By: Aria de Lima
Originating in India, the chakras first appear in the Vedas between 1500 and 500 BC. While there are many chakras, focus tends to fall on the seven major ones. This includes the root chakra (Muladara), sacral chakra (Svadhisthana), solar plexus chakra (Manipura), heart chakra (Anahata), throat chakra (Vushuddha), third eye chakra (Ajna) and crown chakra (Sahasrara). The alignment of all of them is directly connected to the physical, mental, and spiritual health of an individual.
Separately each one focuses on specific sections of a person’s being. Together they work like parts of a car, relying on each other to create a fully functioning and highly advanced machine that is in its entirety, a human. As stated before, each chakra needs to be individually aligned in order to allow all of the others to operate at their highest power. So let’s start at the very beginning and get down to the root of it with the root chakra.
WHAT IS THE ROOT CHAKRA?
Physically located at the base of the spine, the root chakra,which is also known as the Mularda, is one of seven primary energy centres in your body. Represented by the colour red, the root chakra focuses on grounding, ‘ROOTING’ the mind, body, and spirit to the earth. A balanced root chakra sets a strong foundation for the other chakras above it. An imbalance in your root chakra can be indicated by excessive negativity, feelings of insecurities, and greed. It could also result in feeling a lack of security and an increased and sometimes even disruptive attention to risk. Responsible for the fight or flight instinct, it is also the initial indicator of how the rest of the chakras respond to certain situations on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.
ROOTING YOUR ROOT CHAKRA
Connecting yourself with the Earth and nature is the best way to balance out and re-align your root chakra. Try taking some time to tend to your garden, go for a hike, or even just stand outside on the grass or soil in your bare feet. This allows you to connect back with the Earth, re-centering and grounding yourself. Surrounding yourself with aspects of nature is another way to open and balance your root chakra. One way to do this is by implementing earthy colours and elements around you and your everyday environments. This can be done by incorporating colours such as green, brown, yellow, and orange in your home or bringing in different plants such as flowers or succulents. While not a primary method of balancing, consuming red fruits and vegetables as well as root vegetables is also a simple way to connect back to the earth in a way that is specific to the root chakra. This includes potatoes, carrots,beets, peppers, and tomatoes. Ultimately anything that grows under the ground. that can directly absorb the energy from the earth would be beneficial and an ideal option.
