Daffodils, Yoga and the Manipura Chakra

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

You may wonder, “What do daffodils, Yoga, and the Manipura Chakra have in common?” Well, the color yellow, of course! Daffodils are among the first flowers to peak above the earth during springtime.

Daffodils in History

They represent the continual process of regeneration and the optimism of new beginnings. Daffodils are traditionally symbolic of wealth and abundance. In China, the daffodil is strongly associated with good fortune and is culturally related to the Chinese New Year. Within many cultures worldwide, yellow represents lightness, energy, wealth, and the optimism of new beginnings.

Properties of Manipura Chakra

According to chakra theory, the Manipura Chakra is the body’s third chakra or energy center. It is located at the level of the solar plexus. This chakra is primarily associated with yellow and is known as the radiant gem. This fiery chakra governs the digestive fire, self-esteem, and initiative.

When the Manipura Chakra moves freely, an individual’s sense of self-direction and self-esteem are strong. When ambition, self-esteem, and the fire to follow through on one’s goals are vital, wealth often follows. However, when this chakra is closed or hampered somehow, a Yoga practitioner may find it more challenging to generate the initiative to start new projects and work towards personal and professional goals.

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Seasonal Energy

This sense of determination, energy, and optimism may be dulled by the heaviness of the winter season. As springtime arrives, many Yoga practitioners find a new sense of power and hope that arises from within them. They are practicing Yoga asanas to help dispel inertia.

Therefore, you generate more warrior energy, which will, in turn, support you in starting new projects and manifesting your dreams. A healthy Manipura Chakra will make it easier to speak up for yourself, assert your will in different situations, and generate a sense of vitality and warmth in your belly region.

Surrounding yourself with the color yellow, whether in the form of a bunch of delicately scented daffodils or yellow pillows and curtains, will also help nurture a healthy Manipura Chakra. Additionally, offering selfless service to your community and laughing are said to increase the energy of the Manipura Chakra.

Incorporating Poses

In terms of Yoga practice, incorporating poses that expressly release tension and generate energy in the solar plexus will help to dispel inertia and invigorate your entire being. This invigoration will help fuel the process of initiating new projects, speaking up for yourself, and following through on the many tasks that must be accomplished to make your dreams and goals a reality.

If you are a Yoga teacher, teaching a sequence of Yoga posture during your class that helps to generate energy and warmth in the area of the Manipura Chakra will support your students in feeling the warrior energy within their beings.

Nurturing Energy

Likewise, if you are a Yoga practitioner, include Yoga asanas into your practice regularly that nurture the power and freedom of movement in the solar plexus region. This movement will help to dispel any inertia that may have settled into that area of your body during the long, cold winter months.

Practicing Warrior I, Warrior II, and Warrior III poses are some of the quintessential Yoga asanas to increase warrior energy throughout the body.

Value of Twisting Postures

Practicing twisting postures also helps release inertia and “stuck energy” in the solar plexus region. Yoga poses such as Eagle Pose, Seated Spinal Twist, and Revolved Crescent Lunge all help to generate energy and warmth in the Manipura Chakra.

These twisting postures release deep-seated tension in the shoulders and the thoracic spine, increasing the flow of prana or life force energy throughout your being. A regular practice of Yoga postures that includes many of these poses will be sure to increase your warrior energy and fill you with new vitality and optimism, which will, in turn, support you in initiating and manifesting your goals, dreams, and desires.