A woman came to me recently and said something I’ve heard in different ways for more than two decades.
“I don’t know who I am anymore. I used to be fun. I used to want things. Now I just feel… flat.”
She wasn’t depressed. She wasn’t burnt out. She was a healthy, intelligent, vibrant woman in her mid-forties.
But something had quietly slipped away.
That sense of aliveness. Of pleasure. Of desire.
What she was describing, I’ve come to understand, isn’t a personal failing. It isn’t a sign that life has lost its colour.
It’s one of the least-talked-about symptoms of hormonal change in midlife.
And it has a name in ancient yogic philosophy.
The Sacral Chakra.
In yogic tradition, the second chakra — Svadhisthana — is the energy centre most associated with pleasure, creativity, sensuality, flow and desire.
When it’s in balance, life has richness. Relationships feel nourishing. The body feels like home. There’s a warmth, a magnetism, a sense of being alive to the moment.
When it’s depleted, the world can feel grey. Flat. Functional.
Many women over 40 are living in that second place — and wondering why.
What modern science tells us about this is fascinating.
And what you can do about it is more within reach than you might expect.
Signs This Might Be You
- Low libido or little interest in intimacy
- Feeling emotionally flat or disconnected from pleasure
- Loss of creativity or enthusiasm for things you used to love
- Feeling “all work and no play”
- Dryness, discomfort or changes in intimate health
- Feeling rigid, serious or humourless compared to your younger self
- Difficulty relaxing into enjoyment without guilt
- Emotional numbness or feeling cut off from your own desires
- Body image struggles or feeling disconnected from your physical self
What is the sacral chakra?
In yogic philosophy, the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) is located in the lower belly and pelvic region.
It governs:
- Pleasure and sensuality
- Creativity and self-expression
- Emotional fluidity and flow
- Intimacy and connection
- Desire and vitality
When balanced, women often feel:
- Warm and sensually alive
- Creatively inspired
- Emotionally open and responsive
- Playful and joyful
- Connected to their body and desires
When depleted or blocked, women may experience:
- Low libido
- Emotional flatness or numbness
- Loss of joy or enthusiasm
- Creative blocks
- Feeling disconnected from their body or femininity
Many women over 40 describe this second set of experiences, and they’re told it’s “just part of ageing.”
It isn’t.
What The Research Shows
While science doesn’t measure chakras directly, it tells us a great deal about what’s happening hormonally and neurologically during perimenopause and menopause, and much of it maps remarkably closely to what yogic traditions would describe as sacral chakra depletion.
As oestrogen and progesterone decline, research shows:
- Libido and sexual desire can decrease significantly
- Dopamine sensitivity may shift, affecting motivation and pleasure
- Mood and emotional regulation can become less stable
- Physical changes can affect intimacy and body confidence
- The stress hormone cortisol can suppress reproductive hormones further
In other words: when the body is under chronic stress, it decides reproduction, and the hormonal architecture of pleasure isn’t a priority.
And here’s what most women don’t realise:
Certain very common lifestyle patterns actively accelerate this hormonal shutdown.
The Three Things That Quietly Steal Your Spark
Under-eating and over-restriction
When calories are chronically too low, the body reads this as a famine signal.
It begins conserving energy by downregulating non-essential functions.
Desire and libido, as beautiful as they are, are not considered survival priorities.
They’re the first to go.
Many women over 40 are eating less in an effort to manage weight, without realising this approach is working directly against their hormonal health, energy and vitality.
Over-exercising and under-recovering
Intense exercise is wonderful when balanced with adequate recovery.
But when training volume is too high and recovery is too low, cortisol rises.
Elevated cortisol directly suppresses oestrogen and testosterone.
The very hormones that support desire, mood and physical vitality.
More is not always more. Especially after 40.
Chronic stress
The nervous system operates from a simple hierarchy:
Survive first. Thrive later.
When you’re living in a constant state of mental overdrive, managing work, family, relationships, responsibilities, the body deprioritises the hormonal pathways associated with pleasure.
It isn’t a flaw. It’s biology.
But it is something we can work with.
Practical Ways To Work With The Sacral Chakra
Whether you approach the Sacral Chakra as an energy centre or simply a framework for understanding this season of your life, the practices that support it overlap beautifully with what the research shows supports hormonal health.
Movement that brings pleasure, not punishment
Hip-opening yoga poses directly work with the energy of the sacral chakra. Think:
- Pigeon pose
- Bound Angle (Baddha Konasana)
- Low lunge with a side stretch
- Cat-cow and circular pelvic movements
- Dancing — any kind, anywhere
The body holds tension in the hips. Moving this area gently and with curiosity can shift both physical and emotional holding patterns.
Cultivate pleasure deliberately
This sounds simple. For many women it is revolutionary.
What genuinely brings you pleasure?
Not what you think should bring you pleasure. Not what used to.
What actually does, right now?
Sunsets. A long bath. A beautiful meal. A favourite piece of music. Time with someone who makes you laugh.
Pleasure isn’t indulgent. For your hormonal health, it’s medicinal.
Reconnect with water
The Sacral Chakra is associated with the water element. Baths, ocean swimming, time near water, staying well hydrated — all of these gently support this energy centre.
Even a long warm shower with your full attention on sensation — the warmth, the steam, the smell of something lovely — can shift your state.
Creative expression
This isn’t about being artistic. It’s about making something.
Cooking a beautiful meal. Arranging flowers. Writing in a journal. Planting something. Playing music.
Creativity is intimately linked to the sacral chakra. When one is nourished, both tend to flourish.
Journalling prompt
What did I love to do purely for joy between the ages of 8 and 18? When did I last do it?
The answer often contains a quiet invitation.
The Strong Calm Lean Approach
Inside the Strong Calm Lean Method, we don’t just look at what women eat and how they move.
We look at the full picture.
Because a woman who has lost her spark, her desire, her playfulness, her pleasure, isn’t going to thrive on a calorie deficit and more exercise.
She needs something different.
That’s why one of our most popular modules is called Horny After 40.
Yes. Really.
Because I believe we deserve to talk about this honestly.
Inside this module, you’ll explore:
- Macro balancing for hormonal health
- Adaptogenic herbs
- Why over-restriction is kryptonite to
- The over-exercise trap
- Stress and the libido connection
This isn’t a module about sex.
It’s a module about vitality.
About reclaiming the version of yourself who felt alive, who enjoyed her body, who had appetite for food, for life, for connection.
She hasn’t left. She’s just been under-resourced.
And she very much wants to come back.
If something in this article resonated with you, if you recognise yourself in the flatness, the low desire or the sense that something has quietly slipped away, I’d love to talk.
A complimentary 30-minute Roadmap Call is a chance to explore what might be contributing to the way you’re feeling, and to create a personalised pathway back to yourself.
No pressure. No hard sell. Just a real conversation with someone who has guided thousands of women through exactly this.
Book Your Free Roadmap Call: www.karmabeing.com