Energy Centers: Root Chakra

ROOT CHAKRA: Muladhara 

LOCATION: Base of the Spine

COLOR: Red
ELEMENT: Earth

PRIMARY FUNCTION: Support and Security

CHAKRA DEVELOPMENT

Though we are born with each in and out of body chakra, or energy point, intact, they are activated or fully awakened in an orderly manner. The Root Chakra contains within it's structure the underlying attributes we have about life that have been passed down from our ancestors and family of origin. Our first chakra locks in everything that happens to our parents or ourselves while we are in utero and newly born. During this time, we experience the world through our parents' perceptions and our own physical body. If we perceive a threat to ourselves or to our parents, we might question our right or ability to survive. Threats can include anything from not being fed when hungry to our parents going through bankruptcy etc. These feeling can create a belief that "the world is dangerous" or "I don't deserve to live".

This center holds core issues regarding emotional insecurity and physical security, as well as spiritual perceptions that relate to our right to exist and have our needs met. These core issues become issues regarding career, money, primal feelings, addictions, family of origin, and sexuality later on in life.

ASSOCIATED BODY PARTS: Kidneys, blood, the skeletal system, skin

PHYSICAL PROBLEMS: Conditions that affect the feet, knees and hips, including arthritis, kidney stones, osteoporosis, bone problems, and autoimmune deficiecny conditions.

GLANDULAR CONNECTION: Adrenal Cortex (fight or flight)

The Root Chakra emotionally is affected by aggression that, if allowed to remain unexpressed, turns into anger and violence. If your life is threatened or your beliefs are attacked, these feelings will stimulate the adrenaline flow into your blood, causing you to become defensive and frightened. When our way of life is threatened, the Root Chakra is activated and our ideas become harsh. We become defensive and cut off warm feelings to anyone or anything that threatens our home or our institutions.

Our thoughts and feelings about certain beliefs can cause a distortion in the energy center, causing it to become either overactive or under active. Thoughts and feelings pertaining to:

*Finances
*Career
*Physical Safety
*Needs

can cause imbalances. Chakras can be imbalanced by becoming blocked (under active) or overly intense (overactive). When this happens, our being as a whole is imbalanced, often leading to illness and/or emotional blocks and creates an unhealthy environment. Fears related to having your physical needs met can make your Root Chakra become under active and shrink in size. You can literally choke your Root Chakra with worries about money, career and possessions. This creates feelings of lack and usually creates a self fulfilling prophecy involving money challenges. Obsessions about money, career and possessions, the "workaholic" mind-set creates and overactive Root Chakra. Obsessions create imbalance because they make one or more chakra larger than the others.

SIGNS OF AN UNDER ACTIVE ROOT CHAKRA:
Neglecting of self, underweight, poor discipline/boundaries, depression, passivity, lethargy, chronic disorganization, fear of change, feelings of not belonging.

SIGNS OF AN OVERACTIVE ROOT CHAKRA:
Overeating, craving unhealthy foods, paranoia, nervousness, aggression, dominant behavior, addictions to adrenaline activities, hoarding, material fixation.

WHEN BALANCED:
Abundant health and energy, feeling grounded and settled, comfortable with own body, sense of safety and security, happiness in job/career, satisfied with life, material prosperity, able to manifest.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF IMBALANCES:
Constipation, lower back/sciatica pain, issues with legs, feet, knees, groin, hips, ankles, rectal/anal problems, frequent illness, immunity issues, skin rashes/issues.

Each chakra also is interconnected with Intuitive or "Psychic" Gift. In relation to the Root Chakra we will experience Physical Sympathy or  Physical Empathy.  If the Chakra is balanced and in harmony we will be able to sense others' physical problems and the reasons for them, be able to separate them from our own energy and are able to release them to assist with their healing.  If the Root Chakra is imbalanced there is a tendency to absorb others' illnesses and physical conditions and have a more difficult time distinguishing them from our own, as well as having a harder time getting rid of them.

WAYS TO HEAL THE ROOT CHAKRA:

*GROUNDING- a way to connect with this elemental energy is to imagine grounding yourself deep into the earth by visualizing a grounding cord made a burgundy red light, uniting your root chakra to the center of the earth. Spending time outside in nature will also assist with healing the root chakra.

*PHYSICAL ACTIVITY- any movement involving your feet and legs will be particularly helpful. When you feel your vital force, you connect with the strength of root chakra energy and grounded in your life.

*LEARNING SELF-RELIANCE- reinforcing your ability to stand on your own and reinforcing that you are safe in the world.

*SHIFTING INTO A MIND FRAME OF "LACK" TO ABUNDANCE-re-center the notion of material abundance on inner and non-material abundance. For instance, instead of assessing your level of wealth just base on your bank account, consider all the other types of riches you have in your life, from friendships to enjoyment of everyday pleasures. In the process, you will like have to reconsider personal beliefs about money and physical safety.

*MEDITATIONS- affirmations and visualizations can assist with healing. Taking some deep clearing and centering breaths, visualize a large red cube at the base of your spine. Expand the form and intensify the color. Feel the weight of this cube anchoring your to the earth. Feel you are cultivating the qualities of patience, stability, structure, and security in your life.

*REIKI OR SOUND THERAPY-energy therapy and vibrational therapy can assist with balancing and removing old energies that no longer support of serve your highest and best good.

ESSENTIAL OILS: Cedarwood, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver, Myrrh
FOODS: Root Vegetables, Red foods
CRYSTALS: Bloodstone, Garnet, Hematite, Red Jasper

AFFIRMATION: "I AM A DIVINE BEING OF LIGHT. I AM PEACEFUL, PROTECTED, AND SECURE"

Grounding Energy

It requires extra effort to ground your energy when you are a spiritual person or going through a spiritual awakening. When you are opening up to higher spiritual awareness and downloading many different frequencies of energy, you must be completely grounded to the Earth in order to not burn out your system. There are ways to physically ground so you will be calm and centered and be able to speak your Soul's message with clarity and confidence.

When you are ungrounded you will pick up thoughts and feelings from your surroundings that do not belong to you. You will feel off balance and your energy will be anxious. This is an issue for people who are extremely empathic. This is something that I have dealt with most of my life until I learned energy work and Reiki and started to understand energy.

Before you meditate, or do other spiritual work such as energy healings you should prepare and protect yourself. You do this by grounding yourself and centering your energies.

Centering means that one’s attention is always centered inside the body, more or less.  This also causes a person to be more realistic, more present and more grounded and attentive.  People who are not centered in themselves are usually more distracted, less present, more emotional and often feel pulled in several directions at once.  Centering and grounding are thus related to one another, though they are not exactly the same. We can become so scattered and give our energy out to everyone around us that we feel drained. Spend a few moments focusing on your breath. Then ask all energies that are not yours to move out of your space and into the Light. Then ask all energies that are yours that you have left with others or in other places to return so that you own all your power now. Then you can proceed to grounding.

Grounding connects you to the energy of the earth, and it is important in healing work since it prevents you from depleting your own body's energy. Simply put, you connect to the earth by imagining you are connected to the earth. Sounds silly, but it works. Here are some different ways you can do it:

• Standing up in bare feet (if you can't have your feet bare then imagine your feet are bare) on the ground- you can do this anywhere. With you feet planted firmly on the bare earth, and by your visualization and intention send roots into the earth. As you inhale, you draw energy up through your new "roots", and as you exhale, you send your roots even further into the earth. Do this for several minutes-you should definitely feel a change in the state of your feeling.
• Eating grounding foods- When you are feeling like you are floating and up in the clouds, eat foods that will ground you to the Earth. Roots veggies: beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, ginger, and garlic. All of these veggies have roots that reach down into the ground. 
• Go outside and put bare feet in the ground.
• Hug a tree! 
• Walking.  Walking slowly and deliberately is very helpful for centering and grounding.  Think about your feet as you walk and send your energy into the earth with each slow, deliberate step.  If helpful, imagine you are being pulled along when you walk by a magnet hidden under the earth. 
• Sea Salt bath- purifying in nature this will help eliminate toxic energies and clear the auric field. You can add a bit of lavender essential oil to calm the energy field and clear out other peoples energies and thought patters you may have collected.
• Spend time in nature.
• Use grounding Crystals- such as hematite or black tourmaline
• I like to use essential oils as well. Grounding oil by Young Living assist with centering energies. I apply this blend to the bottoms of my feet.
• If you are attuned to Reiki I like to draw the Power Symbol (CKR) on the bottoms of my feet before doing any energy work.