THE ROOT OR MULADHARA CHAKRA

The first chakra is called the root chakra or Muladhara chakra. It is located at the coccyx at the base of the spine, and perineum. The perineum is the spot between the anus and the vagina for women and the anus and scrotum for man. In Sanskrit, Muladhara signifies “base”, ‘foundation”, “root support”.

This chakra forms our foundation, it is the base of a balanced life. Located at the base of the spine, it represents the earth element and is, therefore, related to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane.

When we are grounded, our roots go deeper, providing us with more physical and emotional stability. The stronger we are in our foundation, the more confidence we gain to reach for our highest visions.

Function: The Root Chakra resonates with groundedness, stability, and security.

Basic right: To Be

Basic need: Safety

Related Organs: Reproductive system, perineum, rectum, elimination, blood, lymphatic system, kidneys, adrenals glands, and lower spine.

Color: Red

Sound: LAM (with long vowel aaaaa)

Musical note: C

Frequency: 256 Hz

Element: Earth

Energy: Grounding

Animal: Auvata Elephant, symbol of purity, power and steadiness, Snake, Lioness, buffalo.

The root chakra feeds and gives strength to the power of manifestation.The energy of Muladhara allows us to harness courage, resourcefulness and the will to live during trying times. It connects us with spiritual energies of our ancestors, their challenges and their triumphs.Since the base chakra carries our ancestral memories, mostly everyone experiences challenges or blockages within Muladhara. War, famine, natural disasters, and any events that threaten our basic survival are all recorded within energies of the first chakra. These memories are imprinted in the subtle body and are passed down from generation to generation creating unconscious generational patterns.

It is our work to take responsibility for our own lives and bring to light that which is unconscious.Finally, the root chakra is home to the Kundalini energy which rules the human life force. It is from the root chakra that we receive Gaya’s (mother earth) energy.

Root Chakra Symbol

The Root Chakra symbol is a red-colored 4-petaled lotus flower in which is inscribed a square which include an inverted triangle.

Each lotus petals representing a different element of the human psyche, which are:

· mind

· intellect

· consciousness

· ego

The square in this symbol represents rigidity, stability, and has a foundational energy. It provides a stable structure for the chakra system to rest on.

Housed within the square symbol is an upside-down triangle with a dualistic meaning. The most common explanation is the downward cone shape is indicative of the funneling of knowledge to the seed (the triangle’s point), out of which wisdom and spiritual awakening sprouts. From the other direction, the triangle’s sides are symbolic of the broadening of one’s consciousness.

Root Chakra Mantra

I am ready for simplicity
I am grounded
I am stable
May I be able to nourish and nurture myself
It is safe for me to be here
The earth supports me and meets my needs
I trust my body’s wisdom
I’m here and I’m real
I am home in my body

Symptoms when the Root chakra is in balance

When the root chakra is open, you will feel secure, calm, and motivated.
You will welcome change and adapt well to new circumstances.

When your root energy can flow freely, things that once seemed so hard will begin to flow effortlessly. In every aspect of your life, you will start to see that you are provided for and that the universe is conspiring in your favor.

Along with beginning to feel a sense of ease, the worries and fears which once clouded your mind begin to dissipate. You can breathe easily about the past, relax into the present and feel excited about the future. You might find that things that once scared you, like snakes or spiders, will no longer frighten you and may fill you with curiosity or wonder.

As the adrenal glands regulate the flight or fight reaction with release of two hormones, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), the adrenals determine how well you manage stress of any kinds in your life. When your body handles stress well, you will have courage and calmness in the face of fear and danger and be able to act fearlessly.

changes.

The adrenal glands are also responsible for producing cortisol within your body. When you have a balanced root center, your body can effectively regulate your cortisol levels, lessening stress and increasing your metabolism. This leads to potentially achieving a healthier level of weight without drastic lifestyle.

Furthermore, A balanced root also leads to an overall feeling of safety which naturally increases libido.

Money is a manifestation of the universal energy. When our root chakra is open and balanced, we can access our natural state of being cared for in all things. This inevitably leads to feelings of financial wealth. Without fear blocking our reception of what exists around us, we can finally rest in the comfort of knowing it is coming and enjoying sharing this abundance with others.

Finally, when the root chakra is imbalanced, our ego seeks security in all the wrong places. This manifests as an attachment to material things, people, status, careers… As we come back into alignment, our ego diminishes, and our inner being becomes more consciously present. Through this, we see that the material or earthly attachments we so desperately clung to are no longer necessary, freeing us to enjoy the flow of energy regardless of perceived losses.

Symptoms when the Root chakra is out of balance

If the Muladhara chakra is out of balance, you may feel afraid or unsafe, but also stuck in your ways, unwilling to accept change or transition.

You may feel insecure, and any experience paranoia. Change may feel threatening to you. Life may seem beyond your control, so you may try to compensate by over-controlling little things, always eating at the same time, always seating at the same chair, “your chair”.

You may become fanatical about orderliness or cleanliness.

If you have a closed root chakra, it will incapacitate you in the face of danger. You may bully those who are weaker and more vulnerable than you.

You may also feel fatigue, lack of vitality and dynamism, lack of willpower.

A person with an unbalance root chakra may also display avarice, an excess sense of materialism. Those people will often be constipated. Anger, impatience and violence are their companions. They may be authoritarian that impose their will instead of proposing.

Symptoms of excessive energy in the Root chakra:

You have a tendency of overeating that may lead to obesity. You are hoarding as you fear that you may experience lack; you may even be greedy. You are restless and have difficulty relaxing. You often experience anxiety or even panic attacks. You are strict and display rigid boundaries in your personal and professional life.

Symptoms of deficient energy in the Root chakra:

You may be underweight or even anorexic. You fear change in your life or your environment. You may even be fearful of life and the unknown. You feel tired, lazy and sluggish. You have difficulty focusing that may be linked to chronic disorganization. You have difficulty setting up boundaries.

TOOLS TO UNBLOCK AND BALANCE THE ROOT MULADHARA CHAKRA

Gems & mineral: Black tourmaline, jet, onyx, red jasper, red aventurine.

Herbs: Burdock, clove, dandelion, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, allspice, nutmeg.

Essential oil: Vetiver, black pepper, rosemary, cedar wood, angelica, clove.

Below are some of the healing activities you can perform to heal and activate the Muladhara Chakra:

- Listen to grounding music such as sound of thunder, Mongolian throat singing or the didgeridoo (an indigenous Australian instrument).

- Chant “LAM” to yourself. This sound matches the vibration of the root chakra. Try drawing out the letters into sounds, such as “lllllllaaaaaaammmmm.”

- Regularly go for walks in nature (barefoot preferably). Consciously note the connection of your feet to the earth.

- Do targeted yoga. Stretch your body using the simple yoga poses of child pose, forward bend, mountain pose, squat and warrior.

- Eat grounding foods such as sweet potatoes, beets, radish and other root vegetables.

- Practice 30-second mindfulness. Make a habit of stopping each day and observing your breath for three counts. This simple practice will help to ground you.

- Practice “earthing”. Earthing is the practice of walking on the grass or earth to recharging the human energy field.

- Make time to sit outside every day and connect with nature. Simply observe what is going on; the birds, the clouds, the wind, the light, and sense your interconnectedness with it.

- Drink an herbal tea that contains root chakra cleansing herbs such as nutmeg and cloves.

- Take a soothing shower. Water is a powerful way to cleanse stagnant and blocked energy. Alternatively, have a purifying bath using mineral salts such as Himalayan pink rock salt.

- Explore the cause of your fears. Fears stem from your inner beliefs, grudges, and unresolved pain. Take time to reflect on the root of your fears in a journal or with a trusted friend, partner or therapist.

Yoga (Asana) Poses

The below yoga poses are all great poses for the root chakra as they help anchor and ground the physical body, which in turn encourages the same for the mind. In each pose, press the soles of the feet powerfully into the mat, and imagine you are drawing energy up from the earth even as you ground down.

Uttanasana
(standing forward fold)

Goddess stand

Virabhadrasana
Warrior 1

Virabhadrasana
Warrior 2

First Exercise to balance your Root chakra

1. Sit or stand comfortably, back straight but not rigid.

2. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose.

3. Let your breath flow slowly without pause in and out.

4. Focus your attention on your root chakra.

5. Imagine a connection opening between your root chakra and the earth. This can take many forms and can be different each time you practice. Some see a tree trunk or roots, a hollow bamboo, a silver tube, a beam of light, a flow of menstrual blood, and so on.

6. Visualize this connection extending from you down into Mother Earth, passing through the crust, the bedrock, deep into the molten core.

7. When you have your connection formed, allow any overwhelming sensations, any negative energies: anger, lethargy, hyperactivity, grief, anxiety, fear to flow through your connection down into the center of Mother Earth.

8. There, in a fiery blast, the energy is purified and returns back to you as safe, strong, peaceful life force.

9. Maintain your flowing connection overwhelming energy down and calming energy up.

First Exercise to balance your root chakra

Second Exercise to balance your Root chakra

1. Lie on your right side. This will tend to open your left nostril and stimulate your right brain hemisphere.

2. Reach around from behind and place your left palm on your sacrum (tailbone) with your middle finger (the longest finger) touching your coccyx.

3. Reach around from the front and place your right palm on your perineum and your middle finger touching the middle finger of your left hand at your coccyx. In this position you are reaching down between your crotch, one hand from the front and one hand from the rear until your two longest fingers just touch and with the rest of your hands against your skin. You can do this while clothed or naked; while naked is best.

4. Hold this position while you visualize the color red, and make the sound lam (long vowel aaaaa).

5. You may also place any red, black, brown, or silver stone or crystal between your hands and your body while you do this meditation.

6. Visualize the energy in this chakra spinning, for example, smoke or fog swirling in a clockwise direction, or a propeller rotating in a clockwise direction.

Third Exercise to balance your Root chakra

1. Seat down comfortably, back straight, eyes closes and breathe deeply into the nose a few times. Let go and relax.

2. Concentrate on the Muladhara chakra for a minute and then visualize it surrounded by red of an absolute purity. Keep this visualization for three minutes. Then, take a deep breath while imagining that energy is penetrating this chakra and breath out while imagining that all the impurities of this chakra are getting out. Repeat this entire process as may time as you feel it’s necessary.

3. Once you feel that you have completed, the cleaning process chant the mantra “BHUR” seven times. End the process by offering gratitude toward this chakra.