Understanding the Sacral Chakra: Flow, Emotion, and the Element of Water
by Billie Atherstone

Svādhiṣṭhāna
The Chakra of Flow & Emotion

The chakra system serves as a roadmap for understanding and balancing our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. The second chakra, known as Svādhiṣṭhāna in Sanskrit, governs our emotions, creativity, pleasure, and intimacy.

This is our chakra of movement and fluidity — where we learn to be in our flow. The mind, our state, our emotions, and our impressions are always in flux. This is our nature.

The Element of Water

Life is in constant motion, and so are we. Our inner world moves like the ocean — sometimes calm and clear, sometimes wild and unpredictable. When the ocean is still, we can see into its depths — a reflection of our inner clarity and consciousness. When the water moves gently, we are connected to our rhythm, flowing with awareness. When the waters grow turbulent, we are tossed by waves of emotion, thought, and reaction — reflecting our inner storms, our trauma, and the influence of our environment.

In practice, awareness is the anchor that allows us to ride the waves rather than be swept away. Through conscious breath and movement, we return to the still depths beneath the surface — to the essence of who we are.

When this chakra is balanced, we feel connected to this natural rhythm. We meet the ebb and flow of life with grace, attuned to our needs, feelings, and desires without losing ourselves in them.

When out of balance, we may feel disconnected from our emotions or trapped by them — swinging between suppression and overwhelm. We may deny our needs, feel guilty for wanting pleasure, or struggle to trust the ease of enjoyment. These patterns often begin in childhood, formed by how emotion and desire were modelled to us. Were our feelings welcomed or dismissed? Was pleasure seen as indulgent or celebrated?

Development of the Sacral Chakra

Anodea Judith writes that the second chakra develops between six months and two years of age — the time we begin exploring pleasure, curiosity, and emotional expression. If guilt or shame became entangled with these natural impulses, we may have learned to repress or mistrust them.

“Desire is not the trap, but the fuel for action. It is the object of our desires that often gets confused. When we understand the deeper needs behind our desires, we are more able to satisfy ourselves at the core level.”
— Anodea Judith

This chakra invites us to reclaim the right to feel — to embrace the full spectrum of emotion from sorrow to delight. Emotions are sacred messengers, guiding us toward balance and wholeness.

When in flow, we can be guided by these emotional messages — they are giving us important information, helping us to realise what truly matters to us. When we sit with them in curiosity and wonder, we can explore without judgement what lies beneath these feelings. They help us connect to our needs. From here, we can create conscious action that aligns with our deeper, authentic needs. This is how we reconnect to the deeper wisdom of our unchanging Self — the stillness beneath the waves.

Building Emotional Capacity

All change begins with acceptance. Our practice builds the capacity to hold space for all that we feel — not through detachment that avoids, but through compassionate awareness that witnesses.

What you feel is part of being human. Can you hold yourself gently through it? Can you be intimate with yourself in moments of vulnerability and offer nurturing connection? When we are kind to ourselves, we naturally extend that kindness outward.

To trust what we feel is to trust life itself. This is the essence of Svādhiṣṭhāna — learning to move with, not against, the flow of emotion and desire.

Understanding the Sacral Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Svādhiṣṭhāna — meaning sweetness
Element: Water
Colour: Orange — the colour of flow, emotion, and creativity
Location: Two inches below the navel, in the lower abdomen and pelvis
Governing areas: Reproductive system, kidneys, bladder, hips, and lower back
Developmental stage: 6 months to 2 years — developing emotional awareness and the right to feel
Seed sound (Bīja Mantra): VAM
Themes: Flow, emotion, creativity, pleasure, intimacy, adaptability
When balanced: You feel emotionally expressive, creative, connected, and able to experience joy and intimacy with ease.
When imbalanced: You may experience emotional instability, guilt, shame, rigidity, or disconnection from pleasure and desire.

In Practice

Yoga and meditation are sacred spaces for this work — to meet ourselves where we are and listen deeply. Rather than pushing away or fixing what arises, we soften and inquire:

  • What am I feeling right now?
  • What might this feeling be asking for?
  • What do I need in this moment?
  • Can I allow myself to feel what is here — without fixing, forcing, or denying?

You are allowed to have needs. You are allowed to feel. You are allowed to experience pleasure, connection, and joy.

As we honour these truths, we strengthen our capacity for intimacy, creativity, and authentic expression — the essence of a balanced Sacral Chakra.

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