Buddha said, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." Unfortunately we are all holding on to anger of one sort or another, against one parent or another, an ex-lover, ex-husband, ex-employer, etc.  In The Chakra Diaries, several of the characters are held back from the lives they want by the anger they're holding on to toward themselves and others.

A new book by my friend, Dr. William Jacobson, Forgive to Win, explains fully and completely why it's necessary and in our own best interests to let anger go.

There are many wonderful books on Forgiveness already on my bookshelf, but I welcomed this one because it lays out a structured daily program, it's not just a philosophical treatise. The steps suggested help train ourselves to let go of self-sabotaging behavior and learn to love ourselves - by loving and forgiving others, no matter what they've done. Once our self-esteem is raised to the heights possible through self-love, there's nothing you can't achieve.

Forgiveness may seem like an easy task, but it's not. And Dr. Jacobson guides the reader in how to forgive. His "Forgiveness Diet" is a unique set of recommendations to help us establish and maintain the 90-day commitment to acts of kindness and forgiveness that could literally change one's life. He also includes Forgiveness Affirmations and Visualizations that I and my counseling clients have already used to great benefit.

Looking at it from the vantage point of health, anger throws us off-balance, especially in the solar plexus and heart chakras, and creates tension that can lead to chronic pain and disease. Forgiveness opens the floodgates of our body's own healing energy, and keeps us grounded, alert, empowered and able to recognize opportunities for success.

The last chapter of the book is entitled, "Getting Everything You Want!" If you don't already have it, I highly recommend this book.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

"They are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their own powers." ~ Christian Bovee

The 3rd or Solar Plexus Chakra, also known as our "power center," is associated with self-esteem and a strong sense of our identity and purpose. The sun is the source of energy on earth and its bright yellow color is also the color of the Solar Plexus Chakra.  An unbalanced 3rd chakra may lead to indecisiveness, apathy, poor self-image, physical issues with digestion, and addiction to sugar and caffeine.  A balanced 3rd chakra is manifested in energy and confidence, the ability to follow through and persevere to reach our goals, and a vitality that all can see.  With a balanced solar plexus chakra, you will have the strength to overcome life's difficulties and emerge victorious.

The Boat Pose is my favorite yoga pose to strengthen the navel, solar plexus energy. I also suggest the Archer pose. Any yoga pose or exercise that tones and strengthens the abdominal area will be balancing for this chakra.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA MEDITATION
Inhale deeply, hold your breath and then exhale. The orange vortex of energy in the sacral chakra area moves up to your navel and turns bright yellow, right at your core. Breathe in and out of your core, building up the power of your center. Be open to the vitality, purpose and majesty of this bright yellow fire of life. Know that you can use this power to heal old pain and to remove old wounds. Breathe in and out of the flames of this inner sun and feel your body radiate with new purpose, wisdom and strength.

Two characters in The Chakra Diaries find their way out of depression and helplessness by balancing their Solar Plexus Chakras. Learn more on the pages of their diaries ~ both the Kindle and paperback version of The Chakra Diaries are on sale through the end of June.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

If you are looking for love, a strong sense of self from a balanced solar plexus chakra will give you charisma and help you attract your soul mate.

I begin my days by stretching cat-like on my futon, toenails to fingernails, arching and undulating my spine, inviting my physical body to join my consciousness in greeting a new day ripe with opportunity. Once I arise from my rainbow-drenched mat, I ball my fears into a small soft, mentally biodegradable box and give it a hefty kick into the heavens. In the evenings, I repeat this fear-banishing exercise, using it as warm milk for my soul, its soporific effect smoothly easing me into a relaxed state so that I may begin my nightly visualizations.

At some point during the morning, usually after my first cup of green tea, I affirm to the Becca in the mirror that even though I take risks in both love and life, I give myself permission to fail (or perhaps to alter my thinking or attitude so that “failures” morph into positive learning experiences.) Just yesterday, one of my chakra workshop participants was wringing her hands and likening her lack of a physical love life to that of a nun. I chuckled at her purloined quote that “Men are like parking spaces, the good ones are either taken, or are too far away.”

One of the males in the group suggested that Ms. Frustrated first take a hard, honest look in her mirror and assess (even writing down what she is offering to the world), those qualities seen and unseen that might or might not be attracting potential mates into her life. He reminded her to be realistic, but not to sell herself short and remarked that, for instance, he was attracted to her intellect and humor but often put off by her critical comments lightly veiled as wit. I urged her to practice enhancing the attributes on her “alluring” list and to discard or re-purpose the unwanted, much as I figuratively boot mine away.

Another workshop attendee who lost her lover to the thrills and spills of life, creating her own “private hell on earth,” said that simple positive thinking had helped her endure. Instead of grinding her teeth and stomping her feet at the “overwhelming” frustrations and mental plaque built up from being a modern woman, Ms. Optimism had hung a carrot on a stick in her kitchen, reminding her to concentrate on the rewards at the end of her journey, and not the countless, arduous steps in between. She ended her tale and gave our hearts wings when she said to stay tuned – that she knew meaningful, lasting love was on the horizon even though she has not yet even seen the boat it is sailing on.

Good luck in love in the New Year. Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries