The sacral chakra, or swadisthana chakra in Sanskrit, has received the nicknames, “the sex chakra,” “the social chakra,” and “the creation chakra.” Located in the center of the lower belly or, as some believe, in the genital area, it acts as the individual’s center of pleasure and passion — both sensually and creatively. This chakra governs reproductive systems and processes, sexuality, relationships, emotions, and sense of adventure.

Sexuality tends to be the first thing that comes to mind at the thought of the sacral chakra, but creativity is an often-overlooked aspect of it as well. It is important to remember that this chakra isn’t only concerned with sex (and the same goes for Tantra). In fact, at its most broad, the sacral chakra simply governs passion and pleasure, phenomena which manifest themselves in our lives via two avenues. On one side is creativity and zeal for life — think of finding enjoyment by creating something like a piece of art, a recipe, or even a business, as well as just having fun in life. On the other side is sensuality, in the sense of embracing one’s own natural human sexuality.

The sacral chakra has a feminine energy and is symbolized by a flower and crescent moon. Elementally, the sacral chakra is associated with water, and its mantra is, “I feel.”