root chakra explained
Here’s our top guide to the seven major chakra’s and everything you need to know about them. Today we’ll focus on the root chakra.
The root chakra is the first chakra to develop and is located at the base of the spine and along the first three vertebrae. In sanskrit this chakra is called Muladhara and is the foundation of our energy.
The vital energy of this chakra is said to begin at conception and is the most instinctual of all of the chakras as it is our survival centre. This chakra allows us to have courage, resourcefulness and push through challenging times.This is also the chakra that holds ancestral memories or trauma and genetic influences.
Events that disrupt our sense of safety like natural disasters or war disrupt the root chakra and can be passed down through generations (this also relates to epigenetics but I’ll talk about that another time). To help keep this chakra balanced walking barefoot in nature and spending time outdoors can help.
Mantra: LAM
Colour: Red
Key characteristics: Security, safety, survival, basic human needs (food, sleep, shelter etc), grounding, physicality, support, sense of belonging, birth, ancestral & genetics, feeling secure and safe in the world
Signs of imbalance: Feeling insecure, unsafe, ungrounded, fear of intimacy, not interested in the world, not interested in survival or stuck in survival mode (fight, flight, fear), hyper vigilance, poor focus, disorganised, pessimism, negative thinking, closed minded. fearful, anxiety or panic attacks, over thinking, disconnection, anger/rage, lower back, legs or feet issues, overindulging in food or sex or other pleasures, becoming too attached to money or power.
Signs of balance: feeling safe, secure, lust for life, good self worth, great concentration, persistence, clear thinking, goal setting, passionate, loving, excited and determined,
Physical/body links: adrenal glands, colon, kidneys, skeleton/bones, muscles, bladder, colon/large intestine, teeth, arterial blood flow to left chamber of heart
Element associated: Earth
Developmental stage: womb to 7 years old
Yoga poses: Tree pose, Mountain pose, warrior pose, knee to chest pose, head to knee pose, malsana/squatting pose, corpse pose
Crystals: black tourmaline, onyx, hematite
Essential oils: sandalwood, black pepper, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, ginger
Affirmations:
I feel safe
I am safe
I am home
I am connected to my body
I stay grounded
I am fearless
I trust myself, other people and the universe
