From the time of our birth to seven years of age, we develop the first of our chakras – the root chakra. Chakras are pump houses of energy in the human system first discovered in ancient India thousands of years ago. The purpose of a chakra is to bring energy from the outside into the body and convert it into a usable form through the glandular and nervous systems and it may well need working on if you suffered trauma or serious illness in your formative years.
On a developmental level, the root chakra is concerned with self-preservation, personal survival and our identification with the physical world through family, culture, religion and tribe. On a physical level, the root chakra governs the bones, legs, feet, adrenals and kidneys. Emotionally, it faces us with frustration, resentment, low self-esteem and our ego. On a mental level, we have to deal with violence, physical identity and spatial awareness. On a spiritual level, the root chakra is about self-esteem, the energy of survival and grounding onto the physical plane. The root chakra governs smell and also the addictions of alcohol, sex (too much or too little) and compulsive cleaning – again, too much or too little.
The challenges of the root chakra are issues of survival, emotional dysfunction, stress, anxiousness, restlessness, fears of letting go, scarcity and money. It is the chakra of the tribe and so cultural laws are important here as well as relationships with family and community. Health issues are joint pain, lower backache, obesity, constipation/diarrhoea, anorexia, and poor immune system function. On an emotional level, the root chakra deals with not being loved, and on a mental level, it deals with self worth.
Some questions to ask yourself are: What beliefs did you inherit or learn from your family? Is there unfinished business between you and your parents? What limiting beliefs did you learn about personal survival and money? Is it difficult for you to bond with others? Are you often ill?
You can work on your root chakra with strong physical exercise. Anything which uses scent is also excellent from aromatherapy to flower arranging. Gardening will help you to ground and so will crystals which, after all, grow deep inside the earth. Try this breathing exercise: Close your eyes and put your hands on your belly and relax. Make sure that you are breathing correctly, i.e. that your belly is coming out as you breathe in, and in as you breathe out. Now, visualise your out breath going down your legs, then down to your feet. Imagine roots coming out of the soles of your feet and burrowing down into the ground. Once you have imagined your roots corkscrewing as far down into the earth as you can imagine, wrap each of them around a boulder so that they are secure. The roots are elastic so you can still easily lift your feet. This exercise will ground you and help you to feel more secure and stable. If you find yourself feeling wobbly for any reason, you can ground yourself with this exercise at any time.
Spring is coming so help your root chakra by getting out into nature, walking and breathing deeply. As you reconnect with your root chakra, feel the energy rising up through you from the ground, just as it rises up as sap in a tree. You will feel more confident and stable, and will increase the abundance in your life.
Enjoy.
Love Laurelle x
