51 Solar Plexus Chakra Affirmations to Invoke the Inner Fire

Solar plexus chakra affirmations are short, steady sentences you repeat to build confidence, willpower and a sense of your own worth. In the yogic tradition they're a way of tending Manipura, the third chakra, and they're for any day you feel small, stuck or swayed by everyone else's opinion.

We all have those days. The ones where you second-guess every decision, wait for someone else to tell you it's fine, and let a spilled coffee ruin the whole morning. Things that used to excite you feel flat. Even a win doesn't land the way it should.

If that sounds familiar, you're not broken and you're not lazy. Your fire is just burning a little low. So, let's talk about where that fire lives in the chakra tradition, a few simple ways to tend it, and 51 affirmations you can start saying today.

What is the solar plexus chakra?

Picture a Tibetan monk sitting in the Himalayan cold with barely anything on, perfectly at ease. That's the old legend of tummo, the practice of inner fire. In it, practitioners keep the breath low in the belly and visualise a flame at the navel. The legend has some truth to it, too. When researchers measured expert meditators in eastern Tibet, they recorded body temperatures rising as high as 38.3°C during one forceful-breath form of the practice.

The yogic tradition places its own fire in the same spot. Manipura, which translates from Sanskrit as "city of jewels", is the third of the seven main chakras and sits just above the navel. Modern chakra teaching gives it the colour yellow (classical tantric texts sometimes describe other colours), the element fire and the seed mantra "Ram". If the chakras are new to you, our beginner's introduction to the 7 chakras walks through all seven.

In the tradition, this is the chakra of confidence, willpower and personal power. It's the part of you that turns a plan into action, keeps a promise, sticks to a boundary and gets back up after a knock. People whose third chakra is said to be strong tend to make their own decisions, speak kindly to themselves and meet challenges calmly.

One honest note before we go further. The chakras are a spiritual tradition and a way of reflecting on your inner life. They aren't medicine, and they don't diagnose or treat anything in your body.

What does a blocked solar plexus chakra feel like?

In chakra teaching, a "blocked" or imbalanced chakra is one where energy isn't moving freely. For the solar plexus, the tradition describes it in terms of how you feel and act:

• Low self-confidence and self-belief
• Needing other people to make your decisions or approve of them
• Looking for validation and losing sight of your own worth
• Fear of starting anything new
• Quick anger, jealousy or frustration over small things
• Wanting to control everything and everyone
• Low willpower, drifting purpose, plans that never get done

And when it's in balance, the tradition describes the opposite: steady self-esteem, self-respect, excitement about life, and the energy to take charge of it and do remarkable things.

Take a minute with that first list. Which line made you wince a little? Write it down. That's the area your affirmations will work on first.

A gentle word, too. If you've been feeling low, anxious or flat for more than a couple of weeks, please talk to your doctor or a therapist. And any physical symptoms, in your stomach or anywhere else, belong with a doctor. Affirmations sit beautifully alongside that care. They don't replace it.

How do you balance the solar plexus chakra?

You don't need special equipment or a retreat in the mountains. These four practices fit into an ordinary week.

Be honest with yourself

Sit somewhere you won't be disturbed and ask two questions: who am I, really, and what do I want? You won't have neat answers on day one, and that's completely fine. Write down whatever comes, then pick one small choice this week that matches it. Living a little more truthfully is the heart of a balanced third chakra.

Greet the morning sun

The sun is the great source of fire, so the tradition turns to it here. Step outside soon after waking, open your hands with your palms facing up and close your eyes. Imagine the warmth of the sun pouring in and gathering just above your navel. Stay for a few breaths, then say three of the affirmations below.

If you'd like to move, Surya Namaskar (the sun salutation) is a natural pairing. This step-by-step sun salutation for beginners takes you through it in a few minutes.

Bring more yellow into your life

Yellow is the colour of this chakra, and it's an easy one to welcome in. Put a vase of yellow flowers by your bed, especially if you tend to get up on the wrong side of it. Wear something yellow on a day you need courage. Add a bowl of lemons or mangoes to the kitchen counter.

Better still, make yourself a small corner for your practice, with a cushion, a yellow cloth or candle, and nothing else asking for your attention. Then notice how it changes your mood.

Meditate with the "Ram" mantra

Each chakra has a seed sound, and for Manipura it's "Ram". Sit comfortably, rest a hand just above your navel and chant it slowly on each out-breath for a few minutes. Or simply sit with one affirmation and repeat it in your head. If you'd prefer to be guided, try this solar plexus activation meditation by Leeor Alexandra.

How to use these affirmations

Say them in the morning to set the tone for the day, or at night to prepare for the next one. You don't need all 51. Read through the groups below, notice which lines catch in your throat or make you sit up a little straighter, and start with three of those.

Say them out loud if you can, slowly, with a hand resting above your navel. If you have mala beads, repeat one affirmation on each bead. And come back to the list every few weeks. The lines you need will change as you do.

Affirmations for confidence and courage

Use these on mornings when you have something hard to face. Say them standing up, feet planted, shoulders back.

• I'm confident in all that I do.
• I can achieve anything I set my heart on.
• I stand up for myself and believe in myself.
• I act with courage and strength.
• I am in touch with my inner fire.
• I'm comfortable with my power.
• My power stems from within.
• Everything I need, I have within me.
• I allow myself to stand in my full power.
• I'm open to awakening my personal power.
• I am full of energy and enthusiasm.
• It is safe to shine my light.

Affirmations for self-worth and self-acceptance

These are for the days you feel like too much or not enough. Say them slowly in front of a mirror, and look yourself in the eye for at least one of them.

• I love and accept myself fully.
• I give myself permission to be fully myself.
• I accept myself, flaws and all.
• I forgive myself for past mistakes.
• I'm worthy of the life that I want.
• I deserve the best life possible.
• I matter.
• My needs are important.
• I am my number one priority.
• I take care of myself often.
• It is safe to meet my own needs.
• I know how to meet my own needs.

Affirmations for decisions and willpower

Reach for these when you're stuck on a choice or waiting for permission you don't need. Pick one, say it, then make the decision before the end of the day.

• I accept responsibility for all my decisions.
• The decisions that I make matter.
• I approve of the decisions I make.
• There are no wrong decisions, only lessons.
• I release the need to hesitate.
• I trust myself.
• I have the freedom to choose what I want to experience.
• This is my life, and no one else has to get it.
• I'm in control of how I direct my energy.

Affirmations for letting go of control

A strong fire doesn't need to burn everything around it. Use these when you catch yourself trying to manage other people, people-pleasing or worrying in circles. Breathe out slowly after each one, as if you're putting something down.

• I release the need to control every outcome.
• I release the need to please others.
• I don't need to control everything to feel safe.
• I set healthy boundaries in my life.
• I release expectations I no longer need.
• I let go of the impossible standards I set for myself.
• I allow others to experience whatever they choose.
• I accept others as they are.
• I let go of the worries I can't act on.

Affirmations for purpose and trust

These are for the bigger picture, when you've lost the thread of what it's all for. Say them at night before sleep, or write your favourite one at the top of your journal page.

• I'm motivated to pursue my true purpose.
• I have a purpose in life.
• I'm committed to fulfilling my life's purpose.
• I am open to all the opportunities life brings.
• I trust the process of life.
• I'm safely connected to my body and this earth.
• I feel safe and protected in this world.
• I have a right to be in this world.
• I'm supported by mother earth.

Some of these last lines lean towards the root chakra, the steady ground your fire stands on. If they speak to you, our root chakra affirmations go deeper. And if your heart needs tending as much as your courage, try these heart chakra affirmations for love and serenity.

Let your inner fire burn steady

We believe confidence is a fire you tend, a little every day, with honest choices, kind words to yourself and the courage to take up your own space.

So, pick three affirmations tonight. Say them again tomorrow morning. Keep going, even on the days they feel silly. Little by little, you'll feel the excitement come back into small things. Be happy, be ecstatic. Let the fire grow.

Which affirmation spoke to you most? Tell us in the comments.