Keeping your chakras healthy and functioning well will go a long way towards keeping you in great shape physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Here I take you through the solar plexus chakra and give you suggestions for its maintenance.

The three ‘lower chakras’ help us to handle our daily life in the physical world. I suggest working with these three chakras before going on to work with the higher chakras as those who neglect these three can become very ungrounded and find it hard to cope with everyday challenges.

Start with the base chakra, then the sacral chakra before working up to the solar plexus chakra.

Solar Plexus Chakra
The Solar Plexus chakra is the powerhouse where energy is transformed for use by the body. It is located between the navel and the solar plexus. The energy generated here does not just fuel the body, but also enables us creatively take control of our lives and affect change for the better. Think of this chakra as your seat of personal power and you’ll have a sense of it.

A healthy solar plexus chakra supports our learning and absorption of new materials. It helps us think clearly for ourselves and make good decisions.

The solar plexus influences the nervous system, digestive system and immune system. It influences the whole digestive system, including the stomach, gallbladder, liver, pancreas and small intestine.

Potential signs of dysfunction
Underactive: insecurities, fear, shame, powerlessness, self-criticism, poor memory & learning, inability to make decisions, poor boundaries
Overactive: disorders of the pancreas, stomach ulcers and digestive disorders, auto-immune disorders, allergies and neuroses, ‘knee jerk’ decision making, overpowering behaviour, over-competitiveness

Solar Plexus Chakra Workout
-Pursue self-development work in a direction that interests you.
-Keep a regular journal.
-Learn to accept and appreciate yourself with all of your wonderful idiosyncrasies- try writing 10 things that you love about yourself quickly each day as a reminder that you really are worth your space on this planet.
-Follow your ‘gut instincts’ and see how much better your life runs when you listen to the clues you pick up here.
-Live with integrity- lying and half truths damage your sense of self respect. Try to show the same level of integrity in your dealings with people as you’d hope to be shown yourself.
-Crystals: Go for sunny yellow crystals such as natural citrine, honey calcite and imperial topaz

If you would like to study and work with your chakras in more depth I've found Liz Simpson's book 'Chakra Healing' to be very helpful. It is beautifully presented and a pleasure to engage with.