The solar plexus is in the upper middle of your abdomen, roughly between the bottom of your breastbone and your belly button, just behind the stomach and in front of the aorta, around the level of the first lumbar vertebra (L1).

What and where is the solar plexus?

  • The solar plexus (also called the celiac plexus) is a dense network of nerves inside the abdominal cavity.
  • It sits just behind the stomach and near where major arteries (like the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery) branch off from the abdominal aorta.
  • Anatomically, it lies in front of the crura of the diaphragm and at about the level of the first lumbar vertebra (L1).

In everyday terms, if you place your hand flat on the soft area between the bottom of your sternum (where your ribs meet in the middle) and your navel, the center of your palm will be over the solar plexus region.

Why it matters

  • It’s a major nerve hub that sends and receives signals to many abdominal organs, including the stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and intestines.
  • A sharp blow to this area can “knock the wind out of you” because the nerves there briefly overload and disrupt breathing and abdominal muscle control.
  • In many yoga and chakra traditions, this same region is associated with the “solar plexus chakra” (Manipura), linked to willpower, confidence, and a sense of personal power.

TL;DR: When people ask “where is the solar plexus,” they mean the nerve center deep in the upper middle belly, just below the sternum and above the belly button, behind the stomach and in front of the big abdominal artery.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.