Taking Up Space

The Solar Plexus: Where Worthiness Becomes Action

The Nature Within (TNW)

There’s a moment—quiet, often subtle—where something shifts inside of us.

A thought becomes a decision.

A desire becomes movement.

A sense of worthiness becomes action.

That moment lives in the solar plexus.

Located just above the navel, the solar plexus chakra is often described as our center of personal power.

But in Reiki, this isn’t about force, control, or ego-driven identity. It’s about aligned strength—the kind that comes from knowing who you are, trusting it, and allowing that truth to guide your actions.

This is the space of:

“I can.”

“I am.”

But the solar plexus doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s part of a deeper energetic conversation within the body—one that determines whether worthiness stays an idea… or becomes something we actually live.

The Energetic Pathway of Action

For worthiness to move into action, several centers must be in conversation:

• Root Chakra — “I am safe”

  
  

  If the nervous system doesn’t feel safe, action feels threatening. We hesitate, freeze, or avoid. Safety is the foundation.

• Sacral Chakra — “I feel / I desire”

  
  

  Desire fuels movement. Without emotional permission to want something, motivation fades. Creativity and passion live here.

• Solar Plexus — “I can / I am”

  
  

  This is where desire turns into direction. Where identity meets choice.

• Throat Chakra — “I express / I act” (oftentimes, the missing link)

  
  

  This is where many people get stuck. You may feel worthy. You may even know what you want. But if you cannot express your truth, ask for what you need, or put yourself out there—action stalls.

Worthiness doesn’t just live in the body.

It needs a pathway.

Taking Up Space vs. Remaining Unseen

At its core, the solar plexus asks a very real question:

“Am I allowed to take up space?”

For many, the honest answer isn’t simple.

Sometimes we’ve learned—through upbringing, environment, or experience—that being fully seen comes with risk. Judgment. Rejection. Misunderstanding.

When I first began practicing Reiki, it wasn’t something reflected in my upbringing. There was a quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) sense that I needed to prove myself, what I was doing, and why I was doing it within my small familiar circle of friends and family. I internally felt the need to defend what I was doing. To justify why it mattered.

And the halting emotion underneath all of that? Shame.

That’s the emotion most closely tied to the solar plexus.

Not surface-level embarrassment—but the deeper feeling of being wrong for who you are. When that energy is present, we don’t just hold back—we fragment. We perform. We shape ourselves into something more acceptable.

When the Solar Plexus Is in Balance

A balanced solar plexus doesn’t need to announce itself.

It feels like a quiet steadiness.

• Decisions become clearer

• Boundaries feel natural, not forced

• Action feels intentional rather than reactive

• There’s less need to prove, defend, or explain

You’re not pushing to be seen.

You’re simply no longer hiding.

There’s a grounded confidence that comes from being secure in your own being.

When It’s Out of Balance

Most people don’t live in a constant state of balance—and that’s normal. The solar plexus tends to swing between two patterns:

Overactive (Overcompensation):

• Control and rigidity

• Perfectionism

• Seeking validation

• Overworking or forcing outcomes

This isn’t true confidence—it’s protection.

Underactive (Contraction):

• Self-doubt and hesitation

• People-pleasing

• Avoiding visibility

• Shrinking from opportunities

This isn’t humility—it’s withdrawal.

Both patterns are rooted in the same place: a disrupted relationship with worthiness.

The Deeper Questions We Carry

The solar plexus holds more than behaviors—it holds beliefs. Quiet, often unconscious ones:

• Am I enough as I am?

• Is it safe for me to be seen?

• Can I trust myself to lead my life?

When those questions are met with uncertainty, the energy here becomes either stagnant or reactive.

We either push… or we disappear.

Reiki and the Return to Authentic Power

Reiki offers something different.

It doesn’t force confidence.

It doesn’t “fix” you.

It doesn’t demand change.

It restores flow.

It meets us exactly where we are and begins to gently unwind the internal tension we’ve been holding—often for years. As that tension softens, something powerful happens:

We stop performing who you think we should be…

and we start embodying who we already are.

Authenticity isn’t something us strive for.

It’s what naturally emerges when the solar plexus feels safe, supported, and aligned.

From Worthiness to Action

Worthiness, on its own, is quiet.

Action is what brings it into the world.

But not forced action. Not action rooted in fear, comparison, or proving.

Aligned action.

The kind that says:

“I trust myself enough to take the next step.”

“I don’t need permission to exist fully.”

“I am allowed to take up space.”

That’s solar plexus work.

Want A Reflection?

Take a moment to sit with these—not as thoughts, but as experiences in the body:

• Where do I feel powerful in my life? Where do I feel small?

• Do I trust myself—or do I look outside for validation?

• What does worthiness actually feel like in my body?

• Where am I overextending… or holding back?

• What would it feel like to accept myself without needing to fix anything?

• If I didn’t feel the need to prove anything, how would I show up differently?

There’s nothing we need to become.

There’s simply something within us waiting to be allowed.

And when that permission is felt—not just thought—

worthiness doesn’t stay internal.

It moves.