THE ROOT CHAKRA – Muladhara also known as your base chakra and your first primary chakra …

So before, I start talking about the root chakra, I think it might be useful if I just give a little reminder that the chakras aren’t actual physical places, they are energy centres within your energy body - vortexes that process your energy, spinning it in and out as part of your overall mind, body and spirit system.

Each chakra is represented by a different colour and relate to different aspects of your life, specific physical body functions, as well as expressions of your emotional and mental wellness and I am going to now go through all of these for the Root Chakra. So here goes ... I'll warn you now though, it has ended up a bit of a long one!! However, please just skip over any bits you're not really interested in!!

The Root Chakra is located at the base of your spine and is our body’s primary chakra, the bottom most chakra and acts as an energy pathway connecting us to our physical body and the earth so it is also associated with grounding and balance. It is our very first chakra that develops and as such, relates to our most primal and basic instincts … our survival, self-preservation and security – our sense of safety and financial stability. It’s about meeting our basic needs, about feeling safe and secure.

THE ENERGY COLOUR OF THE ROOT CHAKRA IS RED, the first colour of the rainbow, which represents self-awareness, passion, courage, strength, will and desire. It is the colour of physical energy and our connection with the Earth and our survival. Red energy connects us to our physical body and every action that we take needs the life force of red, it is the colour of blood which is the first colour we come into contact with when we are born. The Root Chakra colour commands attention, it signals danger to us and we act immediately.

If you see the colour red during a Reiki session it is because you are receiving healing to your Root Chakra, either to physical, mental or emotional issues relating to this chakra and I will now talk about what these are.

A BALANCED ROOT CHAKRA

When you are healthy in body, mind and spirit your Root Chakra is open and balanced. You feel safe, secure and confident, you’re not worried about your life, your overall health is good, you feel centred and grounded and live in the moment, rather than clinging to the past. You are independent, happy and generally feel contented about things. You will be able to deal with problems and handle conflicts calmly and constructively and your troubles won't scare you. As mentioned above, this chakra is related to our basic needs in life such as food, shelter, warmth and comfort and if your Root Chakra is balanced, it will keep you on track to meet these needs. If it is overstimulated or under-active you may feel unsettled and generally out of sorts but unable to actually pin point why ... so let’s go into this in a bit more detail.

WHEN THE ROOT CHAKRA IS BLOCKED

When your chakras are not functioning at an optimal balanced level they can weaken and become blocked. When this happens to your Root Chakra you will be fearful, anxious, feel ungrounded, overly cautious and insecure. You will probably distrust yourself and others. You may have issues around loyalty, your identity and feeling unsupported. Your will and ambition will be weak and you may feel shy, incapable, generally unloved and sexually inadequate, you won’t respect yourself and will frequently be clumsy and lethargic. You will find it hard to let go of the past and every task no matter what, seems difficult; money problems arise and you lose confidence and I think it goes without saying, you feel unhappy. Frustration and fear will be driving your behaviours and you may feel that you don’t belong, like an outsider. Issues relating to the family including your wider circle manifest in your Root Chakra.

WHEN THE ROOT CHAKRA IS OVERACTIVE

Chakras can also become overactive which means that one chakra can completely dominate your life and make your way of interacting and seeing things unhealthy. You can become bossy, cynical and cunning, have a big ego and a general lust for power. You may get uptight and have trouble controlling your temper; it can make you aggressive, domineering and angry at everything and everyone and be prone to do reckless things and turn materialistic and greedy. You may even resort to violence, become selfish and obviously, feel unhappy. Issues with control over food intake and diet are also related to an overactive root chakra.

Whoa… I’m not saying that all these things happen if your Root Chakra is unbalanced but you may recognise one or two aspects relating to whether it's either blocked or overactive?

PHYSICAL PROBLEMS RELATING TO THE ROOT CHAKRA

An imbalanced Root Chakra can manifest in several physical issues such as

• Lower Back Pain

• Leg Pain

• Eating Disorders

• Sciatica

• Constipation

• Fatigue

• Sleep Issues

• Feeling cold due to poor circulation

ROOT CHAKRA RELATED BODY PARTS

Physically your root chakra is responsible for the proper functioning of the spine, the large intestine and rectum, your legs, feet, bones and teeth.

ROOT CHAKRA RELATED ENDOCRINE GLAND – THE ADRENALS

Each chakra corresponds to an endocrine gland which are responsible for the release of hormones in our body, keeping them balanced and able to control major nerve functions and so keep us nourished and healthy. Your Root Chakra corresponds to your Adrenals which are connected to your ‘fight or flight’, your primal survival instinct.

HOW TO BALANCE THE ROOT CHAKRA

Reiki heals and balances your chakras. Since the Root Chakra is the base and foundation for all the other chakras, it is normally the best chakra to work on to start bringing things back into alignment. Healing the Root Chakra will bring comfort back into your life, along with tranquillity and calm, assisting you to lead a happy and healthy life.

Other ways to aid balance and help to heal this chakra are to get someone to give you a foot massage(!), walk barefoot on the beach or the grass – and the weather at the moment is great for that!

Go for a walk, preferably in nature, and walk with your mind focusing on each step as grounding with the earth will definitely help – and, of course, if you are so inclined, go hug a tree as this will help ground you!!

Wear red clothing or red jewellery, meditate and focus on the colour red. Wear or carry one of the crystals mentioned below or meditate with it by holding the stone at the base of your spine and envision the healing colour flowing from your stone and into your Root Chakra. Sit and meditate whilst holding your hand in the Gyan mudra (see below) and visualise your root chakra and the colour red and repeat the mantra sound LAM (see below). Listen to music in the appropriate key (C) or try doing lots of these things all at the same time for a big hit of Root Chakra healing!!

ROOT CHAKRA MANTRA SOUND & MUSICAL NOTE

The Root Chakra mantra sound is LAM. This is long L-A-A-A-A-M. You may feel a little foolish sat there doing this but if you do it when no-one is around, no-one else need know - unless you wish to tell them of course!!

The Root Chakra vibrates to the musical note C and just listening to music in this key can help to cleanse it.

ROOT CHAKRA MUDRA - Gyan Mudra

This is perhaps the most used mudra in yoga and is also known as the chin mudra. To do this, bring the tips of the thumb and index finger together, and keep the other three fingers together and lightly stretched. Keep your arms straight and your hands on your knees, palms facing upwards when feeling receptive, or rest your palm on your leg when you wish to feel more grounded.

The Gyan mudra is a great mudra to use when looking to gain knowledge or improve your concentration and sharpen your memory. Try holding this mudra while meditating for insight into your life or a specific issue. You could, whilst sitting in this position, try repeating the LAM sound mantra for 3 minutes or alternatively, just sit quietly or perhaps repeat some of the positive Root Chakra affirmations - I’ve put some in the Affirmations section below.

ROOT CHAKRA GEMSTONES

If you have some healing crystals work with the colour red, brown or black. Stones such as red jasper (pictured), garnet, red agate, smokey quartz (pictured), hematite, black tourmaline (pictured), onyx or obsidian are great for the root chakra. There are lots of others, these are just a few.

To heal this chakra many of the black stones are very powerful because of their grounding aspect, as is smokey quartz. The red base chakra stones are particularly powerful to aid you to increase your sex drive and interest in life. Sit with one at your root chakra whilst meditating or wear them as jewellery as keeping them on you throughout the day will help.

ROOT CHAKRA AFFIRMATIONS

An affirmation is a positive statement that can help to heal and strengthen those parts of us that need healing, they have the ability to programme your mind into believing the stated concept, because the sub-conscious doesn’t know the difference between what is real or fantasy. It has to be a conscious practice so it makes us become more aware and more in tune with our inner self. I’d suggest speaking your affirmation out loud for about five minutes, three times a day — morning, mid-day and evening for about a week – it does depend of course, on how much healing your Root Chakra needs! A good time to do this is when you’re putting on your make up or shaving, so that you can look at yourself in the mirror as you repeat the positive statement.

I’ve listed some Root Chakra affirmations below and if you wish, choose one or two that you most resonate with - or maybe you might prefer to use the ones in the red Muladhara circle image at the very top of this page. Pick them out and write them down in a journal or perhaps write your own but hand write them, don’t type, as writing them by hand has more impact, or as previously mentioned repeat them 3 times a day, preferably in front of the mirror!

So suggestions for affirmations for your Root Chakra:

I am safe, secure and protected.
I am grounded and rooted like a tree and fully nourished with energy from Mother Earth.
I am cared for and all my needs are met.
I have what I need. I am grounded, stable and standing on my own two feet.
I nurture my body with healthy food, clean water, exercise and relaxation and by connecting with nature.
I am open to possibilities and I make choices that are healthy and good for me.
I am grateful for all the challenges that have helped me to grow and transform.
I trust in the goodness of life. I trust myself. I love life.