The Root Chakra: The First Chakra on our Journey Up:

The Basics:

Location: Flowing out of the perineum, through the legs and feet into the earth

Colour: Red or Brown-Red

Basic Right: Right to be here & Right to have.

Body parts associated: Bones, skeletal structure, rectum, coccyx, perineum, legs, feet, urethra, urinary bladder, genitals, adrenal glands, adrenal cortex

Summary:

The Root Chakra is our ground, energetically speaking.

It’s our foundation, our ability to stand on our two feet.
It governs our ability to survive and to feel safe in the physical world.

Because the root chakra is developed in early infancy, it is also the chakra that is formed first. It contains all the information in those early months where the biggest challenge is truly being here, being in a physical world where hunger, incomfort and pain exist. Is this a safe place? Are we welcome here? Everything in our surroundings pertaining to these questions gets stored in the root chakra.

As we grow older, this sense of security manifests in the way we take care of ourselves. It plays out in our relationships with food, with shelter, with money – the things we need to survive.

Excessive or Deficient Root Chakra?

When there is an insecurity, when the world does not seem like a safe place, two basic reactions can occur:

• either we flee the realm of the physical and take refuge in the mental or emotional spheres of life (deficient first chakra/root chakra)
• either we overcompensate and are hypervigilant with anything pertaining to our safety and security (excessive first chakra/root chakra).

Manifestations of a deficient root chakra:

For example, someone with a deficiency in their first chakra may…

… occasionally forget to eat because they cut off the signals from their body
…be afraid to examine their money situation
…have a cluttered home because they see their home as somewhere to drop stuff, but perhaps never truly to be…
…bruise easily because they don’t have a strong kinesthetic sense of their physical body…Experience a lot of anxiety when asked to BE in their body, to FEEL their body, because they have learned that it is not safe to be here.

Manifestations of an excessive first chakra:

On the other hand, someone with an excessive root chakra may…

…Always have a lot of food in their pantry, for fear of a disaster happening
…Keep a tight eye on their bank account, never spending, because it feels scary to let go of it
…Practice emotional eating, just to feel the body and stay in the body at all times, because it doesn’t feel safe not to be in constant vigilance mode
…Have difficulty moving forward because the unknown is very anxiety provoking.

Do you recognize yourself as having an excessive root chakra?

Exercises to balance the root chakra

Here are two basic exercises you can do to reground.

1. Pushing the feet into the ground

Really simply just pushing your feet into the ground, bringing presence to the physical body.
Try to feel solid. Try to feel strong and see if you can feel safe on your own two feet.

Variations:

If you’re deficient, really bring a lot of energy to your legs.
If you’re excessive, see if you can stand and bring presence to your upper body when you’re standing.

2. Tree of Life Meditaiton

Stand on your two feet. Then, picture you are a tree. Your legs are the trunk, and below your feet extend your roots. Imagine them growing deep into the Earth. Allow yourself to feel supported and nourished by those roots. They are there to give you nutrition and support.
Questions to play with: What color are they? How deep are they going? Can they go deeper? Do they support you?

If you’re excessive, are your roots so deep you can’t move? Can you pull them up a little?

Some more:

• Hug a tree,
• Love who you are,
• Feel fear and do it anyway,
• Smell sandalwood,
• Spend time in nature,
• Go barefoot outside,
• Remember that often F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real.

Need Help?

Do you feel like you really need help working on your root chakra?

You can come in for a chakra balancing session. Call 514-360-3387 to book your appointment now.

Image from fengshuidana.com