[Chakra Image from Peter Lomas at Pixabay]

Colour: Red

Location: Base of Spine

Mantra: Lam

Relates to: Survival, Security, Safety, Belonging

Continuing with our discussion on the chakra system, today we’ll be talking about the root chakra. As the first chakra in the chakra system, the root chakra is our foundation. If you think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the root chakra would be the first two levels. I find it interesting that most diagrams of the hierarchy of needs actually follow the colours of the chakra system. See picturebelow.

Getty Images

Underactive = lacking in energy
Overactive = has too much energy

If your root chakra is underactive then you may feel unloved, mistrustful, disconnected from the world, anxious, ungrounded, indecisive, have a negative mindset, and is overly concerned with what others think of you. If your root chakra is overactive you may act bossy, controlling, domineering, egotistic, greedy, materialistic, impulsive and have workaholic tendencies.

Someone with a balanced root chakra is grounded, trusting, independent, feels secure and at peace with their life. If you’re empathic you may sense that they are trust worthy, steady, solid, and reliable.

If you want to heal your root chakra here are some ways to do so. Pick whatever resonates with you. If you’re not sure that you like it, experiment and see if you do. Take this as an opportunity to play with the tools mentioned here.

• Chant the mantra: Lam
• Do a grounding meditation. There are many options on various sources like on YouTube, or apps like Insight Timer. I have a 7 minute grounding meditation which I can send you. Please email me here to request it.
• Walk in nature. Going for a nature walk  is grounding. It gets you back into your body and out of your mind.
• Do some yoga postures for the root chakra like: forward bend and mountain pose. See this article for an illustration of the yoga poses.
• Hug a tree. Trees are rooted in the earth and very grounding. If you feel silly hugging a tree you can lean your back on it. I used to sit in my backyard reading or drawing with my back against a tree. It’s very soothing and grounding.
• Dance. Dancing is another activity that gets you back into your body if your thoughts are going wild. Stomping your feet is grounding.
• Put your feet on the ground. Depending on where you live you may be able to walk barefoot on the ground. This is called earthing or grounding. Just make sure wherever you walk is free of any debris that may hurt you.
• Use crystals: tiger’s eye, black tourmaline, smoky quartz, and obsidian. These crystals are all grounding crystals. You can carry them with you or meditate with them.
  You can also wear them in your jewelry like earrings, pendants, bracelets or rings.
• Take a bath. Taking a bath with epsom salts or himalayan salts is grounding and soothing.
• Wear the colour red. You can wear the colour red or have it in your home where you can easily see it.
• Use solfeggio frequencies. These frequencies are said to vibrate at the same rate as the chakra and to realign them. The frequency for the root chakra is: 396 Hz. Here is a video on YouTube for the root chakra solfeggio frequency.
• Use affirmations. Create your own or use one of these affirmations:
  • It’s safe for me to be me.
  • I am safe and secure.
  • I am at peace with every being around me.
  • I am grounded by mother earth.

I hope this article has given you some insight into the root chakra and tools to heal it. Did you try any of the tools above? I’d love to know!