Return of the Chakra: Solar Power to the Plexus!

Hello people of earth. We are back! We took a little break after the Sonic Blizzard festivities (which were a blast!) to realign & rest. We have also been plotting some upcoming events & services to carry us through the summer of 2020. But now it is time to return to our chakra healing project! We left off with the Svadhisthana in January, which spilled over into February by what I believe to be some kind of divine intuition. As artists, it was important to get the chakra related to our creative energy cleared out & humming--I did an extensive amount of Yoga & Capoeira to get any dormant energy in my hips released. As we move through March, we will focus on our Manipura, the source of our power!

If you have been following us thus far, you know we started in December 2019 with the Muladhara, or root chakra, & as mentioned above, we worked on the Svadhisthana, or sacral chakra, for the months of January & February 2020; if you are just joining us for this project, you can peep the details regarding those two chakras in our previous blog posts. Don't think you missed out on anything because today is a great day to jump in. We will now be focusing on the Manipura, or solar plexus chakra. In my eyes, this is one of the most important chakras as it is the bridge between our upper & lower energy wheels. If you have a strong core, the remaining chakras should fall into place quite nicely. I also find the three lower chakras (the Muladhara, Svadhisthana, & Manipura) are intimately connected, & when you work on one of them, you are often working on all three in subtle ways. So without further ado, let's jump into our power with the "solar plexus" chakra.

The Manipura is located 6 inches above the navel & is seated in the diaphragm. It is associated with the element of fire & is sometimes referred to as the "city of gems" because it shines once properly activated. It is the direct source of our willpower, self-esteem, & intuition. It is also related to digestion, energy transformation, & our mind-body connection. It is crucial in physically creating our inner visions & living a fulfilling existence. An unbalanced Manipura can lead to feelings of powerlessness, insecurity, lack of self-confidence (or an over-inflated ego), digestion issues, overindulgence, lack of strong boundaries, constant laziness or fatigue, & a tendency to create co-dependent relationships; when in healthy alignment, it can create a strong sense of confidence, the ability to be resolute & decisive, assertive (not aggressive), productive & enthusiastic, focused & energized, & the ability to cooperate with others in a positive way. Like I said, the Manipura is crucial in leading a rich & fulfilling life.

As we have done with the other chakras, we have created two affirmations to aid in your healing process that we call "Solar Power to the Plexus"; one affirmation is to start your day in the morning, & the other is read at night before you drift off into dream time. In addition, there are many activities you can engage in to clear out your Manipura. Many of these have to do with releasing stagnant energy or habits that no longer serve our highest purpose; this month will require a strong sense of discipline from you. Here is a list of things you can do to bring solar power to the plexus:

• Break Out of Your Routine With New Experiences

• Take Risks

• Set Goals & See Them Through

• Exercise Your Core

• Sun Gaze

• Release Unhealthy Attachments

• Overcome the Victim Mentality

• Stop Resisting / Fighting Your Self

• Intentional Self-Care

The Manipura asks you to leave your comfort zone to find greater horizons. Know that you can do it, & know that it will get easier as you come into your strength, your power. As corny & banal as it seems, the solar plexus chakra can be summed up in the highly-marketed slogan: Just Do It. That's really what it takes. No excuses or hesitation. Immerse yourself into the flames & rise like a phoenix. There are so many gifts, so many treasures that can be found in your "city of gems", but you must put in the work; it is indeed worth it.

We will also be recording our affirmations this weekend for those interested. Currently, we are a little behind on these recordings due to some technical difficulties, but we assure you this will be resolved. If anything, we have learned a lot about patience since we started this project. Everything that is meant to be will be here soon enough, just when it needs to be. We are excited for what is to come this spring as we continue our collective journey together. Moving forward, we will be more consistent with these blog posts & hope that you will continue to read, contemplate, & share with a friend!

With Medicinal Words & Solar Bars,

Justin Groppuso-Cook

aka Sunni Mani