Body Wisdom: Understanding the Chakras - Volume III

 

November 2026 Issue

Mind, Body & Soul Series
By Leslie Slemmons

The Solar Plexus Chakra —
Self-Belief, Shame and Personal Power

 

If you’ve spent time around yoga studios or wellness conversations, you may have heard the word chakra. As we understand it in the West, the chakra system became more widely known through the work of Carl Jung, who used it as a practical framework for understanding how emotions and stress show up in the body.

Each chakra represents an energy center connected to different physical areas and emotional patterns. When these centers are balanced, we tend to feel steady and resilient. When they’re out of balance, the body often lets us know through tension, fatigue, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm.

This is where somatic practices, or therapeutic movement, come in. Somatic work focuses on how the body experiences emotion and how breath, awareness, and gentle movement can help the nervous system reconnect and regulate.

This is the third in a series of seven articles about Chakras. Number three is The Solar Plexus Chakra, located in the upper abdomen near the diaphragm, which is associated with personal power—but more specifically, it is connected to what we believe about ourselves.

If the Root Chakra asks, Am I safe? and the Sacral Chakra asks, What do I feel? the Solar Plexus Chakra asks a more personal question:

Who do I believe I am?

This is where our sense of self begins to take shape. It's also where shame and the stories we've carried for years often settle in.

Many of us move through life with beliefs that were formed long ago, often without realizing it. I'm not enough. I'm too much. I shouldn't speak up. I have to prove myself. These quiet narratives influence how we show up in relationships, respond to challenges, and make decisions every single day.

When the Solar Plexus Chakra is healthy, there's a quiet confidence that doesn't need to announce itself. We trust our judgment, make decisions more easily, and are willing to take action even when life feels uncertain.

When this area is depleted, self-doubt often takes over. We second-guess ourselves, avoid difficult conversations, or shrink to make others more comfortable. At the other end of the spectrum, we may try to outrun those same insecurities through perfectionism, control, or the constant need to achieve.

Our bodies often reveal what's happening before we're fully aware of it. The diaphragm, stomach, and upper abdomen are common places for stress to settle. Think about the knot in your stomach before a difficult conversation or the tightness in your chest when you feel criticized. Those physical sensations are often connected to the beliefs we're carrying in that moment.

This is where somatic awareness becomes so valuable. Instead of pushing those feelings away or automatically believing the story behind them, we can slow down and become curious. What am I telling myself right now? Where did that belief begin? Is it actually true today?

The answers don't usually arrive all at once, but awareness is where change begins.

The Solar Plexus Chakra reminds us that personal power isn't about becoming louder or more confident overnight. It's about building enough trust in ourselves so fear no longer gets to make every decision.

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Somatic Practice to Try

• Sit comfortably and place one hand on your upper abdomen. Take a slow breath in and notice any sensation in this part of your body—tightness, pressure, or ease.

• Now, think of a situation where you’ve recently felt self-doubt or the need to prove yourself. Notice what happens in your body as you bring that to mind.

• Stay with the sensation for a few breaths—not trying to change it,
just observing.

Then gently ask yourself:

• Is this reaction coming from who I am today… or from something older?

• Take another slow breath.

• Without forcing anything, see if you can soften your body just slightly—your stomach, your breath, your posture.

• This small shift is not about fixing the belief. it’s about creating space between you and it.

Then, grab a journal and reflect:

• What belief tends to show up for me in moments like this?

• How does my body respond when that belief takes over?

• What would it feel like to respond from a place of self-trust instead?

 

Future columns will explore additional energy centers in the body and the role they play in emotional and physical well-being. To read the last two month's column, log onto itsallpink.com.

 

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Leslie Slemmons is the founder of Peace by Piece Therapy in Bluffton, where she blends traditional therapy with somatic, mind-body practices to help people reconnect with themselves and create lasting change. Visit www.peacebypiecetherapy.care to learn more and subscribe to the monthly newsletter for workshops, classes, special events, and wellness inspiration.