Root Chakra 101
The Root Chakra is the base of our chakra system and our source of power. This chakra rules our sense of survival, instincts, feelings of safety and security, our physical body and is responsible for our ability to expand and grow throughout our lives. This chakra is located at the base of the spine and is connected to earth energy. When our root chakra is open and balanced we feel grounded and secure in where we are, we feel fearless, we are able to easily manifest our desires and focus on our goals. We feel a greater sense of belonging and have a healthy self esteem. We have confidence that our basic needs will always be met and we are also able to function easily in times of uncertainty. We feel supported within our lives and our needs as well as within our ability to grow and expand. We feel comfortable in our sexuality and have confidence in following our instincts.
The Root Chakra begins development at the time of conception and the strongest development of this chakra is between the ages of conception to 12 months of age. If our instinctive and basic needs are met during this time we will have an easier time with the chakra and find it easier to remain in a state of groundedness. But if we experienced any inconsistency in our surroundings or having our needs met during this time, chances are this is a chakra you have consistently had issues with. This crucial time in our lives forms our basis for trust vs mistrust of ourselves, others and the world around us. There are so many things that can affect the development of this chakra and even those who had good childhood experiences can have major issues with this chakra. Infants who were unable to have that initial bond with their mother will struggle with root chakra issues. Having parents that worked a great deal, growing up in a loud environment, having multiple caretakers, too many external changes during the first year, and anything that interfered with your ability to trust that your needs would be met on a consistent basis will create a strong blockage in this chakra.
A blockage or imbalance in the chakra will affect us not only emotionally but physically as well. Emotional blockages appear as lack of energy or feelings of restlessness, excessive negativity, greed, excessive insecurities, poor focus, disorganization, cynicism, eating disorders, strong desire to maintain control over things, over-planning, feeling stuck because of fear of taking risks, feeling alone in the world, excessive fear of loss of material needs, flight or fight responses and living in survival mode. Physical blockages or imbalances show up as lower back pain, fatigue or insomnia, colon and bladder issues, kidney stones, leg issues and eating disorders. Muscle and bone problems are also indicators of imbalances in the root chakra.
The Root Chakra is likely to be the one that most people struggle to keep balanced because it is so easily affected by the external world. Instances such as war, famine, natural disasters and global economy issues are things that threaten our basic need for survival and experiencing any of these events throughout our lives can cause this chakra to become blocked or overactive. The fact alone that our survival during childhood was dependent on other individuals, shows how easily this chakra can be affected. Experiencing unexpected losses of any kind can also have a huge impact on this chakra so it is important to put consistent focus in maintaining balance in this chakra.
Along with our basic needs and sense of survival, the root chakra also plays a huge role in our relationships in our lives. If you have ever experienced controlling relationships, insecurity in relationships, clinging to another person or having someone cling to you, fear of loss in relationships, stagnation in relationships, fear of commitment or major trust issues in relationships, chances are there is an imbalance in the root chakra. A lot of times when we make a strong or long term connection to another person, our sense of security becomes dependent on that person or relationship (especially if you already have issues within this chakra). This is why most people struggle so much with breakups in relationships...because your sense of security has become connected to another person. Root chakra work should be our first priority after dealing with breakups or losses of any kind (friendship, romantic and family). If you struggle with trust issues, commitment issues, or any insecurity in relationships it is important that you put more focus on your root and keeping your energy grounded.
Even though the root chakra is the chakra for grounding and putting down roots, this chakra is also responsible for our ability to grow and embrace change in our lives. We are not meant to remain in the same type of energy or environment forever, we are meant to be in a state of constant evolution. If you struggle with change or find you feel stagnant more often than not in life, chances are you have blockages in your root chakra.
So how can you balance this chakra and maintain a sense of connectedness and grounded energy? There are numerous ways to bring balance to this chakra and with any chakra work it is important that you incorporate numerous balancing methods instead of just one type. While meditation is great for bringing balance to chakras, it is not the end all cure. We have to be able to acknowledge why we have the blockages and where the blockages began in order to be able to bring more awareness to our needs within this area.
One of the best ways to bring balance to this chakra is to keep the focus on "roots". Get out in nature, put your feet in the dirt or grass, work with gardening or any outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. Eating any root vegetables/foods such as beets, potatoes, peanuts, radishes, or carrots. Look into your own roots or family heritage and how your grew up. What are the belief systems you have been raised to believe? If you have family that experienced more struggles in life then it's possible you have a more lack based perception of life. Take time to examine the belief system and traditions you were raised with and work towards changing any perceptions that are more fear or lack based.
The root chakra is connected to our sense of smell and taste. Activities that stimulate or use these senses more will help aid in balancing this chakra. Cooking is a great activity to stimulate this chakra as it uses both the sense of smell and taste. Some good essential oils for this chakra (or anything with these scents) are cedarwood, sandalwood, frankincense, black pepper and patchouli. The color red is associated with this chakra and by adding this color into your surroundings more you can stimulate this chakra easily. Keep in mind if your Root chakra is overactive (this is associated with more feelings of aggression and the need to maintain too much control) that you will need softer hues of red to soften this chakra.
Meditation and yoga is also very helpful with this chakra as well as any type of physical activity. You can find a great deal of root chakra meditations as well as yoga poses on youtube.
The root chakra is responsible for our ability to bring our desires into reality. This is what brings your desired manifestations into the physical world. Remember that with each thought, desire, intention and act we perform, we are planting a seed in our root chakra. Keeping this chakra balanced is what helps these seeds to grow and show up in our physical world.
Sending you all much love!
Danielle