Today we begin our exploration of each of the seven main chakras, starting with the first or root chakra.
The 1st Chakra, the Root Chakra, is also called Muladhara in Sanskrit. It is located at the base of the spine at the tailbone in back, and the pubic bone in front.
Key words for the root chakra are … survival, grounding, security, safety, support, individuality, and courage.
- The root chakra is about survival – the right to exist and to stand up for yourself. It is the place where the base emotions of fear and anger live. These emotions drive the “fight or flight” response. It also influences other survival issues, such as money concerns and food related issues.
- This chakra also relates to our connection with Mother Earth, allowing us to be grounded on the earth plane.
- This is the center of manifestation. The root is the chakra that draws down spiritual energy and causes it to manifest in the physical world. When you are trying to manifest things in the material world, whether business or material possessions, the energy to succeed comes from the root chakra.
- The root chakra is also where we store family and ancestral patterns … those thoughts, fears and patterns that have been handed down through generations.
In the body the root chakra is associated with the spine, hips, legs, lower back, sexual organs (in men), intestines, anus, bladder, blood and circulation, and the adrenal glands.
When the root chakra energy is in balance, you feel centered, grounded, healthy and vibrant, with unlimited physical energy. You love your body and love to use it and take care of it. You feel secure in your life and display good common sense. You have the ability to easily manifest abundance. If this chakra is blocked or out of balance, you may feel fearful, anxious, paranoid, defensive, insecure, emotionally needy, self-destructive, and/or frustrated. Problems like obesity, eating disorders, anxiety and depression may be symptoms of a root chakra imbalance. On a physical level, you may experience fatigue, frequent colds or cold hands and cold feet, low back pain or sciatica, bone and joint issues, imbalances in libido and hemorrhoids and/or constipation. You may not be able to manifest material abundance, or even basic needs. You may find yourself living in the past; unable to “let go” of people, places, things and times past.
The color most frequently associated with the root chakra is red.
The gemstones most often associated with this chakra are Garnet, Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Ruby, Bloodstone and Red Jasper. (Look for next week’s blog post at Naturewise for more on these stones.)
So, the question I’m hearing is “How do I balance my root chakra?” Here are some suggestions:
- Stomping your bare feet on the ground, marching in place, and/or doing squats.
- Practicing Kundalini Yoga can open up your lower spine. Or check out this YouTube video for a pilates move.
- Carry a piece of black hematite for grounding.
- Do a grounding exercise – Check out this recorded exercise in an earlier blog post.
- Hug a tree. You’ll be able to feel the negative energy leaving your body and you just connect with Mother Earth.
- Use anything that is the color red to help balance this chakra – carry a red crystal, such as garnet or ruby, or wear something red.
- Meditate and visualize the root chakra. Sit or lie down in a quiet place and focus on the root chakra located at the base of your spine/genital area. Visualize a red wheel spinning in a clockwise direction. Repeat out loud or silently meditate on the following affirmation:
“I am a divine being , and I am peaceful, protected and secure” - Spend some time and ask yourself these self-discovery questions –
- Am I struggling in any areas of my survival needs such as, financial stability, family/relationship harmony, job-related issues, or housing and transportation necessities?
- What have I done today to honor my body?
- How can I re-connect with lost relationships in my life?
- Am I often ungrounded, moody, tense, or unreliable with myself, and others?
- Listen to chakra balancing CDs while meditating or visualizing. We like the following CDs – Chakra Chants and Chakra Chants 2 by Johnathan Goodman.
- You can also place one of the stones mentioned earlier on your chakra while meditating. You can carry one in your pocket or place it under your pillow at night. Just be sure to cleanse your stones regularly.
Our next blog in a couple of weeks will cover the Second or Navel Chakra. In between I will be discussing the properties of the stones you can use to balance your root chakra at our Naturewise blog.
Until next time –
Happy Explorations,
Debbie