Location of the Root Chakra: Base of the spine (at the coccyx)
Core Issue: Fear
Age of Development: 2nd trimester – 12 months
Developmental Tasks: Physical growth, motor skills
Function: Survival, stability, sense of trust and security, groundedness, the will to live
The root chakra is where our energy for survival and safety resides. It starts developing in our first year of life as we form connections with our family and community. If these connections aren’t strong or supportive, you might feel unsettled, unsafe, and worried all the time.
Root Chakra: Foundation of Life
The root chakra is about feeling safe and secure in the world, like believing it’s our right to be here and have what we need to survive.
Connection to the Physical Body
The root chakra is linked to different parts of our body like the spine, legs, feet, and bones (including teeth and nails), as well as our immune system.
Connection to the Emotional/Mental Body
The root chakra is key to our emotional and mental health. It’s shaped by our relationships with family and community, and how supported and connected we feel.
Connection to the Spiritual Body
The root chakra involves believing that being born into our biological family was the right start for our life’s journey.
When the root chakra’s energy is out of balance, it can develop either an excessive or deficient coping strategy for survival.
Excessive Root Chakra
Too much energy stays in the body, making it overactive, dense, and stagnant. Signs of excess imbalance include:
Deficient Root Chakra
Too much energy leaves the body, leaving it passive, empty, and feeling useless. Signs of deficient imbalance include:
Balanced Root Chakra
A balanced root chakra means:
The root chakra can face several challenges, affecting grounding, nourishment, trust, survival fears, fear of abandonment, boundaries, home, and family.
Possible Causes of Complications
Complications can arise from experiences like physical abuse, trauma at birth, feeling abandoned or neglected, malnourishment, major illness or surgery, and inheriting fears from parents.
Physical Manifestations of Imbalance
When the root chakra is imbalanced, it can show up in physical issues such as:
Therapeutic Color: Red Associated Element: Earth
Every trauma held in the body affects your whole system–physically, mentally, and emotionally. For example, breaking a leg not only impacts you physically but also influences your thoughts and emotions. When trauma happens it can create a gap between your mind and body and cause issues with how your system communicates with itself, keeping you from healing. When healing, it’s crucial to address trauma comprehensively and work towards reestablishing a connection between what you are thinking and what you are feeling in your body and allow it to be expressed emotionally.
The following suggestions can help to balance the energy of the root chakra. It is important to note, that healing requires careful attention and patience, especially when dealing with long-held traumas. It may be uncomfortable as you confront past experiences, but this is a natural part of the healing process.
For the best results, combine several methods that you find enjoyable and practice them regularly. Healing takes time and persistence, so be patient with yourself throughout the journey.
1. Regular physical activity
Healing your root chakra is about strengthening your connection to your body. When this connection is strong, you can better understand what your body needs and respond to its signals. Moving your body through physical activity is the main way to achieve this. This doesn’t mean hitting a specific step count while at work, but rather engaging in focused, undistracted movement.
You don’t need a gym or heavy workouts like lifting weights or running long distances. Simple and fun activities like walking, dancing, or playing a sport you enjoy can help. The important thing is to make it a regular part of your routine so your body can rely on it.
2. Yoga poses
Yoga focused on building stability in your base can help to balance the root chakra. Some helpful poses include cobra, mountain pose, squat, standing forward-bend, and warrior.
3. Try cathartic exercise
Catharsis means releasing built-up energy and strong emotions through free-flowing movement and making sounds. This allows your body to move in ways that feel natural and satisfying, unlike structured exercises. It’s a great way to strengthen your body connection and learn to listen to what your body needs to feel good. Jumping, kicking, punching, or even yelling can help release stagnant energy and promote a healthier connection with your body.
4. Establish a routine
Our bodies thrive on routine. Having a regular schedule helps your body prepare and be ready for what’s next instead of feeling surprised. For instance, if you go to bed at 2 a.m. one night, 3 a.m. the next, and 10 p.m. the following night, your body won’t know when to expect sleep. A consistent routine can help balance the root chakra by providing the order and structure it craves.
You don’t need to plan every minute of your day, but setting aside consistent times for tasks like eating and exercising gives your body a clear sense of direction and stability. This helps your body know what to expect and when.
5. Connect with nature
When your root chakra is out of balance, you might feel ungrounded–like you’re disconnected from your body and the earth, almost floating. One of the best ways to fix this is by spending time outdoors and connecting with nature. Being in nature can calm your nerves and help you feel more grounded.
Direct contact with the earth is especially helpful. Walking barefoot on the ground can energetically ground you and reconnect you with the earth’s energy.
6. Touch and Massage
Giving your body pleasant touch is a great way to reconnect and balance your root chakra’s energy. When this chakra is imbalanced, it can lead to feelings of fear and distrust in the world. Your body needs to feel good things to rebuild trust.
Massaging and touching your body in enjoyable ways can help strengthen this connection. Focus on areas from your lower back to your feet, as these are especially helpful for the root chakra. Try giving yourself a daily foot rub to start feeling more grounded and connected.
7. Take a bath
Water has powerful grounding properties that can quickly calm your body and nervous system in a gentle way. Soaking your legs and feet in a bath can relax the energy of your root chakra and help you connect with yourself in a soothing and pleasant manner. Even a short sitz bath of 10-15 minutes can be very beneficial. For added relaxation, try adding Epsom salt to help soothe your muscles even more.
8. Reflect on your family relationships
Your root chakra’s energy is tied to your family and community. It’s important to assess how these relationships affect your balance. Does your family provide love and support, or do they often ignore your boundaries and needs? How does this impact your interactions with others?
Consider ways to heal strained relationships or decide if it’s necessary to let go of unhealthy ones. Setting and sticking to boundaries that respect your needs is crucial for a healthy root chakra. This helps ensure you feel accepted and supported in your relationships and in the world around you.
9. Explore where your fears come from
Fear is at the heart of the root chakra’s issues. It can make your body feel tense and always on alert, which prevents it from relaxing properly for good health. Fear often stems from unresolved traumas, mistaken beliefs (like fear of people who are different from you), and feelings of resentment.
Take time to think about what makes you feel afraid and confront those issues. Addressing them can help you start letting go of fear, allowing your body to regain trust and find balance again. This process is important for feeling more at ease and healthier overall.
Affirmations are powerful tools for changing how you think about yourself. They help replace negative self-talk with positive statements that support healing.
Aromatherapy uses certain scents to create a focused connection with different parts of the body through the sense of smell.
Some scents that work great for the root chakra include Cedar, Clove, Cypress, Frankincense, Patchouli, Rosemary, and Vetiver.
Color therapy uses the different wavelengths of light found in color to establish a connection to specific areas of the body.
The color red has the longest wavelength of visible light. It vibrates at the same range of frequency as the root chakra. Because of this wearing the color red or bringing it into your surroundings can help balance the energy of the root chakra.
Food is the most powerful medicine. It can affect different parts of the body in specific ways.
For the root chakra, root vegetables (like beets, garlic, potatoes, onions) and red-colored foods (like red apples, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes) are especially beneficial.
Music therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. It can help with emotional processing and expression, reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and depression, promote relaxation, manage pain, and support overall well-being.
Music therapy can be used in various ways. You can try listening to specific songs work through feelings like anger or to transition to a different emotional state, such as happiness. You can also try using music that promotes relaxation/reduces stress levels or music that will increase your energy level depending on your desired outcome. Including dancing and/or singing can also help you feel better both inside and out.
It's important to pick music you like and that helps you feel how you want to feel in the moment.
The root chakra is positively influenced by music featuring a strong and steady rhythm. Songs that convey themes of strength, resilience, and stability are also beneficial, as well as those that encourage the emotional expression of fear or anger.
Some suggested songs include:
Popular Song Suggestions:
Making sounds creates vibrations in your body, which helps reconnect your mind and body. Different sounds create vibrations that can target specific areas.
For the root chakra, try making the sound "oo" (like in "moon"), chanting the mantra "Lam," or humming. Pay attention to how the vibrations feel in your pelvis area to focus on balancing your root chakra.
Sources: A Handbook of Chakra Healing Spiritual Practice for Health, Harmony, and Inner Peace, Govinda, Kalashatra; Anatomy of the Spirit the Seven Stages of Power and Healing, Myss, Caroline; Eastern Body Western Mind Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self, Judith, Anodea
Terms of Use Accessibility Statement Privacy Policy Cookies/US
© 2024 CLEANSING VIBES WELLNESS COLLECTIVE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
