Survival. Safety. Security. The basis of everything. It’s easier to find the problems outside of ourselves and say, well no wonder I’m miserable- I’m going hungry every day and undernourished. Or, I lack the protection from shelter so I’m at the mercy of nature’s elements. Or even say, well I am dealing with emotionally or physically abusive people, of course I am scared and anxious. Of course I am worried when my bank account is empty and my future is uncertain. And of course all of these things can absolutely keep your root chakra energy center blocked. But when you can’t point to any outside condition, then the problem is within. Let’s paint a scenario. You’re anxious and worrisome as an every day baseline. You don’t really know why, or maybe you do but you’re not connecting all the dots.
It’s called the root or, in Sanksrit, Muladhara, because like tree roots or a building’s foundation, it’s what holds everything else up. The root chakra, located at the base of the spine, when open and balanced, allows all the other energy centers to flourish. If you’re anxious all the time (root chakra imbalance), then you may have trouble standing in your power and struggle to make decisions (solar plexus/naval energy center).
So why are you anxious and worrisome all the time? Honestly, I believe more and more people are having to ask themselves this very question. First, you will need to get “grounded” and rest your mind so you can reflect. I’ll explain more about that later. Then you will need to take a look at past trauma. A lot of the time problems arise from childhood trauma caused by family members or peers. Sometimes it’s a scary car accident. Maybe you lost a family member, or maybe nobody even got hurt. But it’s whatever you perceived as traumatic, it’s very personal. But it’s not always childhood that gives you scars. Maybe it was an abusive romantic relationship, or your partner was unfaithful. Maybe you’re a veteran of war. All of these experiences can leave you stuck in survival mode and feeling as if you’re constantly on shaky ground. The pain and fear was so unbearable that your bodily systems and neuropathways are ready to fight or flee at every perceived threat. So then you must learn to change your perception so that you can teach your body and mind to relax.
On a broader scale, societal norms are shaping our daily lives in such a way that leaves no room for rest and relaxation. Even as workloads are lessened by technical advancements, our minds, more than ever, are unable to rest. Whether you believe this is by design is another journal post topic. But for now let’s just say that we are perpetually plugged in. And that even when we aren’t doing work, our minds are constantly being bombarded by whatever is on the internet and television. For me, in order to feel truly rested, I am sitting in nature, listening to the sounds around me. To escape chaos, I’d rather be outside doing some kind of physical labor.
To summarize how to inspect and balance the root chakra: Firstly, are basic needs, like food and shelter being met? Are you in an unhealthy relationship? What do your friendships and work relationships look like? What about your work environment? Now let’s revisit grounding yourself. In order for roots to grow, they must be planted firmly in the ground. It’s the same for the root chakra. Grounding is a need that has to be met first. Without all the outside noise, we can look within our hearts and souls to find out which of our other needs aren’t being met. Make sure you are getting in touch with nature. I don’t care how cheesy or cliche that sounds. The closer you are to nature the closer to “home” you will feel and therefore safe. Even if the best you can do is step outside and put your feet on the ground, it can go a long way. I live in a city, surrounded by houses and paved streets but I am able to go outside and stand in the grass. This is an effective, quick method for getting grounded. Also, any time, any place, you can activate your vagus nerve by doing this simple breathing technique. None of this is woo-woo, it’s all backed by science. The breathing technique is called the 4-7-8. The purpose is to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s built-in system of calming down and feeling safe. You inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, then exhale for a count of 8. It’s important to exhale for longer than you inhaled. Now you can look to past traumas and once you can recognize trauma, you can see how it affects your present life, and then you can learn to heal from it.
For healing and balancing chakras, you can try meditation, Yoga poses, Tarot, and sound healing techniques, as well as energy healing with wands and crystals. Healing and balancing the chakras has inspired me to create wooden wands with built-in crystals that may aid you in your healing process. I have also created some wooden hair pins with the chakras in mind. If you take a look at the picture that’s where I sourced my sticks! I’m so excited to be offering them in the shop soon!