10 Yoga Poses For Sacral Chakra
I remember when I first learned about chakras in my 200 hour yoga teacher training over a decade ago, and I immediately fell in love. It’s like something just *clicked* for me in that moment.
Since then, I’ve continued my education around yoga philosophy and chakras in India and Nepal, and now officially see the world through chakra colored lenses, if you will.
Here’s the deal, the Sanskrit word chakra means “wheel” in English. Think of your chakras like little spinning wheels, or energy centers, all over your body.
While we have chakras everywhere, we tend to focus mostly on just 7 chakras when it comes to yoga. And these 7 chakras are located from the base of your spine all the way up to the crown of your head.
The Sacral Chakra is the second chakra in this line up, and it exists in the bowl of your hips. Think of it like above your tailbone, but below your belly button.
The energy of the second chakra is all about joy, pleasure, creativity, sexuality, sensuality, and relationships. So, when that center is out of balance, you can see those parts of yourself get all out of whack.
This might look like being stuck creatively, being shut down sexuality, or overly sexual. Your relationships might be stuck or stagnant when feelings of anxiety, fear, or lack of desire block that little energy center from flowing freely.
One of the best ways to open any energy center that’s blocked is with yoga asana (yoga poses), of course! Which is why I’m sharing a round up of my favorite yoga poses for effectively opening the Sacral Chakra in today’s post.
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Read about how to unblock heart chakra.
Read about throat chakra yoga poses.
10 Yoga Poses For Sacral Chakra
The Sacral Chakra is anatomically associated with the hips and pelvic area. So, it will come to no surprise that the postures listed are all about happy hips.
The poses I’m listing below will be listed from most accessible, to most challenging. I suggest practicing them in order listed so that you’ll be nice and warm by the time you get towards the end!
Remember, if you need more of a warm up, then you can always try any of my classes totally FREE with a 7 day trial on my app.
Balance your chakras with my 21 Day Chakra Reset series.
Reclined Butterfly
This pose, Supta Baddha Konasana, is otherwise known as Reclined Bound Angle Pose. But I like using Reclined Butterfly, because it describes the shape perfectly for newbies to understand.
Lie flat on your back, and bring the souls of your feet together, allowing your knees to fan out wide. Feel free to put blocks or cushions under each knee for support. Start to take deep breaths.
More yoga poses for hips in my Journey To Splits series.
Happy Baby
Stay lying on your back for Happy Baby, and start by taking an inhale to draw your knees into your chest, giving yourself a hug.
Then, exhale to Happy Baby as you bend your knees outside of your upper body, and grab for your outer thighs, calves, or feet. Continue to breathe here keeping your low back and shoulders on the ground, with the option to add a little rock from side to side.
Tap into your creative energy through the hips with my Journey to Splits series.
Butterfly Pose
Now it’s time to sit up! We’re starting to build a bit more heat, and deepen the opening of the hips in Butterfly Pose versus the yoga pose Supta Baddha Konasana.
Make sure your sitting bones are grounded by removing the flesh away from your bum, making a little cow tilt of the pelvis, as you bring the soles of your feet to touch, and peel your feet open with your hands like you’re reading a book.
Inhale with a long spine, and exhale to fold forward maintaining a long spine as you descend.
More work on your Sacral Chakra found in my 21 Day Chakra Reset series.
Wide Legged Forward Fold
We’ve now moved from sitting to standing. I love started with a Wide Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana), to allow for more space in the hamstring and hips early on.
Step your feet out super wide, and pigeon toe your feet slightly into the center with your hands on your hips. Inhale to find length in your spine by elevating your breastbone skyward.
Exhale, Wide Legged Forward Fold, keeping your spine long as you dive between the thighs with your upper body. Bend enough into your knees that you can grab your outer ankles with your hands at the bottom of your breath.
Chakra balancing available in my 21 Day Chakra Reset series.
Low Lunge
Next up, we’ll work into a few lunges, starting with Low Lunge. No joke, this is a pose I do daily to keep my hips happy. Especially my hip flexors.
Start with your right leg forward and left leg back with your left knee on the ground. Keep your hands outside of your right foot, and take an inhale to lift your chin away from your chest.
As you exhale, work on sinking your hips forward, while still hugging your inner right knee to midline and lifting up from your low belly. Repeat on both sides.
Deepen your hip flexibility with my Journey To Splits series.
Lizard Pose
Continuing with our lunge work, Lizard Lunge will encourage more of an opening in the inner hip, while still lengthening and opening the hip flexor of the back leg.
Start with your right foot forward and left leg back with your left knee on the ground. Walk your right foot out to the right side so that you have a wider lunge, and then rock the weight to the pinky toe side of your right foot with both hands inside of your right foot.
Breathe deeply, with the option to lower onto your forearms. Repeat on both sides.
Open your hips with my Journey To Splits series.
Garland Pose
This is yet another pose I do daily, as I find it really helps with my digestion early in the morning. You’ll see it show up in many of my classes!
Start standing with your feet slightly wider than your hips with your heels facing inward, and your feet pointing outward. Take an inhale to scoop your tailbone underneath you and lengthen your spine.
Exhale to Garland Pose by slowly lowering your hips between your heels with control. Keep breathing as you make prayer hands at the center of your chest, using your elbows to gently press your outer knees towards the outside of your feet for more sensation.
Hip opening yoga poses in my Journey Your Splits series.
Triangle Pose
This is where things start to get a little spicier. Honestly, Triangle Pose can be my nemesis sometimes, so if you’re right there with me…then you’re not alone.
Start with your right foot forward with the toes pointing forward, and your left foot back parallel with your mat. Inhale, open your arms wide and reach as far forward as you can with your right hand as you bump your left hip behind you.
Exhale, Triangle Pose by lowering your right hand onto your right thigh, shin, block, or mat. Keep your left arm extended high, or reach forward for more sensation.
Open your Sacral Chakra with my 21 Day Chakra Reset series.
Goddess Pose
Goddess Pose is kind of like Chair Pose (Utkata Konasana) in that you’re kind of just straight up holding a deep squat in yoga….and people say yoga is “just stretching.” Sheesh.
Start with your feet stepped out nice and wide (preferably facing the long edge of your mat), with heels in and toes out and hands on hips. Inhale for length in the spine and integrity in the low belly.
Exhale, Goddess Pose by sinking low into a wide legged squat, maintaining length in the spine, rather than letting the bum poke out behind you like it might want to. Keep breathing with hands at heart center, or overhead.
Challenge your lower body strength and flexibility with my Discover Your Splits series.
Standing Figure Four
We’ve made it to the big peak posture of these happy hip poses. Say hello to one of my favorite standing balances that feels oh so delicious in your outer hip area.
Start standing on your right leg with your left knee lifted towards your chest with a flexed foot, and your arms high. Take an inhale to lift your left knee high while scooping the hips underneath you for a long low back.
Exhale, Standing Figure Four, crossing your flexed left foot over your right leg as you sink into a single leg Chair Pose and lower your hands to heart. Keep breathing, maintaining the flex in your foot to protect your left knee. Then, sink low in your right leg for more sensation in your outer left hip.
Deep hip work in my Discover Your Splits series.
Let me know which Sacral Chakra yoga poses are your favorite in the comments below!
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xx,
K