Svadhishthana : Second, Sacral Chakra

Over-view

  • Svadhishthana means “seat of my own self".

  • The second chakra is located In the watery region of the god Varuna. You can focus your mind in the area of the abdomen, lower back, sexual organs and sacrum.

  • The Bija Mantra or subtle vibration, of the water element is Vam लँ pronounce as VANG By repeating the  mantra and concentrating inwardly on the sound, we can awaken the energy within the chakra.

  • The element of Svadhishthana is Water, it controls the liquid in the body, and the sub-conscious mind (manomaya kosa) where our samskaras and karma are stored until we release them by coming to understand them. Water is formless, flowing, cleansing and adaptable. It can be a powerful, destructive force  like a flood or relentless torrent or it can be gentle and flowing like a brook. It can be calm and clear like the undisturbed surface of a lake or it can be the ocean's rough and wild surf.

  • Water is ever changing, like emotions are forever changing. Svadhishthana is the seat of emotions, by meditating on Svadhishthana we can safely become conscious of our weaknesses and problems, we can work through them and release them, freeing ourselves through study of spiritual teachings and with the guidance of spiritual masters or psychological professionals. In the process we become wiser.

  • The essence of this subtle water is Amrita, the nectar of immortality, drunk to attain a higher level of knowledge and power.

  • The ancient yogis saw a white crescent moon within Svadhishthana. The moon shape is formed by two different-sized circles one inside the other, translucent like water. This translucent moon is called “Ambhoja Mandala”. Ambhoja means pure white lotus or jasmine  born of the water.

  • The vayu or vital breath of the chakra is Apana.

  • Our weaknesses and mistakes and samskaras are located in this Chakra, so here is a valuable opportunity to raise our  consciousness to a higher level. We can bring our emotions under control, transform them and ultimately transcend them, bringing an attitude of peace, light, loving kindness, trust and understanding. By meditating on Svadhishthana we can strengthen our power of self control and overcome weakness and obstacles on our path to enlightenment and self knowledge.
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  • I just read something I didn't know, that each chakra has a portal where it manifests on the earth. For Svadhishthana this place is Lake Titicaca on the border of Bolivia and Peru. I looked it up it said that the Incas call it the Cradle of the World and believed it to be the birth place of the sun and it's people. So I guess that makes sense, this huge, serene, high lake was formed by an earthquake 60 million years ago and filled with water from melting glaciers. Svadhishthana involves the element of water and is located in the area of the body of the reproductive organs. Perhaps there are numerous portals on the earth for chakras.

The Symbol
​The two inner circles that form the crescent moon also have petals; the larger one has eight outward facing petals, and the smaller one has eight inwards facing petals. 
The petals of Svadhishthana represent positive and negative  emotions, when we express our negative emotions they can be destructive. During meditation we can learn to assimilate negative emotions stored in Svadhishtana and let them go.  We can learn to free ourselves of them through practice and wisdom.
In meditation, focus on what is happening within. Our suffering is not caused by the outside world, but by our own thoughts and feelings about it. Turn your mind inward to connect to to your true self, away from the outside world of ego.
Nothing negative actually exists, everything just is as it is. An individual is not actually bad, but the qualities that we adopt can be negative, not us – and it is these negative traits that we can correct and change. That is why we need to work on ourselves.

Deities within Svadhishthana

​​SARASWATI is the goddess of knowledge, wisdom and the fine arts.
Her name means to flow and was once a mighty river of purification that became a dry river bed by 2000BC. She equates with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom; Benzaiten, the Japanese Goddess of everything that flows, water, words, eloquence and knowledge.
​Through knowledge and wisdom we learn to be able to flow with whatever the universe presents us with.
​​BRAHMĀ – creator, consciousness, father of knowledge. Brahma was both the father and husband of Saraswati. When he created Saraswati, he thought she was so beautiful that he could not stop gazing upon her, that is why he has 4 heads, from twisting his head around to look at her. He grew a fifth head but young Shiva lopped it off as a punishment for being infatuated with his daughter. Brahma continued to pursue her and took her as his wife. Brahma’s love for Saraswati is deemed wrong as incest and as a creator’s egoistic love for his creation but when knowledge reacts upon creation and sets into motion its further development.
Brahma rides on a swan which symbolizes intelligence, purity, judgment, skill, grace, knowledge and creativity. 
​Just as we learn to analyse our feelings and emotions and to ride their waves with non-attachment, the reciprocal process between Brahmā and Sarasvatī, consciousness and knowledge, takes place.​ 
​​The female energy or Vishnu's creative aspect is Rakini or Chakini Shakti,
She has two heads , one looking inward to our true-self and one looking outward into the world.
Her four arms hold an arrow, a skull, a drum, and an axe and she is seated on a red lotus. She is one of the forms of Kundalini Shakti.
She has a fierce appearance that symbolizes  uncontrolled imagination, desires and emotions (and the dangers of this).
​VAYUNA is the god of the sea and associated with clouds, water and rivers. Like Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, he contains all the knowledge of the oceans. He has thousand eyes and oversees the whole world. He is the lord of morals, dispensing justice and punishment. He removes negative elements and protects virtuous elements.
Vayuna’s palace has 1000 gates to symbolize and represent his uninterrupted movement and knowledge.

​VISHNU - is bright blue with yellow pants, a green silk scarf and is covered in jewels. He has four arms holding: The conch: the sound this produces 'Om', represents the primeval sound of creation
The chakra, or discus: symbolises the mind
The lotus flower: glorious existence and liberation
The mace: represents mental and physical strength.
He is the eternal life-force of the universe, the present, the preserver, he restores the balance of good and evil. 
Vishnu is seated on the Garuda, an eagle, the king of the birds, representing the five vayus. 
​There are two special “jewels” hidden in the Svadhishthana Chakra you can use: ICCHĀ SHAKTI (willpower) and KRĪYA SHAKTI (vigour/drive).
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Makara protecting my favorite temple in Chaing Mai, Thailand
A Makara, emblem of the waters is present in the bottom. In the Hindu culture, the Makara is a legendary water monster upon which Varuna, the sea god rode.​ It is depicted as half land and half sea animal. Ganga the river goddess also used it as her vahana, or vehicle. The vahana of the Hindu gods were their emblems.​ Makara is also the emblem of Kamadeva, the god of love and desire. Makara are guardians of gateways and thresholds, protecting throne rooms and entryways to temples​

The Vrittis of Svadhisthana​

​There are six petals indicates the crossing of six nadis in this energy centre. Each petal bearing the Sanskrit letters ba ( बं ), bha ( भं ) , ma ( मं ) , ya( यं ) , ra( रं ), and la ( लं ). Pronounced ​Bang, bhang, mang, yang, rang, lang.
​ Ba बं     Avajiná:  indifference, contempt, distain, Belittlement of others
​​ Bha भं   Múrcchá: Laziness, lack of common sense, Psychic stupor, fainting, gullibility
 Ma मं    Prashraya: Affection, Indulgence
​ Ya यं     Avishvása: Lack of confidence, self-doubt
​ Ra रं     Sarvanásha: Thought of sure annihilation, fear, defeatism, purposelessness
​ La लं     Kruratá: cruelty, pitilessness or mercilessness

Positive effects of the Vrittis and ways to help overcome the negative aspects

​​1. Ba बं   Avajiná:  indifference, contempt, distain, Belittlement of others

​Some ways to overcome contempt are:
  • Don't belittle the efforts of others. 
  • Be compassionate if someone is sad or suffering and hope that their situation will improve, help if you can.
  • Be supportive of someone who is doing good.
  • Do not remain indifferent if someone is harming society.
  • Always be humble, consider yourself the lowest so that  you are open to learn from everyone.
  • Develop empathy, the opposite of contempt. Empathy involves caring about others feelings and concerns.
The fairy story of King Thrushbeard is a wonderful illustration of a disdainful and haughty person who is humbled and learns to overcome her contempt of others.
https://www.worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Brothers_Grimm/Grimm_household_tales/King_Thrushbeard.html
https://youtu.be/xyN8fZqNjhI​

​​2. Bha भं   Múrcchá: Laziness, lack of common sense, Psychic stupor, fainting, gullibility

  • It is important to relax after working hard or your body and mind will wear out.
  • But laziness will make you grumpy. You won't develop your skills or grow to your full potential.
  • Mental laziness is when you think you can't do something, like you think you can't get out of bed. That is what your mind is telling you, when in fact your body is quite capable. I used to trick myself when I didn't want to get up, I'd bribe myself with the thought of a cup of coffee. I'd tell myself I could bring the coffee back to bed, but once I was up I'd say "haha, tricked you, you're up now," I fell for it every time!
  • Psychic stupor is misbelief about spirituality, eg doing yoga only for the physical benefits will make you a yogini or yogi, In India they are referred to as bhogis, because a true yogi or yogini has gained Samadhi.
​Some ways to overcome lethargy are:
  • If you feel lazy, then do something.
  • Develop dedication and commitment, this will bring you respect.
  • Only say yes if you mean it. Too often people agree to do something when they have no real intention of committing to it. Lack of commitment lets yourself and others down and erodes your confidence. Others may come to think of you as unreliable and untrustworthy.
  • Search for spirituality.
  • Direct the mind toward truth through meditation and pranayama.
  • Do not remain in ignorance. Ignorance is the realm of Maya, the limited, purely physical and mental reality in which our everyday consciousness has become entangled. Maya is an illusion, a veiling of the true-self or the Cosmic Spirit. It is easy to live in Maya, in the realm of ignorance, never moving from your comfort zone, but you will not live a satisfying life. ​

3. Ma मं   Prashraya: Affection, Indulgence

When you are too affectionate you may be inclined to over indulging others, like overfeeding a cute little dog with chocolates because he likes them. That isn't kindness, that will make the little dog fat and unhealthy. Kindness is weakness when it makes another person into an invalid or encourages them to exploit us. Help a little, see if your help is utilized, then help some more if you are able to. Don't let people walk all over you. Of course this needs to be tempered with and compassion and good sense. Some ways of overcoming a propensity to be too kind are:
  • Make your children put away their own toys instead of tidying up after them.
  • Don't let people take advantage of you
  • Learn to say no
​​I used to take care of a lady in a wheel chair. Because I had so much sympathy and compassion for her, I stayed in the job for 2 years even though she made my work unbearable because of her complaints and fussiness. She turned everyone into slaves around her. I did all the handy-man chores and painted her house, I made her a beautiful garden, I made her lunch, which she used to send back to the kitchen if it it had a little  too much lettuce or tomato on the plate, or needed more salt and pepper. She wasn't grateful. She abused me when I eventually quit.
Another example is the story of the stolen bicycle in India, by then I had learned that to over-indulge people is not kindness. I bought the family a new bike, but they wanted a better bike, then they wanted me to buy their little girl a tricycle. I wanted to help them but I refused to be taken advantage of. Later when I saw how much my kindness was appreciated and what a difference it was making to them, I did more. 
https://www.sahasrashope.com.au/the-story-of-the-bicycle-in-india.html

4. Ya यं  Avishvása: Lack of confidence, self-doubt

When I helped the family in India, I did it without thought of return, but they started to help me! They dressed me in my saree, and in a beautiful gesture they invited to come on a trip all the way around the sacred mountain of Tiruvannamalai. I saw their confidence grow, the children smiled instead of scowled, they were so excited about the toys I gave them. I saw the husband sitting out the front of his shop, fresh and clean in new shirt.
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​Doubt can be a positive function of the intellect that allows us to tell the difference between right and wrong and to make good decisions based on our reasoning.
  • It causes us to question reality and the appearance of Maya.
  • When we have no doubt we have certainty, peace and composure.
  • But ​doubt can erode your confidence. 
​Some ways to overcome doubt: 
  • Have faith in yourself
  • Trust in the universe, give up attachment to the results of your actions. Do something instead of procrastinating. Overcome obstacles one at a time.
  • Trust yourself, tell yourself "I can do this".
  • Realize that past errors and bad experiences can be turned into positive experiences once you learn the lesson that the experience was there to teach you. Then you can let go of the negative experience and just keep the lesson for next time.
  • Don't blame other people for your problems. Look to yourself for the answers.
  • Be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself.
  • Don't take criticism to heart, use it as a helpful tool to improve yourself.
  • If you find yourself in a difficult situation and are not sure what to do, trust your instincts.

​​5. Ra रं   Sarvanásha: Thought of sure annihilation, fear, defeatism, purposelessness

    When nothing excites, nothing pleases, all seems lost. 
  • The recent covid virus is a perfect example. Everyone in Australia thought they were going to die and rushed out and bought all the toilet paper they could get. I was completely mystified, I could buy toilet paper whenever I ran out. They thought they were headed towards sure annihilation, when in the end less people died of the virus than usually die from the flu and no one caught the flu because everyone learned to follow hygiene rules. I know that Australia has been fortunate. I worked all year to reassure people that everything was going to be ok.
Some ways you can overcome defeatism are
  • To know you are a winner, do not be a victim.
  • You can overcome all obstacles. Encourage others to think like this so no one becomes discouraged.
  • Don't listen to negative self-talk.
  • Remember! You can do anything you think of, you just need to believe in yourself!
  • Once you gain control of your mind through meditation you are in charge of your thoughts and feelings.
  • If you find yourself heading towards or are in a depression, you have the ability to change the way you think, change how you are feeling and change your actions. Believe that you can and you will.
  • Don't become negative emotions. Don't push them away either or they fight to become stronger. Just let them be what they are without letting them consume you. There is a difference in saying "I am sad" to saying "I feel sad". If you ARE sad it has taken you over, if you FEEL sad, you can observe the emotion and it will eventually vanish. It is the nature of emotions to change. You can do this with other negative emotions, such as grief, just give the emotion space, take care of the feeling, as you would take care of an injury and it will eventually heal.
  • Be Mindful. This will help with defeatism and depression. Look at the present moment, not the past or future.

6. La लं  Kruratá: cruelty, pitilessness or mercilessness

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The other day I saw a hawk devouring a bird, just on the street, right out side my house. We looked at each other for a little while, it was very unusual thing to see, then we each carried on with our own business. As I was standing there, I didn't think the hawk was cruel, it is the natural order of things.
  • Compassion is the key. 
  • The positive of this vritti is self preservation. We need to consume other organisms to survive, but we can do this in a kind and human way. I get ill if I don't eat meat so I eat meat for my own self preservation , I feel grateful to the beings who continue their existence as part of my body. Everything is one.
  • Cutting flowers might be cruel, they are living organisms too, eating vegetables is cruel, we are also eating another organism. Not eating eggs is cruel, chickens love to lay eggs, not drinking milk is cruel, not milking a cow is cruel as it can get mastitis. I used to have farm with cows and chickens and fresh vegetables and flowers. I didn't think I was cruel, I considered that I lived naturally and healthily.
  • It is important to consider where your food comes from, the meat I eat comes from the cattle I see in the fields around me and I don't eat pork.
  • Cutting down trees is cruel, trees are living organisms, and can often grow older than human beings. And they provide homes to other creatures. It's cruel to our planet too and is depriving us of fresh oxygen.
  • If you encounter cruelty in other human beings, try counteracting it with compassion. It can be hard to understand why someone is deliberately cruel or have compassion for them. I think about how bad it must be to be that way, who knows what that person suffered in their life to be the way they are. It must be awful to have to live with yourself. Pity them, karma will be their pay-back. If you can forgive you can you be free of anger and hatred.
When we have worked through and freed ourselves from the six negative emotions within Svadhishthana we will find joy, cheerfulness, faith, self-confidence and vigour!
Pranayama: Left nostril breathing called Ida Nadi breathing will help to open up the second chakra as it brings forth lunar energy. Simply close your right nostril with the first two fingers of your right hand and inhale and exhale through the left nostril, only for 8 to 10 breaths.


People with high blood pressure, heart problems or poor blood supply in the brain should abstain from this pránáyáma.

​With the control of uddiyana (the lower abdomen), prana, the life force is constantly forced to fly upward, ascending sushumna nadi.​
Meditation on Svadhisthana 
Rest you mind on the area inside your body where you feel the energy of Svadhisthana. It is in the region below the navel, above the pubic bone, in the pelvic region, where the reproductive organs are. Visualize the image of Svadhisthana. Repeat silently to yourself the syllable of the petal or petals to clear your mind. When your mind becomes clear, cease your silent chanting and watch whatever my arise in your mind. Don't follow your thoughts, just let them be, watch them as if you are watching a movie. 

​​New Age meaning and symbolism: 

 "this is Western chakra system, originally appropriated from India but now almost totally divorced from its Indian prototype and revised and elaborated primarily on the basis of the New Age religion."
  • The element is water
  • sense is taste​
  • The ovaries and testes are the physical glands which are associated with this chakra.
  • ​Overactive Solar Plexus Chakra symptoms: Aggressive and angry, perfectionistic or overly critical of oneself or others
  • Underactive Solar Plexus Chakra symptoms: self-esteem issues, indecisive, timid, lacking self-control or self-confidence, and issues with the digestive system
  • The colour is orange representing enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, attraction, success, encouragement, emotion, and stimulation. The sunrise and sunset.
  • It is the seat of our desires, feelings and emotions.
  • ​When we are working with Svadhisthana chakra we work with suppressed emotions and feelings of guilt and shame. We have to face and accept our flaws.​
  • ​​Svadhisthana Chakra is about movement, flow, care, pleasure, sexuality, relationships, procreation, change, sensuality and creativity
  • It is concerned with flow and flexibility of body and mind
  • It is attached to the sciatic nerve
​​​​​Solar Chakra Healing Tips:
  • Affirmations. Because they can boost self-esteem and overall good feelings positive affirmations are a good place to start with healing a solar plexus imbalance. Some examples include “I am worthy of my own self-love” and “I am perfect just as I am.”
    Super self-care. One of the main reasons this chakra gets block is because of the tendency to focus on helping everyone but ourselves. Instead of looking outward, focus on taking care of you. Say ‘no’ instead of yes, do things that make you happy, and put your own needs first daily.

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https://www.artzolo.com
​https://www.alittlesparkofjoy.com/chakras/
Svadhishthana Chakra /Sacral Chakra: Unlocking The Secrets (curejoy.com)
About the Svadhishthana Chakra (chakras.net)
​https://www.ancient.eu/Vishnu/
​https://www.tantra-kundalini.com/svadhisthana/
VARUNA (radha.name)
https://chakralight.weebly.com/svadhisthana.html
Svadhishthana Chakra – SivaSakti
म ma | Hindi Language (हिन्दी) Alphabet | M(A)L MasterAnyLanguage.com
​Dharmabindu - Múrcchá, o pránáyáma nas escrituras clássicas do Hatha Yoga