the sacral chakra

If you want to learn how to improve your connection to your emotions, then look no further than the second chakra.

This chakra corresponds to the emotional layer in the energy body and is represented by the colour orange. The sanskrit name for the sacral chakra is, svadhisthana, which means “the dwelling place of the self” signifying the location for our personal expression. Themes surrounding our relationships, pursuit of our desires or pleasures, emotional fulfillment and movement (flow) reside here. To balance the sacral, there must be a sense of fluidity, an ability to fulfill emotional needs and a healthy expression of sexuality.

sacral chakra symbol

svadhisthana

The sanskrit name for the sacral chakra, svadhisthana, means “the dwelling place of the self”. It is represented by the colour orange–like the colour of a sunset. The sacral chakra is located above the root, underneath the naval and is the second of the main seven chakras.

development of the second chakra

Age: 6 months – 2 years (connected to baby’s first steps – walking)
Includes: Understanding ones connection to sexuality, emotional fulfillment and ability to adapt to change
Theme: Learning to enjoy life through following emotional fulfillment

The second chakra, or sacral chakra, begins its development from the moment a child takes their first steps. At this stage, children start to navigate life more independently as they learn how to express their emotional needs. A healthy second chakra is developed through learning how to meet basic needs, while developing a strong connection to sensory awareness. Between the ages of nine to eighteen months, children learn to connect sensations with actions and reactions, which is essential for emotional development. If they are taught to not trust their own senses or experience a disconnect in how their emotional expressions are received, they may start to shut down emotionally.

During this stage, children experience separation from their caregivers, as they learn how to develop confidence while feeling safe and supported to explore their surroundings. It is so crucial that they experience consistent emotional support and encouragement during the development of the sacral chakra. The purpose of this is to help them build a solid foundation of emotional security, where the child can actively express their internal feelings and see how these expressions influence their external environment.

Another thing to mention during this critical life stage is that the emotional climate of the child’s home environment is highly influential. At this age, children absorb the atmosphere they are in on a somatic level, which can have a lasting impact on their overall emotional well-being.

common issues

movement or flow

Release of rigidity and enhancement of flexibility through movement
Inability to connect to the natural ebbs and flows of life

needs or boundaries

Fears and insecurities when asking for needs to be met
Trouble reclaiming responsibility for self & implementing boundaries

emotions

Trouble connecting or feeling emotions on a visceral level
Feeling self-judgement for certain emotions (issues around enmeshment)

pleasure & desires

Recognizing patterns from childhood that restrict the experience of joy
Providing for the underlying need for excessive desires

traumas or abuse

The environment during the development phase of the second chakra can have a significant impact on a child’s emotional well-being. A lack of affection or emotional support can disrupt the necessary connection to develop a foundation for healthy relationships, which unfortunately leads to challenges that may take years to resolve. Children require a balanced amount of sensory input to develop properly, but too little or too much can be distressing. Additionally, being told how to feel about a situation contradicts their need to express their true emotions. Since at this stage children are learning to trust their own emotional guidance system, denying their emotional response puts them at risk to separate from their emotional compass and promotes feelings of unwanted guilt.

Here are five traumas and abuses that would compromise the development of the second chakra:

Sensory deprivation
Without proper exposure during childhood to tactile stimulation, physical nurturing touch, or appropriate guidance for sensory development, it can lead to future issues that literally cause one to feel out of touch. A lack of connection to the outside world encourages feelings of isolation, disconnection, and a frequent misreading of situational information.
Toxic emotional environment (especially during the development phase)
The energy that is displayed from the parents is felt on a somatic level for young children. As they grow into their toddler phase they still do not have the capacity to properly process extreme emotions. This leads to the expression of the family’s held emotions to come out through the child.
Family enmeshment
Through the development of the emotional self, there is the emergence of individuality. If a child grows up in an environment where they taught they must comply to the emotional wishes of their caretakers, they become enmeshed.
Sexual abuse
Regardless of severity it affects a child’s ability to form healthy intimate relationships and express their sexuality as they mature. It disrupts their understanding of healthy boundaries and their relationship with their own body. The younger the child was when the abuse occurred, the more detrimental the impact on their development, leading to long-lasting struggles with intimacy and self-perception.
Rape
As detrimental as sexual abuse but more intensely destructive to the entire chakra system. It has the potential to shut down the entire energy system.
AND
Abortion *not development, but an abuse regardless*
Although not an experience for children–it assaults the second chakra in women. This experience has the same impact as rape on the energy body. Without proper acknowledgement of the (emotional, mental) physical trauma that is provoked amongst the sacral area it can lead to cutting off or disconnection from their feminine energy entirely.

signs of disharmony

As you may know already, the chakras are “spinning wheels” of energy, meaning that they need to maintain a certain charge to function. Sometimes (depending on the lifestyle) there is too much “charge” provided to that energy centre, so it enables it to operate in an excessive energetic state. At other times due to lack of connection, it may be blocked or underactive. You can learn to see the physical signs of an underactive or excessive chakra (in others) simply through observation. As the energy body acts as a magnet, you can receive insight by hearing about the experiences someone attracts or by observing that person’s emotional state.

This chakra corresponds to the theme of duality, emphasizing the crucial need for a healthy balance amongst its major themes. If an issue is present with this chakra, support can be found by grounding through the first chakra, which can help with re-aligning it to perfect balance. For example, while experiencing fluctuating emotions is normal, it is not normal to remaining stuck in such extremes, grounding will bring back the neutrality.

shadows of the sacral chakra

“Unhealthy guilt is an autoimmune disease of the soul that causes us to literally reject our own worth as human beings.” – joan borysenko

In contrast to fear, which challenges the first chakra, the second chakra grapples with guilt. This emotional burden (if suppressed) often manifests with compulsive behaviours driven by the insatiable pursuit of pleasure.

Guilt is closely intertwined with the dualities of the sacral chakra, which if dismissed can foster divisive either-or thinking, with a polarized mindset. Yes, guilt can be beneficial, but only when it serves as a guidepost that can signal when personal boundaries have been crossed and a change needs to be made. Otherwise, if guilt pervades our actions, it noticeably strips away the inherent pleasure of what we do and leaves us with a sense of restriction and/or control.

Alongside guilt, addiction is the additional shadow to the second chakra. Addiction has a complexity that defies a simple placement within the chakra system given that every substance elicits a distinctly different state of being; by looking at the substance being abused you can locate what (other) chakra is operating in excess. Nevertheless at its core, addiction stems from unresolved emotional wounds and so healing modalities specific to the second chakra become useful to heal the underlying issues.

underactive vs. excessive

underactive energy

Deficient energy has a solid boundary that prevents energy from passing through. See above photo for how energy passing towards the chakra is directed elsewhere. Without the proper flow of energy, there is lack of interest to go outward. Some other examples of signs for an underactive sacral chakra are:

very restrictive movement (most noticeable in the hips): jerky, stiff and rigid
a belief that there is only way way to accomplish things, the inability to be open to different ideas
Suppression of emotions to avoid engagement with intense situations
Feelings of loneliness, emptiness or sense of isolation

excessive energy

Excess energy in the sacral chakra travels outward instead of upward or inward. There is a tendency towards outward expression rather than introspection. This creates poor discernment due to the weak boundaries. Some other examples of signs for an excessive sacral chakra are:

only feeling “alive” during highly charged emotional times
difficulty separating feelings from reality
extremely and overly sensitive: everything is personal
emotional fluctuations happening very often
intense need to feel connected all the time (with others)
issues surrounding codependency

healing work

There is no specific destination to know when it is the end of a healing journey. It is not possible to determine what proper boundaries, emotional balance or healthy sexuality looks like–we are all so unique. These themes are so allusive and hard to define. A focus for one person is always guaranteed to be different than the next. So, how can we all begin to find better balance? The best place to begin, is to start with growing your capacity for flexibility, in every area of your life: to accept, adapt and embrace unexpected change, without it shaking your core.

To begin the holistic healing journey for the sacral chakra, evaluate your connection to your feelings and the fluidity in your physical movement. Look at your connection to the element, water. How much water do you drink? Are you always dehydrated? Take a look at the characteristics of an underactive or excessive sacral chakra–can you relate to one side more than the other? If you want to bring balance to this area of your body, shift your focus to include more ways to flow. Give yourself permission to feel, express and play.

Below are a few suggestions for healing work to bring harmony to the sacral chakra:

healthy sexuality

Focus on the quality of emotional and physical security
Nurture the feeling of emotional confidence while allowing the organic flow of connection

work through guilt

Acknowledge what events in the past have motivated your present day patterns of behaviour
Notice how your needs can be more appropriately fulfilled

emotional release & processing

Learn to accept emotions as a natural response, feeling them as they occur and using them as your guide
Recognize ways to channel emotions to promote acceptance of feelings

support for healing

Every energy centre has its own frequency–we attract experiences based on our resonate frequency. The sacral chakra is connected to the emotional layer of the subtle energy body. It sits above the etheric layer which is aligned to the root chakra. Unlike the root chakra’s element of Earth, the sacral chakra is connected to water. For this reason, staying hydrated and being conscious of the quality water you drink can have significant healing effects.

Alongside drinking more water here are a few other lifestyle add ins you can do to strengthen the sacral chakra:

Daily Affirmation: I allow my life to ebb and flow, while honouring my needs and boundaries.

Chant: VAM

Solfeggio Frequency: 417 Hz

Sound Bowl Frequency: 480 Hz
Music Note: D

Aromatherapy: Ylang Ylang, Citrus, Clary Sage

Food: Sweet foods, nuts

Exercise: Dancing
Yoga Pose: Butterfly Pose

Healing Crystals: Orange calcite or sunstone

Please notice that above does not include suggestions for doing the emotional or mental healing work that could be the underlying cause for present day challenges with the sacral chakra. As mentioned, the sacral chakra holds sexual trauma which often comes up years after the actual event. While the modalities listed above are extremely beneficial, for full healing to occur, any unresolved experiences that come into your awareness should be acknowledged with the appropriate professional help.

Coach’s Note: A coach is useful for applying accountability to make the necessary changes for self-improvement. They can help you to find where you are struggling and get to the root of the issue so you can release mental, emotional or spiritual blockages. However, coaching is not a replacement for medical attention or professional talk therapy.