Manipura, the third chakra, speaks to personal power, warrior energy, and transformation. It encourages us to speak our truth, wrestle with self–confidence and shame, and focus our will to a greater purpose. Rosario Dawson’s personal power, conviction, and outspokenness are clear to anyone who’s met her, seen her in her many television and movies roles or benefited from one of the myriad organizations she has founded or supported. For her, power is both singular and plural, tied inextricably to family and community.
We recently had a chance to chat about the power of storytelling, art tied to community work, the importance of honoring vulnerability, the power of awe and the profound, and just how much you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. (This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Nadxieli Nieto: The third chakra speaks to personal power. What does power mean to you, and what does it look like in your life?
Rosario Dawson: For me I think it’s being grounded and present. Having a space to really take things in and make decisions. Having means and resources and all of that is usually associated with power, but if you’re not in the right headspace or grounded, those things can end up being quite useless because you’re not utilizing them well. I’ve had moments where my wheels were spinning, I was doing things, but I wasn’t necessarily achieving things. And ultimately that’s really disempowering and frustrating.
As I’ve stepped back and gotten better with boundaries, and not felt like I needed to do everything or had to do everything just because I could, I’ve been able to be clear about where to focus my time and my energy. And then I’m able to create more. I think that’s really where power comes in.
