Chakra Series: First – Root Chakra (Part 1 of 7)

Your First Chakra – The Root Chakra:

Your Root Chakra lives at the base of the spine (tail bone), associates with the color red, the earth element, and the mantra ‘I AM.’

First Chakra Cheat Sheet:
Sanskrit: Muladhara
Color: Red
Lotus: Four Petals
Element: Earth
Mantra: I AM
Chant: LAM
Asanas: Anything that connects the base of your spine to the earth
Mudra: Touch your index finger and thumb together to touch. Extend the rest of your fingers out.
Scents: Cedar, Geranium, and Patchouli
Tea: Green tea, Raspberry, Hibiscus
Stones: Ruby, Garnet, Fire Opal

This very first chakra is the base and beginning for the entire seven chakras located along the spine.  Therefore, if this chakra is out of balance, all seven power centers will feel off and out of alignment.

Root: Intuition, confidence and survival.  The root chakra releases frustration, blockages, and allows healing and manifestation of physical pleasure. When it is Out of balance:  This chakra manifests itself in a physical lack of energy, a stuck feeling, external pressure, and/or money stress. Bring it back in balance:

• A simple way to connect with this space can be to wear the color red. Bonus if you also place your hand on the ground in a seated position and hold it there while you breathe. Imagine a deep red color as you sit, hips rooted to the earth in a peaceful and comforting way.
• Sit in a quiet space and listen to sounds or chants associated with this chakra.  Tip: My favorite is to pull up a chant, song or singing bowls of healing chakra music on YouTube – specifically targeted at the chakra needing balance. Search “first chakra healing” or “root chakra meditation.”
• In meditation, you have the option to close your eyes and chant LAM or simply concentrate on the mantra I AM (poem below), with hands in the root chakra mudra or yoga asana (posture).
• Turn on your favorite music and practice the yoga flow I outlined below.  Even 10-15 minutes would feel beneficial.
• All practices combined would be incredibly healing (chakra specific meditation, yoga, music, scents, colors, mudras, chants, and stones nearby)
• Chakra energy clearing massage or energy work by a professional.
• Incorporate the color red into your wardrobe, wear the stones associated with this chakra (information below) in jewelry or place in your pockets, and place something red in your work space, meditation area or bed (it acts as a simple as a reminder to pay attention to your chakra intention – you will start to see the color red everywhere.  It truly helps!).
• Write out a card with the mantra quote below and place it on your desk at work or on your bathroom mirror at home – repeat it several times a day. Optional to sit with your hips rooted in the ground while you close your eyes or simply smile.

Root Yoga Postures:  Anything that roots you to the earth is  a beautiful manifestation of this chakra – you may use your feet, hips or even hands to create this connection.  When your Hips touch the earth, it is especially powerful, as it plants the tip of your tailbone into the ground. Thus any hip openers are extremely valuable to open up your root chakra, as the energy point is in connection, or rooted to the earth.

Try these yoga postures to connect to your root chakra, which will help to balance your body’s energy (try all of them together in sequence for a beautiful flowing Root Chakra meditation practice!): Mountain Pose Chair Pose Standing Separate Leg Pose Seated forward Leg Stretching Prone Frog Half Pigeon Half Locust Full Locust Separate Leg Stretching Head to Knee Shavasana

Root Mudra: Mudras are another way of capturing energy between mind and body, and used to heal and focus on certain afflictions in your mind and body.  Just as powerful as the asana (yoga exercises), this movement of your hands removes blockages in the body and aids in focus in meditation.

• Find a comfortable seated position and sit with a tall, long spine. Pull your shoulders down and back to open up your chest.  Touch your index finger and thumb together to touch. Extend the rest of your fingers out.  Relax your hands comfortably on your knees.
• Try this position for three deep inhales and exhales, concentrating on the sound ‘LAM,’ which is the root chakra chant.  If you are new to meditation or calming breath, challenge yourself to sit for one minute or longer, the longer, the better effects.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” -Zen proverb

Root Essential Oil Therapy:  The sense of smell is the most powerful tool the human body has to effect mood.  It is the fastest thing to bring back memory or to lift your spirits.  Use this in conjunction with a root yoga sequence, mudra, meditation, and mantra, and you will have powerfully strengthened and come back to the base of ‘I AM.’  When usuing essential oil, dab a bit on your wrists and neck, in a diffuser (amazing to use in-home and easily found online), dilute into a spray bottle with a few drops oil the rest water, a few drops into your bath tub, or to rub on skin topically with a vehicle like coconut oil.

• Here are three examples of scents related to the Root Chakra: These scents are heavier, and longer lasting scents (after all, they are associated with the base, root chakra).  Cedar, Geranium and Patchouli.

Root Mantra:  “The universe is a safe and loving place.  I am safe in this world, I was ordained to be here right now, at this time.  The Divine shall supply all needs.  There is enough for everyone, including me.  I belong and have the right to be here.  I am able to stand up for myself.  The earth and all its wonders nourish me.  The trees, rocks and soil, the are gifts from the creators, which team with life.  I am rooted and grounded in life.”

*              *             * Seven Chakra Overview – 

This seven part chakra series is designed as a tool to help you focus your attention and energy to on yourself to improve how you feel and react to the world around you. If one of the descriptions in this seven part series speaks to you, or you feel a connection with the information, listen to that intuition and try a few of the exercises and test out how you feel.  In daily life there are negative and positive events everyone must come across; however, negative parts take a toll on our bodies, and areas can become “blocked” or “choked.”   These exercises are methods to break through those blockages and clean out the body to regain strength and peace of mind and body. The spine is a very powerful and central part of the human anatomy.  Along your spine you have tiny nerve endings that flow energy out to all different parts of your body to perform everyday activities.  Just like exercise and stretching helps strengthen muscles and ultimately bones, the spine is in need of attention as well. There are seven main energy points along the spine, each connected to very specific body and mind function.  If one of these energy centers is off or unhealthy, both the body and mind become unbalanced. Yoga and meditation practice is so important because it allows constant unclogging of these seven energy points.

For more on each of the Seven Chakras:

First Chakra: Root Chakra – Muladhara  Second Chakra: Sacral Chakra – Svadhisthana  Third Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra – Manipura Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra – Anahata  Fifth Chakra: Throat Chakra – Vishuddha Sixth Chakra: Third Eye Chakra – Ajna Seventh Chakra: Crown Chakra – Sahasrara

The light in me honors and respects the light in each and every one of you, Azahar ~Next in Series: Second Chakra – Sacral

Do you have any practices you like to incorporate into Chakra healing?