The Sacral Chakra

Swadhisthana is Sanskrit for 'sweetness'. The Sacral Chakra is the seat of

pleasure, and of taste in its broadest sense - not just food, but clothes, music,
design and colour. It is all about attraction and, in particular, sexuality
(sexual identity and pleasure rather than the primal sexuality of the root
chakra). The Sacral Chakra is also the centre for our emotions.

The Sacral Chakra is the most feminine of the seven chakras. It is profoundly
connected with fertility and is ruled by the moon, which pulls not only the seas
and oceans, but the water within our own bodies. A balanced Sacral Chakra is
often characterized by physical fluidity and grace.

The Sacral Chakra is represented by a lotus with six orange petals surrounding a
white circle - which indicates water - and a light blue crescent moon. The
Sacral Chakra governs bodily fluids, emotions and sexuality. They ebb and flow,
drawn like tides by the moon.

The Sacral Chakra is situated in the lower abdomen between your navel and
genitals. It governs your spleen, reproductive organs (testes and ovaries),
kidneys and bladder, and all your bodily fluids, including blood, saliva, seminal
fluid, and lymph. Our bodies are mostly fluid � we are about 75 per cent water -
and water therapies are the most effective way of balancing the Sacral Chakra.

Good sacral-chakra balance is characterized by physical grace, whereas lack of

balance results in physical awkwardness or lack of co-ordination. Teenage boys,
coming to terms with their emotions and sexuality, typically have unbalanced
Sacral Chakras.

As well as being graceful, people with a balanced Sacral Chakra tend to be

friendly, open and trusting, in touch with their feelings and able to express
them, willing to see the positive rather than the negative, and able to turn
problems into challenges. An out-of-balance Sacral Chakra brings about guilt,
self-pity, manipulative behaviour and envy. If your Sacral Chakra is too open,
you may forget your own needs, and occupy yourself so much with the needs of
others that you end up feeling like a martyr. Lack of balance in the Sacral
Chakra can also give rise to sexual problems, jealousy and obsession - sexuality
is at the heart of the Sacral Chakra.

It is sexual awareness - rather than primal sex drive, - that characterizes the
Sacral Chakra. It guides our sexual identity, our ability to bond with a partner
and to take pleasure in our sexuality. When in balance, the Sacral Chakra can
give us profound sexual and emotional happiness. When out of balance, all kinds
of problems can arise. If you have a closed or blocked Sacral Chakra, you can
become obsessed with sex or your own sexuality, and have total disregard for
partners. You may see sex as a purely physical, hedonistic act, devoid of
emotion. At the other extreme you may become frigid or impotent. Sexual abuse is
a common cause of a closed second chakra. It is worth reflecting, perhaps, that
the word 'sacra' comes from the same root as 'sacred'. Sex is not meant o be a
casual, meaningless event, but nor is it meant to induce guilt. Rather, with
openness and empathy, it is something that brings great joy and pleasure.