The Root Chakra, also knows as the Base Chakra, is the first chakra and is located at the base of the spine. This Chakra is the basis of your being that establishes the deepest connections with your physical body, your environment and with the salt of the earth. As your survival center, the Root Chakra is the basis for true transformation and personal growth.
The energy of this Chakra allows you to harness the power of any storm you encounter and ride the waves of uncertainty. It connects you with the spiritual energies of your ancestors, their challenges and their triumphs. The memories they carry of natural disasters or events that may have threatened their basic survival can help you to weather the storms of your own life. These memories are imprinted in your etheric body and are passed down from generation to generation, creating unconscious generational patterns that require healing.
The color of this Chakra is red, which is the color of life force and carries the promise of survival. On a physical level red is associated with adrenal glands whose function is associated with the “fight or flight” response, the instinctual survival mode. The energy of red is dynamic, outgoing, forceful and dominant. It commands attention. People who are drawn to red are ambitious, practical and methodical. On an emotional level, the color red is the energy of anger. How you manage your anger will affect the health of your Root Chakra. Learning to get in touch with your anger and transform it is important healing work. Spiritually, the color red is the color of action. It moves you, awakens you, and guides you toward change. It is the color of passion, movement, progress, and excitement.
The color red is also associated with prosperity, abundance, and financial health. Red is the primary color of manifestation and prosperity. Whatever it is you want manifest, you can do so by bringing more red into your life. Start by wearing red clothes and eating red fruits and vegetables. You can also do visualizations with the color red to increase your prosperity.
All of the seven Chakras are important and interconnected with each other. Usually, balancing one Chakra will create change in another Chakra. It is important to balance the Root Chakra first, before you proceed to the others, or you will lack the stability and rootedness necessary for true transformation and personal growth.
The Root Chakra governs the bladder, kidneys, lower extremities, and the spine. If you have a balanced Root Chakra, you will have a strong connection with your family or friends who are like family to you. As a result, you will feel wanted, loved, and like you belong. You will be confident with money; managing it well and always having enough for things you want and need.
When there is an imbalance, you can experience physical symptoms that include back pain and weight issues. Emotionally speaking, when the Root Chakra is in need of healing, you may find you are short-tempered and unusually aggressive. A closed Root Chakra can also result in feelings of abandonment or feeling like you have to struggle to survive. Other signs you need to open up the Root Chakra are insecurity, anxiety and depression. You may also feel like there is never enough; love, money or food. An overactive Root Chakra can disrupt your family life, will make you crave power and money at any cost, or you may be afflicted with an eating disorder.
Healing the Root Chakra enables proper energy flow throughout the body, which gives the Chakra system a firm foundation on which the other energy centers may function. Since the Root Chakra is connected to the Earth, any way you can bring more grounding and Earth-related activities into your life will help to keep the Root Chakra balanced and open. Whatever opportunities are available for you to interact with the Earth, take them. Remember, it’s not necessarily about the activity you do, but it’s about your intention in doing them. Allow yourself to be conscious of the fact that through connecting with the Earth, you are also supporting your Root Chakra. Earth-related activities to open your Root Chakra include any way you can connect with nature. Some examples are gardening, hiking, walking barefoot in the grass or on the beach, hugging a tree, holding a rock or a shell, surrounding yourself with Earth colors or nature-inspired art.
Depending on the severity of the blockage, you may need to incorporate Chakra healing meditation, yoga, or other forms of energy healing, from reiki to acupuncture and sound therapy – such as Chakra bowls or tuning forks. Aromatherapy is another useful tool for Chakra balancing. To heal the Root Chakra, Earth-based essential oils such as cedarwood, rosemary, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver will assist in grounding and balancing.
The use of Chakra crystals and healing stones for Chakra cleansing is also common. The vibrational frequencies of crystals can help restore balance when there is a deficiency or excess of energy leading to a blocked or overactive Root Chakra. Like the Chakras, each stone has its own frequency. Although it is common practice to choose stones of the same color as their corresponding Chakra, it isn’t always necessary as long the stone has the same vibrational frequency as its associated Chakra. Some red stones and other options for healing the Root Chakra are ruby, garnet, bloodstone, hematite and black tourmaline.
When exploring ways you can restore balance to your Chakra system, consider adding healing food to your diet. Just as each Chakra has its own vibrational frequency, color and function, there are also foods that help bolster individual Chakra function. When concentrating on the Root Chakra, consider adding naturally red-colored foods, root vegetables and protein such as turnips, beets, berries, beans, eggs and fish.
Many people don’t think about optimizing their energy or emotions using tea, but it’s also an easy and inexpensive way to create balance in your Chakras. To increase your life force energy and to be more grounded and practical, dandelion tea can help you activate the Root Chakra. Dandelion tea also helps detox the liver and kidneys, helps digestion, settles the stomach and reduces muscle pain when you drink it. Alternatively, you can make a strong tea and add it to your bathwater and soak in it while reading or meditating.
