Solar plexus chakra: A guide to your personal power

That creeping self-doubt that chokes your momentum.

The projects you start but never finish.

The pit in your stomach when it’s time to speak up, show up, or take the risk.

You may think these are signs that you lack motivation and confidence. And you may be on to something… just not in the way you think.

From an energetic and spiritual standpoint, what you’re experiencing is likely a power circuit shorted at the source: your solar plexus chakra.

When it’s off, everything stalls. But when it’s lit, you move through the world like nothing can stop you.

What is the solar plexus chakra?

The solar plexus chakra is your inner source of confidence, willpower, and motivation. It’s the third of the seven chakras, and it governs how you show up in the world, boldly or hesitantly.

The word solar means “sun,” and that’s because this nerve center radiates outward like sunbeams. When ancient yogis mapped out the chakra system, they linked this area to the energy center that governs willpower, confidence, and vitality.

Even its Sanskrit name, manipura, literally means “lustrous gem.” Think of this chakra as your internal sun, radiating warmth, igniting action, and fueling the fire that says, “I can.”

Scientifically speaking, this energy center has been said ot emit measurable energy. A peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Healing and Caring found that chakras, including the solar plexus, may correspond to nerve plexuses and produce subtle electromagnetic signals.

This finding offers a possible bridge between how we feel energy, and what might be happening in the nervous system when this chakra is blocked or overactive.

In this sense, its health does make or break how you see your place in the world. “Our purpose here is to find our power,” says renowned chakra healer Anodea Judith, “and direct that energy into the activities of our choice.”

And that’s the deeper solar plexus chakra meaning: the part of you that burns bright when you know your worth and trust your power.

Where does the solar plexus chakra open?

Physically, it’s located in the upper abdomen, just above the navel (which is why it’s sometimes referred to as the “navel chakra”) and below the sternum. Interestingly, the term “solar plexus” refers to a complex network (or plexus) of nerves just behind your stomach. No wonder this cluster is nicknamed the abdominal brain because it plays a big role in digestion and stress response.

According to Anodea, this chakra opens during early childhood, between 18 months and four years old. Think back: it’s when you first start saying “No.” Or when you insist on dressing yourself, spill things proudly, and claim your space in adult settings. 

As Anodea explains in her Mindvalley program, Chakra Healing, this period marks “the development of the ego identity oriented to self-definition.” 

And scientifically, it’s life-defining. According to psychologist Erik Erickson’s theory of development, it’s the age when autonomy and initiative start to kick in, shaping your sense of power and self-worth for years to come.

In essence, this center doesn’t just “pulse” energy; it reveals the deeper essence of who you are.

The solar plexus chakra meaning and symbolism

The solar plexus chakra is where energy becomes motion, identity becomes action, and power stops sitting in theory. It’s the seat of purpose-driven will so clear, you’re unapologetic as a result.

“The sun never says to the earth, ‘You owe me,’” wrote the Persian poet Hafiz once. “Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.”

What this guy said may date all the way back to the 14th century. But it’s timeless and perfectly encapsulates this chakra in its purest form: radiating from within, needing no permission, asking for nothing in return.

And when you do need to return to yourself, you can meditate on any of these aspects that represent it to power on:

Aspect	Details
Location	Situated in the upper abdomen, between the navel and the rib cage
Qualities	Personal power, self-esteem, confidence, willpower, and the ability to take action
Meaning in Sanskrit	Manipura, meaning “city of jewels” or “lustrous gem”
Color	Yellow, associated with the sun
Element	Fire
Symbol	Ten-petaled lotus with a downward-pointing triangle at the center
Essential oils	Ginger, black pepper, lemongrass, cedarwood
Crystals	Citrine, yellow jasper, tiger’s eye, amber
Foods	Complex carbs, whole grains, yellow peppers, bananas, turmeric
Affirmation	“I can do what I set my mind to do, because I am confident, powerful, and in control of my life.”
When balanced	You feel empowered, have a strong sense of self, and can confidently pursue your goals
When imbalanced	You may experience powerlessness, lack of confidence, fear, or difficulty taking action

And this third chakra’s place for your spiritual development goes beyond its mind-body representations, as seen above.

In yogic systems, it’s tied to Tejas, a.k.a. the subtle fire that fuels clarity, vitality, and purpose. It’s the level of your discernment, measured by how much you “light up” when taking the right actions aligned with your self-worth.

When this “fire” in you burns steadily, your choices feel clear, your energy feels clean… and your life direction is undeniably within view.

What is the solar plexus chakra responsible for?

In short, this chakra shapes how you move through life at all stages. It influences your decision-making, follow-through, and how you hold your ground under pressure. And the way you manage it determines whether that energy flows, leaks, or shuts down completely.

Psychologically, emotionally, and behaviorally, this energy center drives:

• Expression of will,
• Personal values and virtues,
• Decision-making power,
• Discipline and follow-through,
• Emotional mastery,
• Self-reliance and discernment,
• Healthy boundaries,
• Devotion to personal truth, and
• Wisdom as a lived trait (instead of a concept).

The real work in solar plexus chakra healing? Turning stagnancy into movement and lighting up the will to follow through.

Unleashing its fullest potential, as Anodea says, means “to transform inertia into action, to bring forward the momentum needed to manifest our goals and bring forth our inner light.”

Signs of an imbalanced solar plexus chakra

When the solar plexus chakra goes off center, it disrupts how you think, feel, and function. This imbalance can show up as either quiet hesitation or loud overcompensation. Either way, your power gets scrambled, and your body feels it first.

And a lot of times, the imbalance happens due to our habits, conditioning, or old beliefs we never realized were holding us back.

 “When we block the third chakra, we are blocking our growth, blocking our energy, and keeping ourselves from manifesting our goals,” says Anodea.

Below are the key signs, broken down by domain:

Physical symptoms

When this chakra stagnates, the body sends signals through your gut. It’s subtle at first, then increasingly palpable over time. They can look like:

• Digestive issues like bloating, indigestion, or ulcers,
• Blood sugar spikes or adrenal fatigue,
• Chronic fatigue or lack of core strength,
• Nausea, butterflies, or tightness in the stomach, and
• Sudden temperature shifts or poor heat regulation.

Sometimes, these can also be physical symptoms of the solar plexus chakra opening. Case in point: a kundalini awakening experience, or when dormant energy from the base of your spine starts to move up.

Emotional symptoms

When this chakra misfires, you feel it so deeply through:

• Low self-esteem, shaky self-worth, or poor self-image,
• Constant self-doubt or fear of being wrong,
• Shame tied to performance or productivity,
• Overthinking simple decisions, and
• A chronic need for reassurance or external validation.

At its core, this kind of imbalance makes it hard to trust your own inner voice. So, you dim it, question it, or give your power to someone else.

Behavioral symptoms

When your solar plexus energy is off-balance, your actions will follow suit. You might hesitate when you need to act or push hard in ways that leave you burned out, reactive, or off-track:

• Procrastination or avoidance,
• Micromanaging people or situations,
• Passive-aggressive behavior or blame cycles,
• Taking on too much to prove your worth, and
• Struggling to finish what you start.

Left unchecked, these patterns wear down your momentum and dilute your sense of agency, until being actionable feels like friction, not flow.

When we block the third chakra, we are blocking our growth, blocking our energy, and keeping ourselves from manifesting our goals.

— Anodea Judith, trainer of Mindvalley’s Chakra Healing program

Why and when the solar plexus chakra gets blocked

Chakra blocks aren’t always caused by trauma. Sometimes, it’s subtle, through a moment when your voice was ignored, or when compliance got rewarded more than courage. And these patterns tend to occur long before you learned what “power” or “boundaries” meant.

“The third chakra gets programmed by how we were allowed or not allowed to assert our will in early childhood,” Anodea points out. And the experiences color how you exercise your will in adulthood.

With a blocked solar plexus, you might shrink from taking the lead in meetings even when you have the answer. Or default to people-pleasing, saying yes to plans you’re too tired to keep. Or sometimes, you’d push yourself so hard you’d burn out, powering through tasks just to avoid the discomfort of stillness. 

These patterns often show up as overcommitting to work, agonizing over simple decisions, or feeling guilty for choosing what you actually want. 

Over time, your energy center “learns” to tighten up or leak and scatter energy, which is why you often feel so drained, numb, and unable to move forward.

But even the most deeply rooted patterns respond to acts of self-awareness. “We can reprogram the third chakra by choosing goals, maintaining strong intention, and moving steadily in a chosen direction,” says Anodea. “If we keep acting with intention, energy will follow.” 

How to unblock the solar plexus chakra

The chakra doesn’t open and heal through thought alone; you need to back your solar plexus chakra healing up with action. This means showing your body you’re safe to take up space, act on what matters, and hold your own power without apology.

Here’s how to reroute your energy back into flow, based on practices from Anodea’s program:

1. Move with intention

“You have to bring your will into the body,” Anodea teaches. “Movement is one of the best ways to engage the third chakra.”

Not sure where to start? Try:

• Martial arts drills like punches or kicks that engage the belly and train response without overthinking.
• Power walking or uphill sprints to fire up the lower body and activate willpower
• Solar plexus chakra yoga to strengthen your core (the seat of your power). Woodchopper breath. Interlace your fingers, swing your arms overhead, and exhale with a forceful “HA!” as you chop down between your legs. “It’s a great way to break up inertia and build energy,” Anodea says.
• Kapow-style movements (as Anodea calls them). They’re fast, goal-oriented movements that wake up physical drive and direction.

Start small; just five minutes a day can do. What matters, in the end, is consistency, not how intense each activity is.

12 solar plexus yoga poses to try

These poses activate and align the third chakra by engaging the core, stimulating digestion, and building internal fire:

1. Boat pose: Builds core strength and mental focus
2. Plank pose: Activates full-body energy and tones the midsection
3. Reverse plank: Opens the front body and strengthens willpower
4. Bow pose: Stimulates digestion and stretches the belly
5. Revolved chair pose: Twists and energizes the center of personal power
6. Dolphin pose: Strengthens shoulders and core while generating heat
7. Warrior III: Boosts balance, discipline, and centered drive
8. Half lord of the fishes pose: Detoxifies the gut and clears stuck energy
9. Abdominal lock: Subtle yet powerful core activation
10. Cobra pose: Opens the belly and awakens confidence
11. Supine twist: Gently releases tension and soothes the gut
12. Camel pose: Expands the front body and helps process emotional buildup

Choose one, choose a few. Either way, you get to move with your breath and let your body become the space where your inner power returns.

2. Normalize daily breathwork

“Breath activates the fire,” Anodea notes, and breath-based activation helps dislodge stuck energy without mental overprocessing.

Some mindful breathing techniques to try:

• Coherent rhythmic breathing: Inhale through your nose, expand your belly, and exhale slowly—no rush. This syncs your nervous system and smooths out energetic static.
• Diaphragmatic breathing: Also called abdominal breathing. Breathe through your nose to stimulate nitric oxide production, which helps your body relax and digest more efficiently.
• Intermittent hypoxia: Hold your breath briefly after an inhale. This builds carbon dioxide tolerance, which improves your body’s ability to use oxygen under stress.
• Kapalbhati breathing: Sit tall, exhale sharply while pulling your stomach in, and let the inhale happen naturally. This resets your gut-brain axis and clears residual tension.
• 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. A go-to for instant calm when you’re anxious, overthinking, or scattered.

Every inhale stokes the fire, and every exhale clears the static. Practice this long enough, and your gut will remember what willpower feels like.

Pro tip: Diffuse essential oils like lemon, ginger, or black pepper into your space as you practice. They can stimulate the solar plexus chakra and help you breathe deeper and better.

3. Reclaim your voice intentionally

Power lives in expression. The more you speak your truth, the more stable your solar plexus becomes. “You have to own your will,” says Anodea. “That means choosing your direction and standing by it.”

No stage or public speech needed, just moments that call for clarity, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Here are ways to start owning your voice:

• Say what you mean, even in small situations, like when ordering food or setting a boundary with a friend.
• Swap “I have to” with “I choose to.” It shifts you out of victim energy and reactivates your internal compass.
• Call out your own avoidance. If you’re stalling or saying yes when you mean no, pause and realign.
• Practice power postures: Stand tall, lift your chest, and speak out loud a personal truth (in the mirror if needed).
• Give context to your willpower. Each morning, speak aloud one thing you intend to do on that day. Then, stick to it.

Your goal: To be clear, not loud. And each time you speak with intention, you strengthen the signal from your core to the world around you.

And here’s where solar plexus chakra affirmations help greatly. When your words reflect your inner truth, they help reset your nervous system. 

12 solar plexus chakra affirmations to try

Use these chakra mantras during meditation, breathwork, or anytime you need to refocus your power center:

1. “I choose my direction.”
2. “I trust myself to act.”
3. “My power is grounded and clear.”
4. “I lead with purpose and presence.”
5. “I follow through with ease and conviction.”
6. “My will is aligned with my values.”
7. “I make decisions that honor my truth.”
8. “I don’t shrink—I expand.”
9. “There’s nothing for me to prove, only to embody.”
10. “I hold my boundaries with clarity and grace.”
11. “Confidence lives in my core.”
12. “I am safe to take up space.”

Say them slowly. Say them often. And let them become the voice that replaces the old noise.

4. Do small acts of follow-through

“This chakra governs our ability to carry things through to completion,” Anodea elaborates.

And science backs it up, as micro-completion builds momentum. They send a signal to your nervous system that you can trust yourself to act.

Learn to finish what you start, no matter how small, with these steps:

• Make your bed first thing in the morning. It’s a fast win that sets your system to complete, not delay.
• Reply to the one message you’ve been avoiding. That ping in your brain isn’t going anywhere until you do.
• Schedule the things you keep pushing off. Your dental appointment, passport renewal, and overdue catch-ups. Tiny actions anchor big intentions.
• Set a 10-minute timer and tackle the tasks you’ve put on hold. Momentum builds when you start, not when you wait.
• Say what was left unsaid in your last conversation. Unspoken truth clogs energy, but clarity clears it fast.

Every loop you close feeds your fire. And the more you follow through, the more your body remembers how to move forward with ease.

5. Assert your boundaries

“Boundaries are how we hold our edge,” Anodea teaches. And they start in the body. Before you can hold a “no” with your voice, you have to feel it in your core.

So, stand tall. Place your hand on your belly. Visualize a glowing yellow disc pulsing just above your navel. Then, ask yourself:

• “Where am I overextending without replenishment?”
• “Who or what drains me, without my full permission?”
• “Where do I need to pull my energy back and re-center?”

The answers to these help mark where your energy ends and everything and everyone else begins. So, feel that edge. Breathe into it. And let the awareness itself become a line you no longer step over.

6. “Charge” your core with crystals

Yes, really. And there are plenty of solar plexus chakra crystals that can support this energy center—worn, held during meditation, or placed over your belly.

Here are some top choices:

• Citrine. Boosts confidence, joy, and self-worth. Like internal sunshine.
• Tiger’s eye. Grounds scattered energy while sharpening focus and courage.
• Yellow jasper. A protector stone that helps you stand your ground with calm strength.
• Amber.  Warms the system and helps you overcome emotional stagnation.
• Golden calcite. Energizes willpower and strengthens boundaries.

These stones don’t do the work for you; they amplify the work you’re already doing. Think of them as energetic companions that remind your body of its power signature.

7. Meditate on your power center

Stillness holds power, too. A focused solar plexus chakra meditation can help you anchor your energy, clear internal noise, and reignite your inner fire without force.

There is no elaborate setup required. All you truly need is five to ten minutes of quiet time and undivided attention.

Here’s how to begin:

• Sit upright or lie down, with your hands resting gently over your solar plexus (just above the navel).
• Close your eyes and imagine a golden-yellow sun spinning slowly in your belly. See it grow brighter with each inhale and more focused with every exhale.
• Breathe into that space. Inhale, let it expand. Exhale, let it center.
• As the light strengthens, silently repeat positive affirmations like “I move with purpose,” “my power is steady and clear,” or “I am aligned with my will.”
• If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the spinning yellow light. Stay with it for as long as it feels right.

As Anodea puts it, “When we bring awareness into the body, energy begins to move.” Let this be the practice that restores energetic fluidity where things once felt stuck.

Learn more: How to open chakras to skyrocket your energy.

BONUS: Your 15-minute solar plexus chakra healing ritual 

When energy feels stagnant, action becomes the medicine. This solar plexus chakra ritual pulls together everything you’ve just learned—breath, movement, crystals, and intention—into one powerful daily reset practice.

This short but potent, 17-step sequence trains your body to remember that you are the source of your power. Not the dream job, not the inbox, and certainly not anyone else’s approval.

Here’s how to stoke your fire, center your will, and step into your day already lit:

Task	Duration	Steps
Set the space	Three minutes	1. Choose a quiet area where you can stretch, sit, and feel uninterrupted. 2. Light a yellow candle to call in the fire element and awaken your focus. 3. Diffuse essential oils like ginger, bergamot, or cedarwood to stimulate energy clarity. 4. Place a crystal of your choice over your navel to anchor your intention in the body.
Activate your core	Three minutes	1. Do 30 seconds of breath of fire (kapalbhati) to ignite internal heat.  2. Follow with three rounds of the woodchopper breath. 3. Finish with the boat pose (navasana) for three breaths to awaken your core.
Power your breath	Three minutes	1. Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight. 2. Repeat for three to five rounds, visualizing golden light expanding from your belly center. 3. Optionally, hold your crystal during this for extra energetic anchoring.
Speak your will	Four minutes	1. Place your hand on your belly.  2. Say a solar plexus chakra affirmation or an intention for the day out loud. Or the one thing you intend to complete today. 3. Stand tall in power posture and repeat both statements twice.
Seal your field	Two minutes	1. Sit or lie down and visualize a glowing yellow sun radiating from your core. 2. Imagine that light sealing your energy field and sharpening your focus. 3. Close by thanking your body for showing up.

Awaken your spiritual superpower

When your solar plexus chakra’s all balanced, it’s easier to remember who you are before all the “noise”: a fearless, limitless, and spiritual being having a human experience.

And once you’re comfortable with yourself, you’ll realize that real power doesn’t live in one chakra alone. In fact, it’s in how they synergize, from root to crown.

If this is the kind of inner work you’re ready for, then sign up for Anodea Judith’s free Chakra Healing class on Mindvalley. In this session, you’ll explore how chakra healing works, starting with the root chakra, the foundation of everything.

The free session is a glimpse of Anodea’s full program, which has helped so many people, including Danielle Ellis. Through the teachings, she worked through deep trauma and long-held unconscious patterns and came out transformed. She shares on Mindvalley Stories:

The biggest shift came when I overcame shame, guilt, and fear. I now have a strong will. I feel better than I have in decades. This quest transformed my life in countless ways.

Danielle’s story is just one example of what becomes possible when you commit to returning to yourself. And with the right tools, the right teacher, and a space like Mindvalley to guide you through it, you will. 

And once you reconnect with your power, there’s no going back. Only forward and onward.

Welcome in.