Root Chakra

This month, we’re discussing the first chakra, Muladhara, or our Root Chakra.

A Recap of the Chakras

Chakra is the Sanskrit word for “wheel.” The seven chakras as we know them are a modern Western interpretation of an ancient concept from Hinduism. However, there are parallel ideas and observations from healing systems and healers across cultures and time periods. The chakras are energy centers in and around the body. Each corresponds to a color and specific parts of the body. It also corresponds to particular mental and emotional experiences. These beautiful wheels of color are a brilliant way of illustrating the inseparable mind-body connection in human health and wellness. In this series, we’ll be exploring each chakra and holistic approaches to caring for them.

Mualdhara

Mualdhara, the Root Chakra, is the foundation to our chaka system and its strongest link to the everyday needs of the physical body. The Root Chakra is, in many ways, the first thing to come online in our human experience. It connects to our innate survival drive and our desire for safety. When these needs are met, we have sturdy ground on which to build our emotional world, our identity, our personality, our values, our relationships, our mental lives, and our spiritual lives.

The Root Chakra also connects us to other people. When we’re first born, we are remarkably helpless, almost uniquely so in the animal kingdom. Our first sense of safety comes from total reliance on someone else. If we receive adequate care in plentiful circumstances, our first lesson in life is that we will be provided for, warmly and lovingly. And yes, much of that comes directly from our mothers, but for thousands of years, that care came from our entire communities. The phrase “it takes a village” may not be taken to heart in our age of isolation, but it is nevertheless true. We thrive when we are cared for, and we learn how to care for others.

The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine and symbolized by a red four-petaled lotus. This square shape offers us stability and safety, like the four walls of a house. In the center of the lotus is a downward pointing triangle, like roots digging into the earth to support something much larger and more complex above. In Western traditions, the downward pointing triangle represents water and the feminine. This additional association to motherhood reminds us that by the earth itself, we are held and held sacred, loved and taken care of.

Body

Because the Root Chakra deals with the foundation of our energetic life, it also deals with the foundation of our physical body. Specifically, we associate Muladhara with our bones and the frame that supports us. It’s also associated with the tail end of our digestive system, helping us to let go and eliminate waste from the body. For these reasons, certain foods are ideal for Muladhara. Eat foods that supply nutrients to the musculoskeletal system, like items packed with protein and minerals. Foods that are high in fiber are also supportive, lending themselves to the digestive function of the chakra. Foods like lentils and legumes that supply both are ideal.

When the Root Chakra is out of balance, we may feel quite literally out of balance. Our digestion may slow down or move too quickly. We may crave food we don’t need. We may experience back pain. Restlessness and anxiety spring from the fear that we are not safe. Conversely, we may feel frozen in place, too scared to physically engage with our bodies.

Helpful exercises connect us to the earth and reinforce our sense of stability.

Malasana, or garland pose is a very deep squat. With feet turned out and just wider than hip-width distance apart, allow your seat to drop down between your knees without raising your heels, bringing your hands together in prayer pose. Your elbows may push against the inside of your thighs, adding a deeper stretch to your legs. Some people may not be able to sink so far down, while others will need to engage their core to keep from “hanging.” While it may not feel this way, this pose is a natural rest position for the human body. Before people brought chairs into their daily lives and before our tasks became more sedentary, it was very common for people to squat while they ate or chatted. In some cultures, it still is. As a bonus, malasana is a great way to engage your digestive system in the morning.

Balance poses are also very helpful for activating our Root Chakra. Whether you are practicing tadasana, or mountain pose, which simply asks you to stand where you are, or you are practicing eagle pose, which asks you to wind your limbs together while balancing on one foot, the same principles apply to finding your center. Bring your attention to the soles of your feet. Notice where you naturally hold your weight. Lean slightly back, taking the weight off your toes, then rock forward, taking the weight off your heels. As you repeat this, you may even lift your toes or heels off the ground. Settle your weight in the center, feeling contact with the inside and outside edges of your feet against the floor, weight dispersed through your heels and the balls of your feet. Find a steady point to focus your gaze, or drishti. These steadying methods will help you find balance, find your roots, which allow you to sway through any storm.

Earthing is a practice that merges mind and body, just as the Root Chakra merges our physical body to our energetic system. Spend time barefoot outside, releasing the excess charge you build up in your body throughout the day, both literally and figuratively. Feel the earth beneath you and know that no matter how detached or lost you feel, it will keep holding you. Long after we are gone the earth holds and accepts us. In fact, it invites us to become a part of it and to be reborn in a thousand different ways through the life cycles it fosters. Getting outside and touching the ground is a wonderful way to build the bridge between your body and mind.

Mind and Spirit

Muladhara is all about feeling secure, so when this chakra is out of balance, we have a tendency to feel very insecure. This can manifest in several different ways. We may project insecurity onto others and lash out, feeling like we cannot trust them to support us. We may hoard our resources for fear that we could lose them or that we already do not have enough of what we need. We may struggle with anxiety and even panic attacks because we feel that our lives are in danger, even if we can’t place why. The themes of the Root Chakra tap into our most basic needs, and, consequently, our most primal fears.

For this reason, much of what we can do to support our mental and spiritual health through the Root Chakra involves reminding ourselves that we’re alright. Try this exercise if you catch yourself worrying. Chances are, your imagination really runs wild, detailing complicated scenarios in which you lose what you have in some way or another. Let yourself finish the thought, but then ask yourself, what’s the best thing that could happen? Challenge your mind to be as creative, elaborate, and ambitious as it is when it’s catastrophizing. See how you feel in this new daydream. See if you can make it a habit. Remember, you don’t have to give up your worst-case scenarios. In fact, it may serve you to have a good contingency plan. Recognizing patterns and preparing for possible dangers are ways we were able to evolve and thrive as a species. You can thank your brain for the effort. But you can also give it some time to play.

Doing grounding exercises that connect you to your body are especially useful when you’re feeling anxious. You can try naming what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. You can sit on the ground and envision your own roots reaching deep into the earth. You can even (gently) pinch yourself to bring your awareness into your body.

We mentioned earthing in the body section, but we’ll repeat here that being outside on the ground is a great way to ground yourself. Try taking a walk, gardening, or just sitting in nature. Notice the animals around you and how they manage to find everything they need, even as they contend with the elements.

Many mantras are beneficial for getting in touch with your root chakra. Try one of these:

• I am held by the earth.
• I am safe, strong, and supported.
• My community provides everything I need, and I give back what I can.
• Even when everything is not ok, everything will be ok.
• Like a tree, my roots reach deep in the earth.
• Gravity keeps me on the ground.
• Flexibility allows me to sway instead of topple.
• From the earth we begin, and to the earth we return.
• In this moment, I have everything I need.

Additional Support

Trusting our community, our surroundings, and ourselves may be easier said than done. Many of us have had experiences in which we were not safe, our needs were not met, and we could not trust our people or environment. Those experiences are tough to move past, and there’s a very good chance that we may need help getting through them. If not, issues like anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can have a tight grip on our lives. In these circumstances, we strongly recommend finding a counselor that makes you feel safe to work through these issues. Techniques like talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and EMDR are all very useful and can help us to shore up areas of need relating to the Root Chakra.

There are also many herbs we recommend for the Root Chakra.

• Adaptogens help our body to deal with stress. Functional mushrooms like lion’s mane and reishi can benefit Root Chakra work as can ashwagandha.
• The earthy taste of a nice dandelion root tea will help ground you and provide gentle assistance to your digestive system. Make your own by digging up dandelions in early summer and drying the roots in the oven or a dehydrator.
• Chamomile and lavender are great calming herbs you can use to soothe an overburdened Root Chakra.
• Milky oats are a wonderful calming plant, used to help treat stress and the physical conditions that develop from prolonged stress.
• Ginger is another plant that assists with digestion. Use it fresh in food or as a supplement to receive its benefits.

Remember, once you’ve worked with your Root Chakra, you’ve set the foundation for so many other aspects of your mind-body connection. From here, there’s nowhere to go but up!