The Root Chakra or Mooladhara Chakra, is located at the base of the spine, this is the foundational chakra center for all things survival and safety.

• The emotional connection in this chakra are primal, survival, security, fear and family or tribe.

• The element of the root chakra is Earth and Grounding.

• The color is Red.

• The organs located in this energy center are the tip of the cervix (women), anus, legs, feet, tailbone, adrenals. It also includes the physical foundation of the body that are the feet, ankles, knees and hips.

This Chakra is where we carry our ancestral and family roots and where we come from. This developmental center is where it all begins at the seed of our creation where the X and Y chromosomes that formed us (our parent’s egg and sperm) into human beings. From ages 0-7 years old we are molded by our closest teachers/adults forming our sense of safety both in the world around us and in who we are, and basic feelings of belonging.

However if we experience a feeling of not safe during the developing years especially, or later if we go through a traumatic event in life the energy will be stored in the root chakra where numbing and blockages will occur.

This can look like something as simple as a child who is feeling creative and gets the idea to take a permanent marker and draw a picture for the parent on the white wall, thinking they are doing a loving gesture and once the parent discovers it freaks out and punishes the child with smacks on the butt and a time out - this sense of safety has now been compromised. The parent thought they were punishing correctly to teach a lesson but to a sensitive child this broke their sense of safety of who they are, what they have to give and how safe they feel to express themselves. And subconsciously decides it is not safe to be themselves in this world and closes that part of themselves down in order to not go through the punishment again.

Of course it can more more traumatic than this alone, I use this as an example to really show how seemingly small an event can create this imbalance later in life. And if there are repeated events the blocks in the root chakra only dig deeper. There can be thousands of these types of events that we don’t even remember! And perhaps parents are only doing the best they can and following in their parents footsteps of unresolved growth in the root chakra that they carry within them, it’s an on going cycle until it is healed and no longer passed down.

**First Chakra Issues that can set the stage for Illness:

• unfinished business with parents, such as anger or resentment about childhood wounding.

• sexual abuse (also second chakra issue)

• abuse, controlling or neglect in childhood

• psychological programming that is limiting such as; “you’re stupid”, “you’re useless”, “you’re a bad girl”, “only good girls go to heaven”, “your body is something to hide out of shame”, “sex is dirty"-save it for your husband”, “girls are meant to serve men”, “men always come first”, “girls should not be too intimidating”, “women can’t make money, they marry it”

• *epigenetic trauma passed down generationally when you can’t place the fear it could be something that was passed down in your genes from ancestors

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF BLOCKAGES IN THIS CHAKRA;

Autoimmune Disease - this comes as a result when excess cortisol (the stress hormone + connected to the root chakra) is released this compromises the immune system creating an imbalance in an inflammatory response in the body. The immune system is also designed to protect the body, if the body doesn’t feel safe there will be an overcompensation in the immune defense. This makes the body more susceptible to environmental toxins, parasites, bacterial infections etc, creating one big cycle of stress on the body which can lead to ….

Adrenal fatigue/dysfunction - yes the physical adrenal glands are located in the 3rd chakra (above the kidneys) but because they are responsible for secreting cortisol when stress or the fight or flight response is consistently triggered they can eventually become depleted and fatigued - basically, your engine in your body no longer functions and has burnt out!

Skin Problems - any kind of skin issue is an issue of inflammation and inflammation is a result of stress in the body i.e. what is mentioned above affects this as well.

Back Pain - the back represents the subconscious mind and is also energetically connected to the root chakra - physically speaking it is part of our physical stability in our body - feeling supported - when there’s pain can be an indication of feeling unsupported and you need to find and build support with.

Weak Ankles or injury, Knee Pain, Hip issues - these are like the trunks of your tree! They keep us balanced and secure, notice if when the pain came on if there was an incident that felt as if the rug was pulled out from under you or something that you thought was secure turned out not to be.

Rectal Issues - like hemorrhoids or fishers can be an indication of blocks in energy flow in the root chakra.

Physical practices to open the blocks in the root chakra include;

SQUATS - Squats when done correctly actually bring blood flow and transformational, strengthening energy to the root chakra and core. Checklist to doing a correct squat - feet under knees, sit as if you are sitting back into a chair, when you come back up drive the hips forward first squeezing and tucking the hips under to scoop and drive your way up, at the top squeeze your glutes. One way to know if you are doing this correctly is you will feel it in your glutes and not your thighs- if you are sore in the thighs the next day - try again with emphasis on the glutes!

YOGA - Next time you find yourself practicing yoga, engage moolabundha (your glutes and pelvic floor) throughout your entire practice! Especially in poses like warrior and bridge.

MENTAL PRACTICES TO HEAL BLOCKS;

Inner child healing

Repeat the mantra “I am safe” or “I am safe to be myself” often, and carry it with you always.

Journal and ask yourself:

• where in my life do I not feel safe?

• when I was a child, where there times that I didn’t feel safe?

• what do I need to feel more safety in my body?

• who do I need to forgive?

PRACTICE BEING IN THE REST AND DIGEST STATE OF SAFETY;

Try this mediation on connecting to the earth!

Resources:

**From the Book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” by Dr. Christian Northrup

* https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/transcending-the-past/201710/the-things-we-carry-what-our-ancestors-didnt-tell-us

Kundalini Tantra

Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer by Psalm Isadora