Day 3 · Beginner journey
Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
Day 3 reaches the Manipura, the Solar Plexus chakra at the navel — the body's fiery centre of energy and drive. Traditionally, listlessness and low motivation are linked to a depleted Manipura. Today you'll stoke that fire with Sun Salutations and core work like Boat Pose.
The Solar Plexus chakra sits at the navel and is traditionally associated with energy, willpower and confidence. A simple way to activate it is Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) — up to around twelve rounds is a classic morning practice — which works strongly on this centre.
Follow the video through Sun Salutations and core-building poses such as Navasana (Boat Pose). Keep the breath steady and the belly engaged — the theme of Day 3 is energy and inner strength.
Today’s practice
- Warm up, then flow through a few rounds of Sun Salutation
- Follow the video into core work such as Boat Pose
- Keep the breath steady as you engage the belly
- Notice any lift in energy or focus afterward
Reflection
What would you take on today if you felt fully energised and confident?
Video transcriptIn this session, the teacher explains the Manipura (solar plexus) Chakra and guides Anisha through Navasana (boat pose) to activate and balance it.
Om Namaste, welcome to Yoga & You. We are at 136.1 Yoga Studio.
So in the last session we covered the Swadhisthana Chakra, and today we'll move to the Manipura Chakra. So the Manipura Chakra is located in the navel and it's a very masculine chakra. It's associated with energy, and the reason people feel very listless and lethargic is because of a deficiency in this chakra.
So how do you activate this chakra? The simplest way is the Surya Namaskar, which you do every morning. Surya Namaskar, a maximum of 12 every day, is perfect, and the chakra which it focuses on mainly is the Manipura Chakra.
Apart from that, we'll do the Navasana, which is the boat pose. Anisha will demonstrate it for us. Anisha, lift both your legs up at a 45 degree angle and your hands out straight. Okay, exhale and come down. Okay, now inhale once more. I want you to focus on that area, on that particular chakra, when you're doing this. Okay, so once more. Okay, use your stomach muscles and keep the knees straight. Okay, exhale and relax and come back into a sitting position.
So basically for the Manipura Chakra, anything which strengthens the core of the body, the middle of your body, is good for that chakra. It increases and it balances that chakra. Even an overdose of energy in that chakra is bad for you, because then you become overactive. That means there's too much energy in you, so it needs to be balanced, and I suggest Surya Namaskar as the ideal way to keep it balanced.