How To Open Your Sacral Chakra

Those who have attended a yoga class or practiced meditation have likely been encouraged to "open" their chakras. According to the International Association of Reiki Professionals, chakra is a Sanskrit term that means "wheel" or "disk." These wheels of energy and light are located along seven points in the body, from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra in our body is charged with taking in, incorporating, and emanating energy in order to maintain our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

There are a total of seven chakras in the human body: the root chakra, located at the base of the spine; the sacral chakra, located slightly below the navel; the solar plexus chakra, located "slightly above the navel;" the heart chakra, located in the "heart region;" the throat chakra, located near the throat and neck; the third-eye chakra, located in the middle of the forehead; and the crown chakra, located at the top of the head, according to Holistic Harmony. 

When these chakras aren't properly aligned or open, certain physical, emotional, and spiritual ailments may overwhelm the body. Eventually, each person is ultimately hoping to see prana, or the "ultimate pure healing energy," within each chakra, as Fern Olivia, a reiki healer and yoga instructor, told Well + Good. "[W]hen the chakras are open and aligned, our energy is constantly free-flowing, allowing prana to flow through them."

In direct contrast with the root chakra, which is located at the base of the spine and is associated with survival, the sacral chakra, located just below the navel, is centered around emotional and creative energy, per Conscious Items. Additionally, the sacral chakra houses your sexual energy. "This chakra houses our emotions, passions, and pleasures -– the things that emotionally satiate us and give us joy and is considered the creative and sexual energy center of the body," Ambi Kavanagh, a reiki healer, astrologer, and author, told Well + Good. You will likely be able to tell that your sacral chakra is blocked when you experience emotional instability, a lack of creativity, low libido, fertility issues, or various addictions.

Since the sacral chakra is connected to water, opening this particular chakra can be done by participating in activities that take place in water, like taking a bath or swimming. Additionally, given the fact that the sacral chakra also governs our creativity, embarking upon a creative project that involves painting, drawing, dancing, or singing can also open it, per Conscious Items. You can align your body and open the sacral chakra by doing hip-opening movements through dancing and different yoga asanas or poses that specifically stretch and open the hips, according to Well + Good. Carrying around amber, coral, orange calcite, citrine, orange aventurine, carnelian, and hematite crystals can also provide some healing powers for your sacral chakra.