Yin Yoga Poses for the Solar Plexus Chakra

Your solar plexus chakra has to do with your relationship with yourself. Whereas your first two chakras, the root and sacral chakras, focus on your relationship with the outside world and with others, the third chakra, or manipura, is different. This chakra everything to do with your thoughts and feelings related to your confidence, self-esteem, and sense of deservingness.

Practicing yoga poses for the solar plexus chakra, which is located just above the navel at the center of the abdomen, means finding balance. You don’t want any of your chakras to be underactive or overactive. When the solar plexus chakra is underactive, you might think poorly about yourself and experience low self-esteem. When it’s overactive, you might feel a little cocky and be tempted to think that you’re better than other people. Neither of these extremes are what you want.

These yin yoga poses for the solar plexus chakra help you try to find balance in between humility and overconfidence. It focuses primarily on twists and side bends, bringing compression and expansion of the solar plexus area of your body.

I also like to use affirmations as a way to connect us to the themes of the sacral chakra. The purpose of this isn’t to trick or convince yourself that the affirmations are true. Instead, simply repeat each affirmation back to yourself and observe the way it makes you feel. Some of them will feel good and be easy to listen to, which means that you probably don’t have a lot of work to do in that area. If any affirmations make you feel a little uncomfortable or you don’t believe them to be true about yourself, these are the ones that you want to give a little more attention. They’re like a little flag being waved and telling you it needs a little more work and nurturance.

Yin Yoga Poses for the Solar Plexus Chakra

Since the solar plexus chakra relates to the midsection, this yin yoga practice helps you work on opening the side of the waist as well as the hips. These poses don’t require props although you’re welcome to include them.

Sitting in Silence

Begin sitting any way that feels comfortable to you. Close your eyes and let your hands rest on your knees as you take some slow breaths, in and out through your nose, to clear your mind. See if you can breathe into that space of the solar plexus, which is just above the navel. Bring your right hand to that solar plexus, left hand on top, and we’ll take a cleansing breath here, breathing into that space, inhaling through the nose and exhaling out the mouth. Stay with your breath.

Say to Yourself: What is your relationship with yourself? How are your your confidence, your self-esteem, and your self-worth?

Square Pose With a Twist

From sitting, stack your right ankle over your left knee to stack one shin directly over the other. So my right knee is over my left ankle and my right ankle is over my left knee in Square Pose. Flex your feet. If this pose feels too intense for your hips, you can sit on a block or folded blankets or tuck folded blankets or a pillow in between your knee and ankle.

You can also opt for a less-intense version by sitting with your right shin in front of your left shin instead of stacked on top of it.

From here, initiate a twist by turning your chest toward your right foot. Stay upright or start to walk your hands forward as you lean ahead. To intensify the twist, you can hook your right elbow against your right foot. I like to prop myself up on my hands or forearms. Sometimes I  prop my forehead up with my hand, Take your time to get settled in the shape.

Say to Yourself: I deserve to be seen and heard. I deserve to be seen and heard.

Seated Side Bend

Slowly start to unwind and lift up and out of the pose. Before you repeat this on the other side, straighten your right leg out to the side, bring your left foot toward your inner right thigh, and lean over toward your right in a side bend and hang out here a little, feeling the stretch through the left side body. You can rest your right elbow to the mat and rest your head on your hand if you like. Breath here.

Say to Yourself: My confidence inspires others. My confidence inspires others.

Square Pose With a Twist

Slowly start to lift all the way back up, continuing to focus on your breath even as you transition. And then make your way to Square Pose on the other side, so stacking your left ankle over your right knee and flexing both feet. Remember, you can always modify this by bringing one shin in front of the other instead of stacking them. Then take a little twist here. You can stay here or walk your hands forward and all the way down.

Say to Yourself: I am worthy of love, success, and happiness. I am worthy of love, success and happiness.

Seated Side Bend

Straighten your left leg out to the side, bring your right foot in, and move into a side body stretch on your other side as you lean over toward your straight leg.

Say to Yourself:  I am comfortable standing up for myself. I am comfortable standing up for myself.

Side Seal Pose

Extend both your legs out straight and roll onto your right hip and leg. You’re trying to really stretch through the right side of your waist, from the hip all the way to the shoulder. You’re propping yourself onto your right hand or forearm. You can deepen the sensation here by pressing your elbow straight and bringing the hand closer toward you. Or you can make it less intense by moving your palm or forearm farther away. You can stagger your legs rather than stack them if it helps with balance. You can use your left hand for support. Just breathe into this space you’re creating through the right side of your body.

Say to Yourself: Strength and courage flow through me. Strength and courage flow through me.

Start to bend into your knees, bending into the elbow, and release this pose and then take it on the other side.

Say to Yourself: I respect and care for myself. I respect and care for myself.

Reclined Spinal Twist

Lower down onto your back, bend your knees, and open your arms. I like to lift the hips and move them a few inches to the left before letting both knees lower over to the right. You can cross your left thigh over your right one if you want to intensify the twist.

Say to Yourself: I deserve to go after my dreams. I deserve to go after my dreams.

Slowly bring yourself back to center, shift your hips a little to the right, and your knees lower to the left.

Say to Yourself: I am empowered and I empower others. I am empowered and I empower others.

Constructive Rest

Engage your belly to float your knees back up. Allow your knees to fall inward and rest against each other and simply pause here as a counter pose as you tune in.

Savasana

Make your way into Savasana by extending your legs straight and drawing your shoulders away from your ears and resting your arms alongside you, palms facing the sky. Close your eyes and get comfortable here.

Say to Yourself: I love and accept myself exactly as I am. I love and accept myself exactly as I am.

Sitting in Stillness

Begin to deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, turn your wrists and ankles, maybe extend your arms overhead in a stretch, and roll over to one side before taking a seat. Sit up tall in any way that is comfortable for your hips and lower back. Pause here and focus one last time on the solar plexus area and observing the effects of your practice and making a commitment to yourself to focus in on any of the affirmations that might require a little more work so you can find true balance between humility and overconfidence and find a healthy self esteem.