The Essential Guide to Your Root Chakra
The root chakra, or Mūlādhāra in Sanskrit, is the first of the seven major chakras in the body. It represents the sphere of security and stability and is associated with our sense of being taken care of. The root chakra acts as the foundation for our chakras and, when aligned, promotes feelings of wealth and expansion.
This chakra sits at the base of the spine, right near your tailbone. It is associated with the first three vertebrae of the spine, the pelvic plexus and the perineum.
Attributes of the Root Chakra
This chakra represents certain characteristics of the human experience, such as survival, safety, peace of mind, protection, stability:
- Survival
- Security
- Peace of Mind
- Stability
- Preservation
- Freedom
- Support
- Basic Needs – food, water, sleep, clothing, shelter
- Grounding
- Protection
- Defence
The Mūlādhāra chakra is associated with your survival skills. When it’s not aligned, it can be difficult to feel like you’re in control of your survival. It brings a sense of security and peace of mind when it’s regulated and allows you to feel comforted and to trust in your experience.
This chakra represents your level of liberation, or how free you feel in your life. It is responsible for how supported you feel and how well you feel your basic needs are taken care of. A weak or misaligned root chakra can result in feelings of insecurity or lack – like you don’t have enough and you never will. A healthy Mūlādhāra chakra helps you see the blessings and abundance in your life, which only increases them.
The root chakra serves as our connection to our ability to manifest our needs and desires.
The Unbalanced Root Chakra
When we don’t align our chakras regularly, they can become unbalanced and seem to work against us. Each chakra has its own telltale signs of misalignment – the most common signs of an irregular root chakra are:
- A Negative outlook
- Greed
- Excess
- Gluttony
- Selfishness
- Negativity
- Eating disorders
- Insecurity
- Excessive frugality
Most misaligned chakras will cause some discomfort or negativity, but an unbalanced root chakra produces negativity surrounding one’s realm of security. This results in feelings of lack or feeling like you don’t have enough. You might find yourself refusing to spend any money due to the fear that it won’t return or acting more selfish than usual because you don’t feel like you’re getting your slice of the universal pie.
It can also manifest as issues surrounding food – either feeling like you need more or have a perpetual hunger or avoiding food altogether. Most eating disorders are concurrent with Mūlādhāra chakra imbalances.
When this chakra is out-of-whack, it’s hard to feel like a safe participant in this life – like everything and everyone is out to take from you. It can even manifest in feelings of paranoia. The desire to feel secure is a natural element of the human experience, and you deserve to experience that security.
Awakening & Balancing the Root Chakra
There are myriad ways to reinvigorate your root chakra and allow it to blossom like a life-giving flower.
Yoga is an excellent way to achieve the balance of many chakras, including the Mūlādhāra chakra. Some of the best poses for grounding yourself and awakening this chakra are Sukhasana – a seated position with your legs crossed and your hands resting on your knees – and Balasana, or Child’s Pose. Sit on your knees and extend your arms forward, resting your forehead on the ground beneath you and embracing your connection with the soil.
Doing any kind of work or activity that involves Mother Nature is an excellent way to encourage your root chakra to open up and balance itself. Hobbies such as gardening and hiking as well as activities like spending time in nature and picnics in the park are enjoyable, refreshing ways to achieve balance of this chakra.
Finally, meditation is a wonderful way to achieve balance in this area. Simply close your eyes, focus on your root chakra and imagine a beautiful red lotus flower, open-wide and rich in color.
Get creative with your approach. You could write a poem or haiku dedicated to the Mūlādhāra chakra. Or even paint a picture of what you think yours might look like.
Letting the Root Chakra Enlighten You
When you embrace and charge this chakra, it balances the pleasure and pain centers in your brain, allowing you to see your life and its many blessings more clearly. It doesn’t matter if you don’t necessarily have everything you want, or even if you might be struggling to survive right now – your root chakra can help you find the motivation and solutions to improve your situation.
So embrace this secure, foundation-laying and allow it to enlighten your spirit.
Related Article: Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Chakras
