How To Balance The Root Chakra Muladhara With Yoga

What Is The Root Chakra Muladhara?

The 1st of the seven energy centers, the root chakra Muladhara provides us with a sense of security and safety. From the moment we are a fetus in the womb, blood circulates as the body forms. The womb is all we know. It is warmth, safety, nourishment, and security. Once born, we continue to need the same rooting without worrying about anything else. This Chakra represents your ultimate needs of survival, where food and shelter are the most important. Anything else doesn’t matter – only things that threaten your survival and activate your fight-or-flight mode. 

The Meaning Of The Root Chakra

The Root Chakra is Mūlādhāra in Sanskrit. Mula signifies “root,” and Adhara means “support” or “base.” The Muladhara chakra serves as the foundation for opening all of the other chakras. For Hindu and Buddhist traditionalists, the physical and spiritual come together in the chakras. We have our senses as tools to guide us in the external world. And we have yoga, meditation, and chakra healing to help us understand our inner world. Many people feel they cannot open the root chakra, but putting your attention to your basic needs and roots is the journey’s beginning. Your fears or paranoia about your health, body, money, food, or anything else that may already be secure yet you still worry about will begin to fade. 

The Root Chakra Symbol

In the symbolic image of the Muladhara Chakra, there is a Lotus with four petals. The square represents the four dimensions we experience on Earth: the physical first, followed by the emotional, mental, and finally, the spiritual. Earth is the element of this root Chakra. The petals are connected to the four functions of the psyche: mind (Manas), intellect (Buddhi), consciousness (Chitta), and ego (Ahamkara) – all of which originate in this Chakra. The root chakra color is red. It represents our basic needs – blood flowing through our bodies and alerting us to danger. It also means the color of Earth – the ground we need to stay rooted on. The Goddess or Shakti (where the power comes from) is Dakini – an aide of the Goddess Kali and a manifestation of liberating energy in female form. Her reddish eyes shine brightly, as does her radiance. Dakini purifies the mind and bestows illumination. 

Where Is The Root Chakra Located?

The Muladhara chakra’s point is the coccyx or base of the spine. It is the first junction where all the parts of our body – especially our feet, legs, and hips – connect and the first point of imbalance. Our legs, feet, and hips behave like a conduit for our central energy channel of the spinal column and the rest of the chakras.

Is Your Root Chakra Blocked?

When we feel threatened, we feel anxious and out of place. Our rooting, or foundation, is out of balance. We do not feel secure in our environment, and the safety that we knew in the womb is gone. You feel out of balance in terms of being in the right situation and comfortable within yourself. You find it hard to develop relationships or become co-dependent. You feel nervous and in a constant state of panic as you would in fight-or-flight mode. Yoga, meditation, and the awareness that your root chakra is blocked helps you to reflect on your basic needs. Taking time to ground yourself – understanding what makes you feel secure and ensuring that you are getting it, or why you feel insecure and moving passed it – is the first step to feeling comfortable with yourself and your environment. Some difficulties include:

• Problems from the waist down: Feet, legs, and hips
• Digestive issues
• Unable to focus, set goals, and reach them
• Dependency on others/Co-dependency 
• Clinging to security – food, loved ones, routines, possessions
• Emotional: Anger, Frustration, Depression, Restlessness, Cynical, Fear, Guilt, Doubt

How To Open The Root Chakra

Root chakra healing begins with learning how to open and balance it. Opening the Muladhara can be done in many ways. To start with, focus on your basic needs. Are you eating well and sleeping well? Are you exercising? To stay aware of your root Chakra healing, add red foods to your diet and the color red in your room or clothing. Other small things such as essential oils, herbs, and stones can aid in opening your first Chakra. Once you have begun introducing these small things in your life, you can move on to yoga and meditation. Here is a list to help you at the start:

Root Chakra Food

All red fruits and root vegetables such as:

• berries
• pomegranate
• cherries
• red apples
• beets
• tomatoes
• peppers
• red potatoes

Root Chakra Herbs

• angelica
• ashwagandha
• cinnamon
• ginger
• clove
• damiana
• dong quai
• raspberry leaf
• turmeric
• cayenne

Essential Oils For Root Chakra

Root chakra essential oils are great for our sense of smell which is one of the first developed senses we have as newborns. Adding a few drops of essential oils can help you focus on opening your Chakra:

• Sandalwood
• Lavender
• Ylang Ylang
• Frankincense
• Myrrh

Root Chakra: Best Crystals

These root Chakra stones and crystals have a particular vibration frequency, which comes from their molecular composition. The way they move and interact creates energies that work in benefiting and uplifting our mood, mind, and health considerably, often in the way essential oils and aromatherapy work. A few crystals to use to balance your Chakra:

• Orange Calcite 
• Shungite 
• Red Jasper 
• Black Tourmaline 
• Black Obsidian 
• Smoky Quartz
• Hematite
• Cuprite
• Rhodonite
• Garnet 
• Bloodstone

Root Chakra Music

Each Chakra vibrates with a particular sound frequency and has a specific Beej (seed) mantra. The LAM sound is a single syllable sound. Its vibrations resonate with the Root Chakra frequency; 396Hz – low and smooth frequency cleansing feelings of guilt, fear, and trauma associated with Muladhara Chakra. 396Hz is part of the Solfeggio Frequencies; a 6-tone scale, where a frequency resonates and balances the whole body; physical, spiritual, and emotional. The frequency 396HZ can also be resonated with a root chakra singing bowl that plays the note C.

Root Chakra Meditation

The most prevalent root Chakra meditation pose is a seated position with the Chakra’s point firmly on the ground. You can create a safe space by filling your environment with essential oils, crystals, and a plate of red food to eat after your session. Begin with pranayamas and when ready, introduce root chakra affirmations:

• I am in a safe space
• I feel confident
• My basic needs are met
• I do not have money problems
• I am comfortable in my body
• I have good relationships

Yoga Poses For Root Chakra

The most helpful root chakra yoga poses are the ones that strengthen your connection with the Earth, focusing on the feeling of being rooted and grounded.

1. The Mountain Pose: The basic of all poses in yoga is the Mountain Pose. The pose stimulates your bond with the Earth, connects you with your own body, and grounds you in the present moment.
2. Warrior I Pose:This root chakra yoga pose makes a firm connection with the Earth and your body. It strengthens your legs, can help with knees, lower back power, and opens your hips. It enables your prana to flow through your body and root you through the first Chakra. As you inhale and exhale, envision the color red flowing through your body and reaching your first Chakra.
3. Corpse Pose: This is an excellent root Chakra yoga pose because your entire body is in connection with the ground. Whenever you can, practice this pose outside so your body can absorb the energy of the Earth.
4. Garland Pose: This pose draws you close to the Earth and helps soothe the mind while strengthening the lower back, ankles, and opening the hips. Work on the fascia of your feet by gently tucking your toes under as you rest on your knees. Hold for one minute before releasing.

By routinely integrating these elements into your day, you can concentrate on the aspects associated with an unbalanced root Chakra, reflect on what is missing, and how to fill it and strengthen your roots in your current environment.