Open Your Third Chakra

This is the second part of our look at ChakraThree. (Find out more about Chakras One and Two.)

Try these foods and exercises to balance your third chakra:

Foods:

Starches are the foods to consume (in moderation of course) for the proper functioning of our third chakra. Whole grain starches are taken into the body and assimilated much slower and more thoroughly than processed flours. That being said, processed flours as well as sugar and/or stimulants should be taken in moderation or avoided, as they will eventually deplete the energy of the third chakra. Sugar addiction can point to an imbalance in the third chakra system.

Exercise:

Anger is a product of a forceful will: wanting it our way and then meeting impediments and obstacles which prevent us from getting it our way creates this state. This anger, as well as all emotions, is stored within our bodies at a cellular level, and builds upon itself over the years. These emotions must be processed in order for our chakra system to work properly. In the context of the solar chakra, we will deal with anger.

First, begin writing your earliest memory of being angry in a notebook, and what age you were. Write who made you angry and why, including being angry with yourself. Do this in chronological order from the first memory until the present. This allows your conscious mind to connect with the energy and emotions of the incidents. Do not worry if you forget something, as you can always go back and heal the memory again. The important thing here is to get the energy moving by getting it on paper.

When done, sit comfortably in a chair, spine erect but not tense, with your feet flat on the floor, and ground yourself with the exercise described in my first article on the Root Chakra. Bring this energy from the root chakra, through the sacral and into the solar (from the navel, just below the sternum). Visualize energy coming from the universe, entering your crown chakra (top of the head), guiding it down into the third eye (middle of the brow), the throat, into the heart, and finally into the solar plexus. Allow these two energies to meet. Experience it. How does it feel? What happens to it when you inhale and exhale? Do you experience emotions or images? There is no right or wrong answer.

Next, bring to mind the incident connected to your earliest memory of anger. This will usually result in the mind trying to escape by thinking of anything but the task at hand. Just gently guide your attention back, over and over again. What eventually happens is that we begin to see the incident in our mind, re-experiencing the feelings and emotions as if it had just happened. (Breathe deeply if the emotion is strong, or stop immediately if you feel you are being consumed. Working with a good therapist is an absolute must if dealing with severe anger or other emotional issues!)

When you feel you have connected to the issue and emotion, bring energy from the universe through the crown chakra down into your heart. Feel the energy expand and your heart grow warm, or whatever the experience is for you when your heart opens. The energy you feel here is the energy and power of perfect love and healing.

With the memory in mind, send this heart energy back to the past, to the incident, forgiving yourself and the people involved, reminding yourself that you, your parents or whomever, were doing the best they could with what they knew at that particular time in their lives – and usually in a state of unawareness. Even after you feel this has been completed for this age and incident, emotions may continue to arise. The support of friends, family, and therapists, as well as psychics, can help see you through the processing of these emotions. Be gentle with yourself. Proceed to the next age and incident only when you feel ready, and all in your own time. If you feel it is difficult releasing some of your emotions, a good idea is to do the second chakra exercises of swimming, taking a long hot bath or just being in a body of water to help with moving blocked emotions (see the Sacral Chakra article.).

I wish you well upon your journey towards the development of your own healthy, balanced will and personal power, using it to face the challenges before you and making the changes necessary in reaching your goals and transforming your life.