What is it?

In the last few decades, Chakras have become a part of popular culture. Many people reference the colors, imagery, and feelings related to these energy hubs in their daily lives. There are seven chakras in the human body, and five more outside, making up the 12 major chakras. There are more, but that’s a lesson for a much later date. 

The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine. It connects us to Earth and all of the other “life energies.” It reflects our feelings of safety and security. You may have heard of Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs. In regards to educating adolescents, Maslow’s hierarchy supports that adolescents must have their basic needs met before they can begin to do any higher-level processing. The same applies to your personal system of chakras. Before you can do real work on those chakras, one must do the work on the root chakra in order to feel safe and one day is able to leave the state of fight or flight. 

Visibility

The Root Chakra is not only our base, but it seems to be the base of many

“life energies” on our little planet. When we take the simple pattern of the root structure, we can find it in many different places on Earth. Each of these “roots” grounds and nourishes their respective systems.

Photos left to right, top to bottom:

1. Tree root system: anchors tree to the ground, delivers water and nutrients to cells of the tree.
2. Jellyfish tentacles: specialized cells designed to find and bring in nutrients.
3. Fungi mycelium: specialized cells designed to breakdown and transport nutrients to fungal cells
4. Colorado river delta: materials are eroded by water and carried into the river where it feeds life specialized to live in the area where freshwater and saltwater mix.
5. Animal vascular systems (human shown here): carry nutrients to and from the cells and organs of the organism
6. Human lungs: bring oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out, connect with the cardiovascular system to carry to cells and organs. 

The Earth itself has a chakra system. The Root Chakra for the planet as a whole is located at Mt Shasta in California. We will talk more about that in a bit.

Unbalanced

So how will I know it’s my root chakra that is unbalanced and not my sacral chakra or one of the other chakras? You can take a short quiz here.

The most obvious sign the root chakra is blocked is living in fear or survival mode. Someone might also be excessively negative or cynical. They might have a compulsion to hoard, this may be things, money, or even food. And finally, they may not have a clear grip on reality – they think they are the best at everything. 

Our pets might show an imbalance in their root chakra by tearing up the couch cushions when we leave, having accidents, or excessive eating. 

Plants show an imbalance in their roots when they fall over, begin to wither, or their leaves change colors unexpectedly. 

Even Earth is showing an imbalance in her Root Chakra. Fires are consuming the area around Mt Shasta at an alarming rate and there doesn’t seem to be a sign of stopping. Thousands are obsessed with firearms and personal protection. Nations are constantly at war. Refugees flee nations at alarming rates. So many are in a constant state of fight or flight. 

Balancing

How can we begin to balance out all of this imbalance? 

As humans, we have many different ways to heal our own chakras, especially the root chakra. 

Affirmations

One way to work on balancing out energy in the body is through affirmations. For the root chakra, we want affirmations that address the challenges for the chakra itself:

• I am in control and safe.
• I will let go of attachment to results and things.
• I will remember to relax and enjoy Life’s activities.
• I will Quiet my negative inner dialogue.
• I will slow down and be methodical.
• I will be flexible without lowering my standards.
• I am the navigator of my life.
• I will change. Changes will strengthen my base, not deplete it.
• I will listen to others without inserting myself.

Activities

In addition to affirmations, other physical activities will support balancing our root chakra. These include but are not exclusive to:

• Connecting with nature
• Gardening
• Cooking healthy meals
• Surrounding yourself in Earth toned colors
• Meditating
• Performing yoga
• Walking, running, and/or dancing
• Eating red fruits and vegetables
• Employing crystals: jaspers, smoky quartz, hematite, garnet
• Diffusing essential oils: sandalwood and frankincense 

Balancing the root chakra enables us to transition and work on another chakra, and the Sacral Chakra is a logical next step. More on that in another article. 

Sometimes, it helps to balance our chakras in pairs. The chakra most often paired with the Root Chakra, for healing purposes, is the Heart Chakra. The feeling of security that a properly balanced Root chakra provides reflects on the generosity and compassion that you feel when the Heart chakra is properly aligned.

It is believed that the Root Chakra and Crown Chakra act in a yin/yang type manner. The Root chakra is about individual physical existence in this time and place. The Crown Chakra is our connection to higher consciousness. The Heart Chakra is the balance between the two. What a beautiful trio. 

Once our root chakra is balanced, we can begin strengthening it. This can be done through activities such as: 

• Embracing “the struggle” as an opportunity for growth and change. 
• Listening to others with sympathy in your heart, while detaching from the emotion.
• Do nothing. Yes, that’s what I said. Relax and enjoy the moment.
• Acting on impulse every 6 to 8 weeks and complete the task you start.
• Practicing saying: “I need your help.” “I like the way you do that.” “Will you teach me?”
• Learning about others’ philosophies and personal tastes by discussing them with them. 
• Letting go of attachments.
• Finding a nice patch of grass and practice Easy Pose or walk barefoot and feel the life energy under your feet.

Impact

Imagine a world where everyone’s Root Chakra was open and balanced. What would it look like? 

WE ARE SAFE.

What does that look like? My picture of “safe” is nothing like others. To me, it’s the safety to struggle without being made fun of. Safety to feel sympathy but not have to jump on the bandwagon. Safety to be non-responsive. Safety to finish a task that you impulsively started. Safety to show vulnerability. Safety to learn about other people and cultures. Safety to release attachments, especially those that no longer serve. Safety to just sit in the grass or walk barefoot. Safety to just be.

Each of the items above contributes to my feeling of safety. I feel so safe, I do not need to own a weapon like others feel the need. I believe an individual’s need to own a weapon for safety infringes on their neighbor’s right to feel safe without the weapon. It’s an awful cycle that needs to stop.

What would the surface of the Earth look like if its Root Chakra was balanced? Fewer fires? There are dozens of fires in the area surrounding Mt. Shasta each year. More appreciation of natural preserves? More preservation of natural resources? Appreciating the Earth? Artifacts exist showing we were once more collectively balanced.  Less war? Less reacting to others? I can only imagine what we could accomplish if we were all on the same frequency again. 

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