Root Chakra
Grounding
Just like the roots of a tree, our root chakra is our body’s connection to the Earth. It is our root that grounds us to the physical world. Just like a plant, the deeper the root base, the bigger the bloom aboveground.
The root chakra governs our parasympathetic nervous system, which controls bodily functions when we are at rest, like digestion, metabolism and the ability to relax.
When our root chakra is stabilized, we feel more at home within ourselves and we’re less likely to worry. We feel grounded, our roots go deeper providing us with more physical and emotional stability.
Security
The root chakra is connected to the element of Earth and provides a sense of safety and trust. It’s our survival chakra. It’s associated with the base of the spine, the pelvic floor, and the first three vertebrae, and responsible for an individual’s sense of security and survival. Fear and worry block our root chakra and low self confidence is a sign that the root chakra is blocked. Also, lethargy, cold hands and feet, back pain, and digestive discomfort are other signs.
It’s our ancient self and holds memories of our ancestry. Working with the root chakra can trigger emotions tied to memories, including past lives.
Our family values are seated in the root chakra as well as our sense of self, our instincts, our connection with nature, and our being grounded in life. All other chakras in the body build on the root chakra. They depend on the root being strong.
The stronger we are in our foundation, the more confidence we have to reach for our dreams and manifest our fullest potential.
Opening the Root Chakra
Your root chakra, the Muladhara, is the chakra located at the base of the other chakras. It generally serves as a foundation for the rest of your chakras.
Ways to open and stabilize your root chakra include:
Root herbs like Burdock, Horseradish, Dandelion, Astragalus
Adaptogens, like American ginseng, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, reishi and Chaga mushrooms, and schizandra berry.
Any root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, onions, ginger
Yoga, QiGong & TaiChi
Chanting
Stones like hematite, black tourmaline, red jasper, red carnelian, obsidian, bloodstone, garnet
Contact with the Earth
Essential oils like cedar, sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, juniper, cypress
Affirmations: I am safe, I am secure, I am grounded, I am open to new ideas, I trust myself and my choices.
Passion
The adrenals are associated with the root chakra. This is the gland that comes to our rescue when needed and where our fight or flight instincts are housed. Keeping the adrenals nourished is paramount. The root chakra also governs both our skeletal and immune systems. You can keep your immune system strong with nutrition, exercise, and fresh air.
A person with a balanced root chakra is grounded, feels a passion for life. He/she is secure, stable, energetic, has willpower when needed, is comfortable in his/her body, has general good health, and is able to relax and enjoy nature, stillness, and silence.
Take off your shoes and socks and walk in the grass, or sit under a tree, close your eyes and connect with the earth. If you can do this at dawn or sundown it can be especially beneficial since those are the best times for working with the root chakra.
