THE ROOT CHAKRA

The first chakra is most powerfully related to our contact with the Mother Earth.
In Sanskrit the word for this chakra is Muladhara, which translates directly as "root".
The root chakra is a ruby red, horizontally spinning wheel of light at the base of our spine or the coccyx area.
When you sit on the ground or a chair with your spine straight, it's the part of your tailbone that feels the connection between your body & the Earth or chair beneath you.
This is the place where you root down into Mother Earth's energy & draw up magnetic, grounding light.
It is the will for survival that expresses itself most strongly in the root center: it is the source of strength for the struggle for survival & for the species-preserving role of sexuality. No living being can develop harmoniously without a properly functioning root chakra.
The root chakra aims to feeling safe in the world, at home in your physical body & supported in a healthy way by a loving community of family &/or friends. It's also related to trusting that you have all the tangible resources you need.
It's about letting go of what you don't need, particularly on the physical lane, also negative, false & dis-empowering stories about yourself.

The root chakra controls, energizes & strengthens the whole visible physical body.
It controls & energizes the muscular & skeletal systems, the spine, the production & the quality of the blood produced, the adrenal glands, the tissues of the body & the internal organs.
It also affects & energizes the sexual organs.
This chakra affects body heat, the general vitality & the growth of infants & children.

The basic chakra is like the root of a tree. If the root is weak, the tree is weak.
If the basic chakra is very weak, the body is also very weak.

Old people usually have depleted basic chakras. This is why their bodies are weak & become smaller: their spine tend to curve & they tend to develop arthritis.

Malfunctioning of the root chakra manifests as arthritis, spinal ailments, blood ailments, cancer, bone cancer, leukemia, allergy, growth problem, low vitality & slow healing of wounds & broken bones.
Persons with highly activated basic chakras tend to be robust & healthy, while those with less active basic chakras tend to be fragile & weak.

Signs of overstimulated root chakra could be constant fear of change, anger, excessive aggression, agitation, greed or depression. Obsessive/compulsive behaviors, materialistic attitude, lack of self-control or willpower. Being egotistical, selfish & domineering.

Blockages in the root chakra often result in mental symptoms & attitudes such as extreme pacifism, existential fear, fear of death, problems with order & time planning, impatience & dependence.
Obsessing over money, e.g. worrying that have not enough, having catastrophic thoughts about going poor & becoming homeless, over-working to soothe the anxiety surrounding finances, getting upset whenever someone in family spends too much, must have absolute control over the money in family, etc.
General trust issues. Believing that you are the only person you can rely on & you avoid asking favors from others even when you really need them.
Feeling disconnected from other people & nature.
Being a hoarder who likes to collect a lot of things making the living space constricted & cluttered.
Deficiencies in the root chakra may cause fear, alienation, self-pity, procrastination, lack of focus,
feeling spacey. Having low energy or lack of stamina, being nervous, anxious, unable to relax.

Blockages in the root chakra often produce physical symptoms as complaints of bones, teeth & spine, diseases affecting the regenerative power, diseases & complaints between the large intestine & the anus.
Feeling dizzy, anxious, spacey & ungrounded for most of the day.
Binge-eating or stopping eating completely when depressed or anxious.
Having leg & feet problems, such as swelling, infection, cramps, poor circulation.
Gaining weight around the bottom half of your body, e.g. love handles, thick thighs.
Headaches, arthritis, swollen glands, constipation.

Walking barefoot or sitting on the earth, gardening, baking, cooking, hugging trees & working with crystals & stones, simply spending time in nature can help activate & balance your root chakra.

Crystals are very common tool used to activate, balance & cleanse the root chakra.

After cleansing your space with Sage, Palo Santo, or Frankincense, take a standing position with both bare feet firmly planted on the Earth & hold a grounding stone in your hand.
Be still with the stone & on each inhale, breathe in healing light radiating from the stone.
On the exhale, just let go.

There are quite a few root chakra healing crystals to choose from. Select one of them or several of them to heal your base chakra so it will function properly.

Red Carnelian is used to cleanse & activate.

Red Jasper is used to cleanse & balance, it protects, absorbs & redirects negative energy, balances yin/yang energy, aligns physical, emotional & mental bodies in the etheric realm, cleanses & stabilizes aura.
Red Jasper decreases stress & worry, encourages honesty, determination, quick thinking, promotes organization, transforms ideas into action, increases libido, calms sexual aggression.

Bloodstone is a powerful grounding crystal that helps cool off feelings of impatience & irritability.
Bloodstone promotes self-esteem & repels negativity, it is used to cleanse & balance.

Black Tourmaline cleanses & balances chakras, meridians & auric bodies, produces shields, removes blockages, blocks curses & blocks psychic attacks.
Black Tourmaline is used for environmental toxicity & when needing to detoxify on the physical, emotional, or mental levels but not knowing how to do it in a balanced way.
Balances brain activity, promotes positive thinking, diffuses fear/paranoia, boosts confidence, pain reliever, detoxifies, helps dyslexia.
Black tourmaline will help heal the root chakra & balance the meridian from the crown to the root chakra.
Red or rubellite tourmaline heals the base & heart chakra, making it ideal for recovery in matters of the heart.

Black Obsidian is a stone of protection, is good for cleansing & balancing.

Snowflake Obsidian balances body, mind & spirit; calms emotions, increases awareness of behavior, gently releases emotional blockages.

Mahogany Obsidian channels nurturing aspects of earth energy, strengthens a weak aura, balances yin/yang energies, increases higher consciousnesses, relieves pain, stimulates/warms genitals.

Shungite offers protection, shielding, purifying, healing, possesses ancient earth energy. Improves immune system, antioxidant, pain reliever, helps with diabetes, protects against radiation, has curing abilities when submersed in water for several hours, anti-inflammatory, helps cellular metabolism.

Hematite removes excess energy, increases yang energy, balances yin energy, dissolves negativity, protects aura, aids in survival instincts, boosts esteem & willpower, helps with compulsive or impulsive behavior, decreases insomnia.

Smokey Quartz is cleansing, gives protection, increases awareness/concern for environment, prevents geopathic stress, detoxifies, helps let go of toxic connections, helps accept physical self & sexuality, enhances virility, promotes pragmatic thinking, treats illnesses related to radiation, deals with depression. Prevents blockages, eases the effects of trauma, absorbs negativity in physical environment, clears confusion & mental distress/disorder, detoxifies, relieves pain specifically for strain or cramping.

Garnet crystals will heal the root chakra, will clear away impurities & energize.
Garnet can be used when parts of the body won’t heal or return to their normal level of function, or when having a poor circulation in certain areas of the body.

Tiger eye gemstones are empowering crystals that resonate with the root chakra as well as the sacral & solar plexus chakras.

Rhodochrosite is helpful when unable to make intimate connections with others or feeling cut off & alienated from the physical world.
Rhodochrosite brings a strong flow of Earth love & support to any healing process in the heart.

Ruby is used when unresolved survival issues blocking energy flow between the Earth & the 1st chakra, with constipation of energies in the lower chakras & organs of the body, with tendency to disconnect from the body during times of chaos & upheaval.
It cleanses, balances & energizes the 1st chakra, opens the lower chakras to a stronger flow of life force energy from the Earth, supports one’s ability to ground spiritual & mental energy into the physical body, especially during times of intense transformation.



Herbs that are associated with the root chakra can include angelica, cinnamon, ginger, clove, raspberry leaf, turmeric, burdock, dandelion, rosemary, horseradish, hot paprika, chives, cayenne, pepper.
Herbs such as hawthorn berries, hibiscus, rose petals & rose hips can also work with the root chakra.

American ginseng, Chaga mushrooms, elderberry & valerian.

A Nice Root Chakra Tea is mixing ginger, cinnamon, clove, raspberry leaf & hawthorn berries together for a warming, downward moving, grounding blend.

Tea to Open the Root Chakra:
Hawthorn opens the heart to facilitate self-love.
Hibiscus fills the root chakra with vitality.
Valerian grounds & plant feet firmly on the ground.
Goji berry has high anti-oxidant content.
Pink Peppercorns gently stimulates & adds fire & passion.
Coffee beans makes enthusiastic.

Herbal Tea: dandelion root, ginger & elderflower.

Root Chakra Tea:
Hibiscus, ginger, rose flowers, strawberries, cinnamon bark
Daily dose 2-3 cups per day.

Balancing the root chakra with food:  beets & radishes, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, garlic, turnips, red cabbage & rhubarb, tomatoes, red bell peppers, strawberries, raspberries.
Eating three nutritious meals a day, drinking lots of water & eating fiber for elimination & supporting your adrenals will help keep this chakra balanced.

Smoothie:
1 small apple
1 small carrot
4 pink grapefruit sections
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cm piece fresh ginger
1/2 cup frozen red raspberries
1/2 cup natural yogurt
~0,5 cup water

honey for taste

Blend it all.

Root Juice:
6 carrots
1 beetroot
1/2 lemon
small bunch of parsley
1 stalk celery
1/2 cucumber
1/2 red pepper
Ginger & garlic to taste
Juice in the juicer.

Roasted Vegetables:
Any root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, radishes, onions, ginger, brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. Cut into about 2 cm pieces.

olive oil
favorite seasonings
Grease a pan large enough to hold them.
Toss them in olive oil so they are just evenly coated.
Add your favorite seasonings. 

Bake at 180C for 45-60 min., stirring at least once.

Balance Your Root Chakra:

Eat nutritious foods, include proteins & root vegetables regularly to stay grounded.
Drink herbal teas, get plenty of rest & sleep.
Exercise with your feet on the ground, such as walking, Tai Chi, Qigong.
Wear gemstones, incorporate the color red into your life.
Meditate regularly, deeply inhaling the color red.
Take care of your stress level by nurturing your body by taking baths, receiving massages, etc.
Take responsibility for yourself, make peace with past issues & people.

Close your eyes & think of the color red.
Take off your shoes & socks & walk in the grass, or sit under a tree, close your eyes & connect with the Earth. If you can do this at dawn or sundown it can be especially beneficial since those are the best times for working with the root chakra.

A few yoga poses to try are downward facing dog, child’s pose warrior pose & a tree pose.

You can burn cedarwood, cypress, frankincense, ylang ylang, patchouli incense.

Wonderful Root Chakra Meditation & Balancing Energy, Grounding Shaman Drumming video by Calm.
Shamanic trance will guide your way into deep connection with Mother Earth: