Ego. Zest for life. Intuition. Personal strength.

Symbol: Yellow lotus flower with ten petals. The triangle in the middle represents fire.

The solar plexus chakra is the third chakra. In Sanskrit, it is called Manipura and means ‘shining gemstone’. This fire chakra is found in the upper abdomen, between the navel and the sternum. The solar plexus chakra is associated with personal strength, ego, zest for life and intuition. The chakra is closely linked to thoughts, which are often dependent on your feelings and therefore easily gets out of balance.

A harmonious and balanced solar plexus chakra contains the source of more energy and focus. You may find it easier to get things done or trust your instinct more and become better at defending yourself.

An underdeveloped solar plexus chakra can cause a feeling of lack of direction, insecurity and fear of challenging yourself, as well as causing indigestion or stomach pain.

An overdeveloped solar plexus chakra can result in excessive industriousness, perfectionism, addiction or overreactions.

Create balance in your solar plexus chakra: Show yourself some self-love. Do things that create peace in your life and reduce the feeling of stress. It could be meditation, or a walk into nature. Breathe deep into your stomach. Listen. Smell. Feel. And find peace in your own core.

To create perfect balance in your solar plexus chakra, you also need create a feeling of being grounded in your root chakra and well-being in your sacral chakra.

Gemstones that support your solar plexus chakra: Opal. Smoky quartz. Blush moonstone. Topaz. Amber. Tiger eye. Yellow calcite. Citrine.