June feels particularly lush this year. As environmentalist Aldo Leopold observed, “In June, as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No person can heed all of these anniversaries; no person can ignore all of them.” Are you heeding some of these bursting buds? Are you feeling juicy, nourished, blooming, fragrant?

If you’re not feeling connected to the fertile abundance around and within you, spending some time working with the sacral chakra can help. The sacral chakra, in the lower belly, draws energy up from the root and uses it to fuel our vitality, creativity, sensuality, sexuality, playfulness, and sense of freedom and flow. This chakra is prone to developing constrictions, distortions, and blocks over time, especially for anyone raised in a family or culture that discouraged creativity or spontaneity, or for anyone who was told explicitly or implicitly that their sensuality or sexual expression was inappropriate or wrong, or for anyone who absorbed the message that their emotions were dangerous and something to be feared.

In other words, most of us in modern society would benefit from some sacral chakra healing. After learning to hold in, hold back, and suppress this powerful life force energy, we’re left wondering why we’re so depleted and uninspired.

Below are some simple practices to bring awareness to your sacral chakra patterns and also nourish and balance the part of your energy field that ideally feeds and fuels you on a deep level. Give them a try! For extra support and healing, join my monthly online group, or get in touch for a private and confidential one-on-one session.

Sacral chakra self-assessment

How “true” do these statements feel to you? Try answering on a scale of 1-10.

I feel “full of life”

I am passionate and energetic

I fully feel and express my emotions

I honor and prioritize my desires

I honor and nurture my creativity

I connect deeply to other people

I prioritize play and playfulness

I go with the flow

I embrace change

I feel free to express my sexuality

I prioritize sensuality and pleasure

I am a creative being

I feel free to be my true, authentic self

Which statements felt the most true? The most foreign? These qualities show up very differently for each of us, and it’s important to resist the tendency to compare yourself to others or to some idealized image. Finding your own specific expression of creativity, desire, sensuality, and playfulness, separate from any social conditioning, is what brings deep healing, revitalization, and freedom.

Nourishing the sacral chakra

How often do you make time for activities that are playful, creative, sensual, pleasurable, just for you, just for fun? Would you be more likely to do them if you knew they would feed and fuel you on a deep level? These are skills and muscles that can require some extra time and attention to develop, especially if you've gotten into the habit of prioritizing others and holding back or minimizing your own desires. And yet getting in touch with this aspect of the self is key for vitality and overall life force.

Here are some practices to try that nourish and support flow in the sacral chakra:

• Choose a day or time of day where you can just "follow your bliss" and see where you end up! Think flow, pleasure, spontaneity, indulgence... The statement for the sacral chakra is “I am alive!” What makes you really feel alive? 

• These simple exercises by Anodea Judith help build up a "charge" in the sacrum (I also love and recommend her book Charge and the Energy Body). Listen to your body and only do the exercises that feel good to you.

• Gently place your hands over the lower belly and imagine flooding the area with loving thoughts, compassion, and gratitude. Visualize a deep, rich, flowing, silky orange color. Do the same on the lower back (sacrum) and maybe a bit of massaging on either side of the spine, pressing in and pulling forward, creating spaciousness.

• Make time to express your creativity with an activity that feels playful and joyful and won’t activate your inner-critic. Dancing, singing, cooking, painting, drawing, sculpting, collaging, sewing, making music…just for the fun of it. The more goofy and child-like the better.

• Use the above affirmations in meditation, letting them resonate as truth.

Balancing an overcharged sacral chakra

If your sacral chakra is overly charged, that can also drain and deplete your energy. It might show up as impulsiveness, intense, stormy emotions, mood swings, addictive tendencies, compulsive behaviors, promiscuity, and lack of boundaries. Grounding the root chakra to establish a deep sense of support, stability, and security is important for balancing an overactive sacral chakra. My short guided meditation on grounding would be a great place to start (use password: chakragift).