, b olsters, and
straps. A set of yin yoga poses assists in opening your hips a nd workingyour con nective tissue. The poses below are yin poses, except the last one,
dhanurasana. I’v e included dhanurasana, a yang pose, because it helps bring
vibrant ener gy to the second chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www. youtube. com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor. Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas. Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for. Left-Nostril Br eathing — Ida Nadi Pranayama :  Sit tall and place your
left hand on your lap. Place the index and middle finger of your right hand
on your right no stril to close it. Slowly inhale and exhale through your left
nostril only. Do this breathing technique for a minute or two. Cow an d Cat Poses:  O n all f ours, spread out your fi ngers on the floor and
flex your toes. As you inhale, lift your tailbone up toward the sky, raise
your he ad and look up, and lo wer your belly toward the floor. As you
exhale, draw your belly button in toward your spine and your chin down
toward y our che st, lower your t ailbone, and raise your spine in to a curve,
like an angry Halloween cat. Do eight sets of cow and cat. Pigeon Pose — Eka Pada Rajakapotasana :  From your all-fours position,
slide your right knee forward, and set it down in front of your left knee. Bring your right heel forward, away from your pelvis as much as possible. Extend y our left leg all the way behind you, and set your left  foot on the
floor as you brin g your hips clo se to the floor. Come down to your elbows
and rest your forehead down. If your hips are tight, you can place a bolster
or pillow underneath your right hip. Hold for three minutes, then switch to
the other side. Cobra Pose — Bhujangasana :  Lie flat on your belly. Slide your feet
together so your big toes touch. Place your forehead to the floor. W ith your
palms on the floor, bring your fingers slightly behind your shoulders with
your elb ows bent. Squeeze your bottom, and press your pubic bone towardyour ma t. Bring  your shoulders back and away from your ears. Press down
on your hands, a nd hug your elb ows against your torso to lift your head and
upper chest of f the floor. Be mindful of your feet and make su re they stay
on the floor. If you’re doing this properly, you should feel this pose in your
lower back (area of the second chakra) and triceps. T o make the pose a yin
pose, as  you lift your head and  chest, set your elbows down  underneath
your ribs and place your hand s and forearms down on the mat, like a
sphinx. Relax your shoulders down, and breathe as you stimulate your
lower belly and lower back. Hold for two minutes. Happy Baby Pose — Y oga Nidrasana :  Have you ever seen a baby hold his
feet and giggle h appily on his ba ck. That’ s the idea of the happy baby pose. On your back, lift your legs up and bend your knees, drawing your knees
and feet wide a part. Hold the outer edges of your flexed feet with your
hands. It will look like an upside-down squatting posture. If you can’ t clasp
your feet, hold on to your ank les or calves. T o stimulate yo ur kidneys,
inhale d eeply an d hold your bre ath. Still holding your breath, rock side to
side six to eight  times, then exh ale as you come back to the center. Repeat
the series two to three times. Reclining Bound-Angle Pose / Reclining Butterfly Pose — Supta
Baddha Konasana :  Lie on your back. Bring the soles of your feet together
as your knees open wide, into a butterfly shape. Allow your h ips to relax
completely. If the stretch is too intense, you can place y oga blocks
underneath your knees. Place your hands on your belly, and focus on your
breath. Hold the pose for three to five minutes. Bow Pose — Dhanurasana :  Start on your belly with your arms at your
sides. Bring your feet up into the air, and reach up to catch them with your
hands. Y ou can take hold of yo ur feet or your ankles. Lift your head and
chest, an d breath e deep into you r lower belly. A deep rhythmic  breath will
create a rocking motion and will stimulate your internal or gans. This is also
a gr eat pose to do for menstrual cramps. Hold the pose for one to two
minutes and repeat two to three times. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
From repressed sexuality to low self-esteem to overindulgence, issues
surrounding the emotional body  of the second chakra are many. Healing
this area will help you overcome many emotional scars and advance in your
emotional and spiritual journey. B UILDING  S ELF -E STEEM
Good se lf-esteem can be a resul t of nature and nurture. Sometimes children
who gro w up in the same fami ly have varied levels of self-es teem. Other
times, lo w self-esteem seems to result from abandonment or emotional or
physical abuse in childhood. No matter the cause, it can be challenging to
build self-esteem back up to normal levels. The practice of yoga, including a focus on chakra healing, can help raise
self-esteem. People with low self-esteem are constantly seeking approval
from oth ers. Th is is known as object r eferral. Object referral says, “I’m
valuable because of what I do,  who loves me, or what I have. ” Right or
wrong, i t’ s what  happens. But in  reality, it’ s impossible to please  or impress
everyone — one hundred peopl e will have one hundred dif fere nt opinions
of you — and to  even try to do so is exhausting. Self-referral, on the other
hand, sa ys, “I’m  valuable because I’m an integral part of this great big
universe. I’m needed and wanted b ecause I’m here. God, M other Nature, or
my Higher Power is in me, an d I hold the same creative essence that is
contained in them. ” When you  assimilate yoga practices and philosophy,
you beg in to shift your focus fro m object referral to self-referral. When this
shift hap pens, you have an aha moment—you finally realize tha t everything
you hav e been striving for in th e way of approval (and, of course, falling
short) is an unattainable goal. Y ou’re already perfect as you are. Become your best friend. Before you say something to yourself or think
something about yourself, ask if you would say it to your best friend. N UR TURING  Y OURSELFT ake care of your body as a goo d mother would take care of her child. She
makes sure the c hild is eating th ree to five times per day and getting plenty
of nutrie nts. She ensures the chi ld gets enough rest. She takes her child out
for w alks daily. She caresses and strokes her child’ s skin and r eassures her
child when she’ s frightened. She makes sure her child has time for play,
work, an d friend s. A good moth er takes her child for wellness checkups and
gives her vitamins to grow. T ake care of yourself in all the same ways. Nurturing is a se cond chakra trait. Y ou will enhance your second chakra
ener gy when you nurture yourself. H EALING FROM  A DDICTIONS
People who suf fer from addiction, in any form, have a sec ond chakra
imbalance. Addicts seek pleasu re through the object of addiction at all
costs. T hey will  charm and dec eive others to get that object. Like second
chakra ener gy, there is a sense of reaching out toward others, but the goal
isn’ t for connection and love in the higher sense of the chakra but rather to
attain a tempora ry fix for a transcendent moment in bliss. Howe ver, all false
attempts to reach transcendence and enlightenment by destructive means
create ka rmic de bt and leave the user in a deeper hole of indebtedness each
time. I’m very  much attached to the subject of addiction because I have a
loved one who suf fers from alcoholism. I became so entrenched in the study
of a lcoholism that I wrote a bo ok about it titled Help. I Think My Loved
One Is an Alcoh olic: A Survival Guide for Lovers, Family, and F riends. I’m
a firm believer in 12-step programs for any addiction. Some addictions may
be heale d throug h practices such as meditation and yoga, but as one of my
friends i n recove ry told me, the -ism is still there. Addiction doesn’ t happen
overnight, and it’ s not undone overnight. If you or someone you love suf fers
from addiction, I highly recommend getting professional help in addition to
using chakra-based healing or other holistic and spiritual practices. E MOTIONAL  H EALINGMind-body conn ection in health is undeniable. Study after study, including
one pub lished i n the Janu ary 11, 2017, issue of  The Lancet, shows that
emotional health can have as m uch of an impact on your heart health as
tobacco use or o besity. Doing emotional health exercises is just as useful as
physical exercis e. Those who ar en’ t hardwired with an optimistic emotional
outlook may need to practice increasing emotional health daily to
strengthen those muscles. Here are a few things you can try daily:
• Say, cha nt, or write positive af firmations, and refrain from ne gative
self-talk. • W rite your thoughts down in a journal. • Have in-person experiences wit h good friends and not simply online
relationships. • V olunteer your time once a week or once a month. • Keep a gratitud e journal: on a regular basis, write down the things
you’re grateful for. Healing the Spiritual Body
Aligning with and accepting your power of creation can hel p heal your
second chakra spiritual ener gy. Y our power to create was freely given to
you by your Cre ator and therefore is good. In healing the second chakra, we
work to overcome limiting beliefs about our sexuality and creativity. S EXUALITY
Religious interpretation of sexu al intimacy has given this natural, human,
and God-given act a dirty name. The many words we hear in religious
circles around sex include shameful, dirty, sinful, and lustful. I believ e this
creates a shadow ener gy around sexuality and vilifies it. As a result, people
sneak around behind closed doo rs and talk about sexual intimac y in hushed
tones. This aura of oppression can cause people to act toward extremes and
wreak havoc on relationships. I personally don’ t believe that the Creator of the universe, who gave us
consciousness and conscious awareness of love and intimacy, intended for it
to b e this way. T o heal your s exual ener gy, you may need to  shift your
thinking and behavior toward a healthier pathway. The W estern interpretation of  T antra or T antric sex, in its purest
meaning, gives a clearer picture of a more spiritual experience with sex. W e
are d if ferent from other animals  in that we have the capacity to con trol and
modify o ur emotions, breath, bodily functions, and connection to each other
and to spirit. W e have the choice to act dif ferently than with the instinctual
and hardwired reactions programmed in our brains by our predecessors. From m y understanding in connection with yoga, which means “to
yoke,” “ to unite,” or “to join together,” the act of sexual intim acy can be
spiritual in nature, as a way to honor the body, mind, soul, and s pirit of your
partner and vice versa. In accordance with bramacharya, this union is best
explored in a committed, exclusive, and long-term relationship. Instead of
pure me chanical performance, s o to speak, spiritual sexual intim acy brings
more awareness to the physical connection. It involves taking the time to
get to know your partner on every level and arriving at the level of
vulnerability nee ded to create union in a yogic sense of the word. The act of
lovemaking can be a truly transcendent experience. In this understa nding of transcendent sexuality, you wouldn’ t want to
take lovemaking lightly, but instead come at it from a vantage point not of
shame b ut of purity — a sense of purity that comes from within you, as a
true rec ognition of the gift your sexuality brings, rather th an an idea
imposed on you from someone or something external. When you assimilate
this understanding into your being, you won’ t want to squander your sexual
ener gy on a subpar or purely physical experience. Some of the things you might want to explore within yourself as you
look toward healing the sexual power of your second chakra are the
following:
1. What is my view of my own sexuality.
The ideal way to practice the Pelvic Tilt pose is to squeeze your buttocks and lift your tailbone and first three vertebrae, one vertebra at a time, and then release.
What is the ideal way to practice the Pelvic Tilt pose?