Root Chakra 101
What is the Root Chakra?
The Root Chakra is the first of our energy centers and forms the basis and the starting point for our development. It’s our survival instincts and is associated with the very first mission analysis that we’re presented with after birth….
“Do I belong here?” - here on this Earth and in this family system. Keep in mind, this isn’t a conceptual question based on thinking or cognition. It’s instinctual. The Root Chakra is your survival center - the primal energy of survival is fight, flight, or freeze response and is initiated from the Root Chakra energy.
The word Muladhara breaks down into two Sanskrit words:
- Mula: root
- Adhara: support or base
The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine and governs our sense of stability, security, and basic needs - food, water, shelter, safety - you get the gist. When these needs are met, you feel grounded. You feel safe. You tend to worry less. But this also governs your emotional needs of interconnection and the ability to be fearless.
A solid foundation is essential for building a house….we know this. It’s also essential for building our spiritual path.
The Root Chakra is the first of the chakras meaning it’s our foundation here on this earth and until we create that solid foundation, we can’t fully open or align the rest of the chakras. Essentially, our path to enlightenment begins with how supported we feel in this world.
Whether or not you feel secure now often has less to do with your circumstances or what you have at your disposal and more to do with how safe you felt as a small child.
In psychologist Erik Erickson’s stages of development, the first stage—trust versus mistrust—is closely related to your root chakra development. As infants, if your caregivers readily gave you what you needed to survive with consistency, you felt secure in the world; it was a place that could be trusted to provide your basic needs.
On the flip side, if your environment was chaotic, your caregivers were emotionally unavailable to you and/or if your caregivers withheld, delayed, or were inconsistent in giving you what you needed, then you will lack trust and security, and may find yourself with Root Chakra imbalance or blockages.
Imbalances in the Root Chakra
Chakra imbalances can manifest on two planes - the emotional plane and on the physical plane. If your root chakra is out of balance, you can experience anxiety disorders, fears, nightmares. Or they show up as a physical symptom like problems in the colon, the bladder, elimination, or lower back, hip, leg, or feet issues. Eating disorders may also be a sign of a root chakra imbalance.
A Balanced Root Chakra
When the Root Chakra is balanced and the energy flows freely, it helps us increase our sense of belonging, feeling secure in our actions and choices, and having the ability to hold an increased sense of self-worth.
- Mental: Improved concentration, persistence, clear thinking, ability to set goals, ability to prioritize.
- Emotional: passion, love, excitement, determination.
Themes related to this chakra include releasing fear, trusting yourself, believing you deserve to be here, letting go of resentment, cultivating groundedness, and healing childhood issues.
We invite you to try this visualization meditation: First, grab your favorite Kailo Root Chakra product and sage your space to clear the energy. Find yourself in a comfortable seated position. With your eyes closed begin to rub the Root Chakra essence, oil, or butter into your palms. Pull your hands to your face and inhale the aroma while you envision golden, braided roots growing from the base of your spine. Visualize these roots moving through the floor, into the ground, and connecting to the earth.
Use this visual anytime you need to feel grounded - this will remind you that you belong. You are here on purpose. You have a right to be in this body, in this life, and you have a sacred responsibility to honor and respect it.
