The Root Chakra - Muladhara
Muladhara Chakra is the first in the line of Chakras. It is the grounding Chakra, the one that connects you to the earth and your own physicality. Our most basic instinct – for survival – lies within this Chakra, as do our needs for food, sleep and shelter.
Muladhara Chakra is your source of power. When it is out of balance this affects everything related to your personal stability, safety and security. It controls how you deal with money, your body and your family: your roots.
An imbalanced root Chakra, which is low in vital energy may mean that you may suffer from low self-esteem, feel out of touch with your body and sexuality, you may constantly worry about money or never feel satisfied with your work or home. It can also lead to self-destructive or addictive behaviour – eating disorders, smoking, drug taking – or to illnesses such as lower back pain, depression, sciatica and constipation.
On the other hand a root Chakra which is imbalanced by being too strong can lead to isolation, materialism, bullying behaviour or selfishness.
When this Chakra is balanced you feel physically secure, confident, healthy and happy with your body and sexuality. You trust the Universe to take care of you and the world does not seem a scary place to be, you begin to realise that just for today you have a roof over your head, food on the table and some money in your pocket. Life is great – all your primary needs are met.
Physically, the root Chakra is located at the base of the spine between the pubic bone, tailbone and sitting bone. Its centre is the perineum, in the middle of the pelvic floor between the anus and genitals.
The pelvic floor is influenced and affected by the muscles of the legs and the feet. The integrity of the pelvic floor depends on the proper alignment of the legs and the balance of the feet, which act like the roots of a plant. We need our feet and legs to be firmly balanced in order to find grounding and stability.
This is where yoga can really help, especially poses like Virabhadrasana I, II and III (warrior 1,2 and 3) which help to strengthen the legs and root them firmly to the earth. Lengthening the backs of the legs can help too in poses such as Supta Padagusthasana (reclining hand to big toe pose) and strengthening the legs in Setu Bandasana (bridge pose).
To do a few other practical things to help to energise this area encourage red into your life, like wearing red underwear, eating grounding foods like beetroot, parsnips, carrots and potatoes etc. Furthermore do not underestimate the grounding effect of hugging a tree, or allowing your feet to sink into soft sand or spending time in nature to re-connect to the earth.
In short, to build a solid life, we need a solid base.
What are the chakras?
I love working with the Chakras, be that through Yoga or indeed Reiki, they fascinate me. Those of you who come to yoga class or have a Reiki session with me - or indeed with others teachers/practitioners - will hear us talk about the Chakras and energy centres but may have very little awareness what these are, let alone how they affect how you feel or the impact their health has on your life. So over the next few postings I shall share with you a little about the Chakras, beginning today with a definition.
The word “Chakra” literally means “wheel” in Sanskrit and it is symbolised as a spinning wheel of light through which life force energy (e.g. Prana, Chi, Ki etc) moves. You cannot actually see the Chakras in your physical body because they are fields of energy.
There are 7 major Chakras and each one represents an important energetic centre of the body and the mind, as well as a stage of spiritual development.
The Chakras are aligned from root to crown as a ‘column’ of energy and they are both conduits and generators of energy. Life force energy flows through the Chakras and the rest of the body along a network of channels known as nadis. There are said to be 72,000 nadis in the human body.
When life force energy flows freely through the body the Chakras spin brighter and faster and the body and mind are in a state of health. This is when we feel most at peace, grounded and balanced in life – healthy in mind, body and spirit.
If life force energy does not find sufficient room in the body there can only be one reason: it is being forced out by something that really doesn’t belong there – the “rubbish”, which creates blocks within our energy channels. Such blockages affect the functioning of the Chakras so that life force energy cannot flow so freely and “dis-ease” of the body, mind or spirit may result.
When people have more life force energy outside of their body than within they can become troubled, restless or confused. Furthermore too little life force energy within the body can be expressed as a feeling of being stuck or restricted, of lacking in drive or motivation creating a sense of listlessness and depression - plus we may suffer from physical ailments too. On the other hand, the more peaceful and well balanced we are, the less our life force energy is dispersed outside the body.
Through the process of energetically balancing the Chakras we have the opportunity to release the “rubbish” and the blocks on all levels – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – so that the life force energy can flow freely again. We need to understand that Chakras are energy centres, regulating the flow of energy throughout our body. The correct functioning and balancing of the Chakras reflects in our health and wellbeing.
The Chakras are also linked closely to the endocrine system which produces the hormones that act as chemical messengers. It is believed that when you balance the Chakras, you also regulate your hormones. Furthermore the Chakras are also related to the organs of the body where they are positioned and are associated positively or negatively with their healthy function. Needless to say the body often reflects imbalances, acting as a mirror through which you can gauge how each Chakra is functioning.
Chakra energy work is holistic: it involves the body and mind equally. By working with Yoga and holistic therapies such as Reiki to balance our Chakras we also open up to our potential in life. We not only improve our physical health, but we achieve a sense of emotional wholeness, a deeper connection with those around us and a sense of harmony with the world and our part and purpose in it. On an aside it should be noted that just as we are aiming for a sense a peace and harmony with the Universe, the Universe’s energy is ready to support us – all we have to do is recognise this.
My next posting will be all about the base chakra, Muladhara.
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