E79: Confidence & the Core Chakra
E79: Confidence & the Core Chakra
I gave this episode the title: “Confidence & the Core Chakra” because this energy centre just so happens to be the centre of transformation and confidence in our bodies...
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[01:16] Chakras are energy centres in the body, and there are seven main energy centres that run from the base of your spine, upward to the crown of your head.
Chakra One: Is the root chakra located at the base of the spine/tailbone
Episode 64: Reclaim Your Roots with the First Chakra
Chakra Two: Is the sacral chakra, located at the reproductive organs, below the belly button
Episode 89: Sexuality & The Sacral Chakra
Chakra Three: Is the core or solar plexus chakra, located in the abdomen above the belly button
Episode 79: Confidence & The Core Chakra
Chakra Four: is the heart chakra, at the centre of the chest
Episode 96: Harmony & the Heart Chakra
Chakra Five: is the throat chakra, located at the throat
Episode 58: Speak Your Truth with the Fifth Chakra
Chakra Six: Is called the third eye chakra located at the forehead, between the eyebrows
Episode 71: Intuition & The Third Eye Chakra
And lastly, Chakra Seven: the crown chakra, located at the top of the head.
Episode 105: Divine Connection with the Crown Chakra
[2:27] Today, I’ll be focusing on the 3rd Chakra, the core, or solar plexus. The meaning of this energy centre; or the function is transformation. In Sanskrit the name for the Core Chakra is “Manipura” meaning “lustrous gem.”
Along with the locations and sanskrit names, each chakra has an element, colour, purpose, issues, identity, demon, characteristics, and so much more.
The themes around the third chakra will be centred around energy, activity, self-esteem, power, self-definition, and confidence. This chakra is represented by the colour yellow.
Power and confidence will be key words in our discussion today. This is an area for self-definition, realization of separateness, and independence. It’s clear from this information alone that it is a very important energy centre, as transformation is the essential function of the third chakra.
Confidence and power are then integral pieces to the solar plexus chakra as it is associated with the element fire. Fire creates physical transformation through its power; and we have an inner fire that represents our self-confidence. Pretty cool right?
[3:50] Okay, let’s talk about that word “power.” As we know, words can have different meanings depending on how we interpret them. But I think power is one of those words that can be taken VERY differently.
If you had asked me, maybe when I was a little girl, what I thought “power” meant, at the time I would have probably had an answer along the lines of an evil stepmom or witch who wants to take something from an innocent and powerless princess. Even without the influence of disney princess movies, we still see people or groups who “want” power, “gain” power, “have power over” etc. There are many overbearing and negative attachments or connotations to the word.
Personally, this is something that I’ve learned for myself, and had to unlearn. It wasn’t just the word power, but also words similar to it. For example:
Aggressive, Bossy, Difficult, Too Much, Awkward
[4:58] Let me backtrack a bit. I host guests on the bonus episodes of this show, and one of my rapid fire questions that I ask each guest at the end of the show is: “what does empowerment mean to you?” The answers I get are different and amazing and the word empower has the word “power” in it. It’s about giving power and confidence and strength and this was one of my goals or intentions for the women’s empowerment show.
[5:27] I know many of the listeners are also women in business or leadership roles, and you may have heard, or been called some of the words I’ve mentioned above. But today we’re going to flip the script a bit. Because truthfully, nothing has meaning until we give it meaning. Including other people’s words or labels.
SO for the women out there who are being called “Aggressive” I want you to tap into your inner power and strength and swap aggressive with “Assertive.” Show your confidence, stand in your power.
This is a big one for me: I’ve been called “Bossy” a lot, but we’re now switching that to “Leading.” Keep leading ladies, you are a guide, a leader, an influencer, and you are important.
“Difficult” is another one that comes up, but is that true, or are we being “Honest + Truth Telling?” Sometimes the truth is difficult. Being honest can be tough at times, especially when no one else is stepping up to the plate, but someone’s got to do it babe, and *high* forkin *five* if that’s you.
What about when someone calls you “too much” or “so extra”? I say, “KEEP TAKING UP SPACE!” Let your light shine! Your inner fire is bright and if that is your authentic self showing up, then stand tall and wear your crown girl!
Last one, “awkward” cringy. I know. But maybe these are the women who are asking tough questions, and yeah, that can get real awko taco – but you know what – just like telling the truth and speaking honestly, asking tough questions is necessary.
But power doesn’t have to be based on struggle and opposition between two things. Power can mean what we want it to mean, and today I want us to rewrite our scripts in the ways we need to so that we can feel empowered in our inner power. Not over any other person, but rather power over our inner demons and negative mindset or self talk.
[7:51] MY FAVOURITE CHAKRA BOOK: Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith:
“To restructure the way we think of power and to channel and contain that power within our own being is the challenge of the third chakra. It transforms us, igniting our life with purpose. To have true power emanating from within renew the joy of being alive.”
[8:18] Okay… so what do we need to reclaim our power? Well, like I mentioned before, it’s a new script! It’s a new definition of power that elevates us out of struggle and into transformation. It pulls us out of our past and into the future. It’s a shift in a person to be inspiring, strengthening, and empowering to ourselves and to others.
[8:49] We can start by investigating the signs, signals, and information that our body sends us on a constant basis.
Signs of a healthy solar plexus chakra include:
Someone who is responsible and reliable
Balanced, and effective will
A warmth in personality
Confidence and a sense of personal power
Spontaneity, playfulness and a sense of humour
And also someone who is able to meet challenges
[9:16] As with all the chakras, the goal is to balance the energy centre so that our rainbow of chakras can flow and our body can be in alignment. However, there are times when our chakras become underactive, and overactive. This is also known as deficiency and excess, respectively.
Here are the signs of Core Chakra Deficiency:
Low energy
Poor self-discipline, low self-esteem
Poor digestions
Collapsed middle of the body; bad posture
Victim mentality, quick to blame others
Emotionally or physically cold
[9:53] Signs of an excessive Core chakra:
Overly aggressive, dominiating, controlling
The need to be right or have the last word
Manipulative, power hungry
Violent outbursts
Stubbornness
Arrogant
[10:07] Before we get into how to properly balance this energy centre let’s unfold the petals of the third chakra some more.
As we reach the third chakra we are climbing toward the upper level of the chakras. This is a lower level chakra where we start to become more aware of ourselves as individuals in the world. A necessary third chakra achievement is independence and autonomy. This is a very great piece from Eastern Body, Western Mind:
“Autonomy is essential for personal responsibility. If we cannot see ourselves as separate beings, we cannot take responsibility for our actions.”
[10:49] I believe being able to take responsibility for our own actions is what makes someone a mature adult. I also believe it’s part of our journey and our souls journey to understand and see our INDIVIDUATION. We begin to wake up into a larger awareness of the world, and our role in it.
We discover ourselves as whole, independent beings, with our own personal strength and power. We start to develop our strength, power and independence when we overcome challenges, and begin to define ourselves.
[11:21] While creating our own identity, we also form our EGO. This is the conscious element of the Self according to Carl Jung. It’s sort of the mediator between the inner and outer experience. I won’t get into it too much today, but basically – for my business babes out there – it’s essentially the CEO of the Self. It creates defenses to protect our vulnerability, it forms the statement of who we are, and it organizes the consciousness of our self-definition.
The key is to have a well-functioning ego that isn’t overpowering, but keeps us safe, engaged, and consistent in our Self. It keeps our inner energy balanced.
[12:05] SELF-ESTEEM is another important piece of our third chakra. Energetic strength requires self-esteem, and with even a basic level of trust in ourselves, we can better face the unknown. This is the part of ourselves that stays consistent when faced with a challenge. It’s the part of ourselves that doesn’t fall apart when things go wrong, and the part that knows it’s okay to make mistakes.
Previous Episodes on Confidence + Self Esteem:
Episode 48: What to Do When Fear Shows Up
Episode 63: How to Fail + Make Happiness Your Compass
It’s important for all areas of our health for our self-worth and self-esteem to be high. When we feel worthy, we are more likely to take care of ourselves and this in turn raises our vibration to attract higher quality vibrations of people, opportunity, and experiences into our lives. When people are taking better care of themselves, the feel good, and who doesn’t want to feel good?
[13:19] I started listening to the audio version of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey, and the first habit mentioned in the best-selling book, is being “PROACTIVE.”
Being proactive is the opposite of reactive (which is third chakra excess) or inactive (third chakra deficiency). Proactivity is all about choosing your actions, rather than controlling them or letting them be controlled by you. It starts deep in a mindset and shapes our daily behaviours. Proactive people take responsibility for creating their future. Proactive people believe they influence their environment. They don’t wait to see what happens, and they are not victims of circumstance. Practivity takes initiative and will.
[14:10] Of course it all adds up to our personal POWER. Here is another clip from Anodea Judith’s book:
“From the latin root podere, meaning “to be able,” power is the ability to make change and exists for one reason only – transformation. When the old has outgrown its purpose, it is time to transform it into something new. Power is not a thing, but a way. It is a process of becoming real.
We have power when we dare to live authentically, when we reach inside ourselves and tell the naked truth. The more we dare to take risks, to questions, to be true to yourself, the easier it becomes. Power comes when we are willing to make mistakes and to be responsible for them, to learn from them, and to correct them.”
[15:04] The third chakra is the engine to our power. Consider the following questions when reflecting on your personal power:
Do I take responsibility in my actions?
How strong is my self-esteem?
Am I practicing proactivity?
What is my current posture position telling me?
Am I living authentically?
Where in my life am I playing small?
Who do I know that embodies personal power and a balanced third chakra?
Where in my life can I take more risks?
I wrote these questions with the intention for us to dig a little deeper. I want us to really unfold our core chakra petals so that we can begin to heal this energy centre. When it comes to healing our chakras, what we’re most often doing is balancing them. Start by figuring out if your Solar Plexus chakra is deficient or excess, and then go from there.
[16:06] Healing deficiency will take some time as the energy must be built up slowly. Think of it like kindling a fire, we will gain strength little by little with a strong foundation that will create lasting change and strength.
Working on how we fuel the fire is similar to how we are fueling our bodies. Choosing to take better care of ourselves means consuming healthy foods that give us energy and vitality, along with moving our body to build physical strength and mental clarity. We are looking for both nourishment and support.
Listen to last week’s episode all about staying consistent with your wellness, to help you create a healthy lifestyle routine to build up a deficient core chakra.
Episode 78: How to Stay Consistent with Your Wellness
[16:51] When it comes to healing excess, there will be more energy, and this energy needs to be moved aka rerouted to other chakras. This healing will require more stillness, and quite. I have a free mediation available to help balance the core chakra. This is for both balancing deficiency and excess.
It might sound counter-productive, or counter intuitive, but scheduling downtime for the “art doing nothing” or practicing relaxing, restorative, or gentle yoga, can also be an important strategy for an overactive third chakra. As they are typically type-a people, this can be tough, however taking time away from goals or work is very important for the health of the solar plexus chakra.
[17:52] Have fun! Be playful! Be spontaneous! Laugh, and dance and let go of the need to be safe. This is not our intention in the world. Building your courage and confidence will take practice. You will make steps, leaps, and bounds toward your goals, moving further and further out of your comfort zone as you G R O W & GLOW!
Keep growing, learning, and expanding! Keep playing and loving yourself deeply. YOU. YOU my darling are an incredible, limitless being. Everything you need is already yours, and the rest you will learn and gain along the way.
Find that inner light and let it shine. Let the fire blaze and burn and brighten! Be the light and inspiration for others to shine their light too. Your power lies within you. It has always been there and will always be there. Always, always remember that no one can take your power… unless you let them.
Remember that it is SO OKAY to make mistakes. Learn to laugh at yourself sometimes.
Download the FREE Core Chakra Meditation
Podcast Host
Valerie LaVigne
Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!
