What are "chakras"?
Imagine spinning wheels of energy, seven of them, located in a vertical line from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Each wheel of energy has its own purpose, shadows (associated negative traits), and gifts (associated positive traits) that - when healthy and spinning - create a flow of energy through your entire being.
It has long been believed by practitioners of Hinduism and Buddhism that having an open flow of energy through the chakras is necessary to maintaining physical and mental health.
Emotional trauma, whether current or past, can cause conflict and blockages in the chakras, thereby distorting your energy.
Focus on becoming whole by acknowledging and accepting every part of yourself.
This is the first in a series of posts that will explore the chakras, one by one, as you begin to heal yourself and restore your flow.
It is important to move through this process slowly.
You have no obligation to anyone.
Heal for yourself.
Root Chakra: Muladhara
The root chakra, Muladhara, represents your sense of safety and stability.
It is associated with the color red.
Muladhara is located at the base of your spine, grounding you to the earth and your physical self.
This chakra is your rock, your earth, and it is likely that you have allowed toxins to sink into this precious ground in an attempt to rid yourself of them.
Take time now to consider what safety means to you.
What did it mean to you in your childhood?
We often unintentionally carry our childhood traumas with us in our daily lives, unknowingly allowing the pain our young self experienced to meld with conflicts in the present moment.
Now that you know this fact, it is in your best interest to examine yourself, to understand what elements of security have been lacking in your life, and to figure out ways to cultivate them yourself.
Consider the root values of your being: your needs (food, shelter, water), your stability (financial, mental, etc.), and your foundation (strength, power, protection).
What are you lacking? What have you been neglecting?
Ground yourself and restabilize the energy of your root chakra.
Cultivating the Root Chakra
1. Step with bare feet on natural earth.
Practice stability as you step out upon the grass, or dirt, or rock.
Spread your toes slightly, imagining they are roots reaching away from you, hoping to dig quietly, slowly into the earth to find nutrients.
Allow your body to be still for a moment, connecting to the soil at your feet as if you had grown from that very spot to blossom into yourself.
When you allow the energy from the earth to flow into your root chakra, you will feel yourself becoming balanced and stable.
2. Do yard work, water plants, feed the birds.
When you find yourself feeling flighty, uncertain, or anxious, take the time to dedicate yourself to a physical task outdoors.
If you don't have a yard to garden in - or if gardening just isn't your thing - you could instead go out and buy some birdseed to spread around your yard, or if you're feeling ambitious, maybe even build a bird feeder.
Participating in simple tasks like filling up bird baths, watering plants, or weeding the yard will not only calm your mental processes and help you focus on the tasks at hand, but being outdoors will help you automatically as fresh air and plant life surround you.
Your soul can sense immediately when it is in open air. Allow it the freedom to breathe.
Move with intention as you complete chores and projects in order to realign your mental and physical selves.
Part of feeling secure is understanding the land around you.
Connect with the earth mother.
3. Shadow work.
If you have never heard of shadow work, there is a whole world awaiting you.
The concept behind the shadow is that it is the darker aspects of the chakra. In the root chakra, the shadow can often come in the form of being needy, greedy/selfish, manipulative, unaware, fearful, or lazy, among a plethora of other perceived negative traits.
The shadow forms when you realize during the course of your life that some aspect of yourself, some base quality or need, is either not useful or is frowned upon by others to the extent that you do not feel safe having that quality or need.
A shadow falls over needs that have been rejected.
Shadow work encourages you to delve into your inner psyche in order to unravel the clutter of trauma that has caused you to have imbalances in your root chakra.
Perhaps as a child you were not safe to be needy. You may now acknowledge to yourself that the shadow of neediness within your root chakra is completely understandable, and that it is justified for a child to have needs.
Embrace your root chakra with love, and cherish what it has to show you.
Do not reject the truth you find.
Do not fear your reality.
4. Loving your child self (safety).
When you find your shadows, try to understand when they first formed.
If you cannot remember a time when you first started changing yourself away from your root values and needs, it's okay. Memory is not always reliable.
Spend plentiful time loving your child self and providing it with the kindness and patience you did not receive.
Moving away from your true self was never your fault, but it is now within your power to return to it.
Speak to your inner child, hold them, tell them whatever it is that they have needed to hear for their entire life.
"You are loved. You are wanted. You are worthy of being."
You know what your inner child needs.
Bring your root chakra peace and sanctity by loving yourself truthfully and wholly.
5. Finding security in your current life (financial, emotional, logistical, etc.)
Though it may seem like an impossible task, try to organize a new aspect of your life whenever you have a moment of free time.
Make lists each day of what you need to accomplish.
Organize your spending habits into some kind of chart where you can establish for yourself how to live more efficiently.
Minimize your lifestyle. Often, an excess of items/mess in your living space can leave you overwhelmed, depressed, and anxious. Pull yourself out of the rut, tidy up!
Consider expelling toxic people from your life if you haven't already.
If you are struggling with balancing your root chakra, then you likely don't have a solid foundation for living on a daily basis. You need to come to terms with your needs, values, and desires (and what you are lacking) in order to fully understand your position in life.
Becoming conscious is the best thing you can do for yourself.
6. Notice your triggers (they are a part of you).
When you encounter a situation that leaves you emotional, angry, or upset for any reason, evaluate what is causing your emotional state.
If someone else has a personality trait that upsets you, it is most likely because you personally exhibit that trait and have not yet acknowledged its presence and meaning.
We often try to hide our shadow selves, especially the shadow of our root chakra which is the basis of who we are and what we need.
Opening yourself up to noticing what triggers a negative emotional response will help you determine what it is within yourself that you need to heal.
Strong emotions of any kind are a warning that your chakras are becoming imbalanced.
When someone angers you, there is even more reason to listen to their words.
You will harshly judge a trait that someone else exhibits when you wish to destroy it within yourself.
The presence of emotion indicates the presence of the shadow.
Welcome moments of conflict with others; they will allow you to see yourself more clearly.
7. Meditate.
Allow your meditation practice to bring you into a more natural state of being.
Sit, and focus your attention at the root of your spine.
Extend your focus down into the center of the earth.
Imagine the intense energy of the earth's core extending back to you, creating a powerful flow between your soul and the universe.
Burn incense, essential oils, or a candle to engage your physical senses.
Create a mantra for yourself based on whatever shadow work you are doing.
Manifest stability, protection, balance, and care into your daily life.
Be peaceful, breathe slowly and deeply.
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