About Root Chakra
The root chakra, Muladhara, is the first chakra of the seven main chakras. It’s associated with the earth element. It’s the base of our survival skills; it’s our safety, our identity, our belonging center. It resides at the base of the spine, at the tip of the tailbone, in between the genitals and anus. It’s our roots, the energy center that connects us with Mother Earth, When we do not feel safe in this life, and when we don’t feel we belong; it directly gets affected and imbalances our physical body.
In our endocrine system, the root chakra is correlated with the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands which sit on each kidney are responsible for four hormones in our body.
- Adrenaline – noradrenaline
- Cortisol
- Aldosterone
- Androgen
Let’s have a closer look at these magical hormones that help us survive in danger!
Our bodies are so wisely designed to keep us alive under any circumstances. When we face a threat, our bodies try to make the best decision for us by alerting the whole system. In the face of danger at first adrenaline hormone is released. Adrenaline is the main hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla. Noradrenaline has almost the same molecular structure as adrenaline but it is not a hormone, instead, it’s a neurotransmitter. While adrenaline is released directly into the blood, noradrenaline is the main neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nerves in the cardiovascular system. But they both work for the same purpose: to trigger the sympathetic nervous system aka fight or flight responses which allows us to react without even thinking about it during a dangerous or stressful situation.
What are the Fight or Flight responses?
Fight or flight responses are the combination of reactions that the body gives to stress. “Fight or flight is a survival mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.” says Harward Medical School.
Stress Hormone: Cortisol
Cortisol is the hero hormone of emergencies. After the boost of adrenaline and noradrenaline, cortisol inhibits insulin production, prevents glucose from being stored favoring its immediate use to supply immediate energy to large muscles for the threatening situation. It also narrows the arteries to increase blood pressure so that the heart rate gets faster to help your body move faster and handle better an emergency situation.
Cortisol also controls the sleep/wake cycle and can also decrease bone formation.
What about Aldosterone?
Aldosterone is the responsible hormone for fluid balance and also regulates the usage of sodium and potassium in the body.
Androgens!
Androgen is a group of sex hormones that are needed for growth, reproduction, and well-being. It regulates mainly the development of male characteristics. They are precursor hormones that are converted in the ovaries into female hormones (estrogens) and in the testes into male hormones (testosterone). However, sex hormones are mostly produced by the ovaries and testes which are associated with the sacral chakra.
How is our physical body affected if our emotional body is imbalanced?
As you read above, under threats or in stressful environments our body switches to fight or flight mode. When we do not trust life, we feel in constant danger hence the body constantly releases adrenaline and cortisol.
On the other hand, in our autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system (aka digest and rest nervous system) can not work simultaneously. Having the sympathetic nervous system activated for so long leads to spacing out, an excessive feeling of insecurity and living in survival mode constantly. In the long term, this causes major damage to the body, so that we start to observe disturbances and diseases.
That’s why we meditate, practice yoga or breathwork: to get out of the sympathetic nervous system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, therefore, our body can relax and rest.
Root Chakra is also related to our skeletal systems and bones. Our skeletal system is our main support system. When we do not feel supported in life emotionally, it directly reflects onto our physical support system as well. Then it turns into skeletal and muscular problems.
Which health issues may occur due to imbalanced root chakra?
Anxiety, sleeping issues, panic attacks, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, heart issues, kidney disorders, eating disorders, weight gain, high blood pressure (hypertension), muscular problems, muscle pains, miscarriages, and skeletal problems such as scoliosis.
How to balance the root chakra:
Grounding ourselves is the main factor in balancing the root chakra. We can ground ourselves through mental, physical, and spiritual practices.
Physical practices:
Walking barefoot, touching animals, spending time in nature, and taking a cold shower are the perfect tools to connect with the life around us and ground ourselves. We can also practice yoga specifically to balance the root chakra. Check out yin yoga postures for the root chakra from here.
Root Chakra’s color is red. To balance the root chakra, you can wear red. You can also use the LAM mantra and repeat it silently and continuously from your mind or you can chant a long LAM mantra aloud.
Eating red fruits such as apples, raspberries, cherries and eating root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, yucas, beets, celery roots have an important role in balancing the root chakra.
Mental practices:
There are many grounding meditation techniques to balance the root chakra. My favorite is the conscious walking meditation technique. All you need to do is walk barefoot on the ground, with every inhale take your step up with every exhale put your step down.
Working with affirmations and keeping a journal is also so useful for grounding ourselves and staying present. Repeating the affirmations below helps us balance the root chakra:
- I am safe.
- I am protected.
- I belong.
- All my needs are always provided by life.
- I trust life.
- I flow with life in harmony.
- Life always works for me.
- I am at peace with life.
- I leave the past behind with ease and accept the new with enthusiasm.
- I am open to new experiences.
- I am safe enough to be flexible.
- I am open to change.
- I peacefully leave what doesn’t serve me.
- I allow life to pass through me.
- I am balanced and supported.
What about spiritual practices?
Physical and mental practices are very important for the root chakra in order to become balanced and work properly. But when we do not connect with life spiritually, they will all be insufficient. First of all, we must admit that we have no control over this life. Even if we create our own reality with our feelings and thoughts, we can not control when and how they are going to manifest. We have to trust life and be in harmony with life. Most of the time, we might think we know the best for ourselves, but we have to accept that we are a part of a bigger plan. Living in fear, and constantly trying to control life doesn’t bring us anything. On the contrary, it always takes from us. Instead, we can try to surrender to life and enjoy the ride.
Life always works best for us!
If something is not the way we want, we need to sit down and look at what our life is trying to tell us, rather than wasting the “moment” by whining and worrying and making life hell for ourselves. If something does not go as planned, then it is necessary to trust that there will be more beautiful options planned for us.
As we live on thorns without knowing how to leave ourselves to life, our roots with the world are gradually getting weaker. This does not mean that you leave yourself in the arms of fate and settle for wherever life drags you. Of course, sit, think, ask, make plans for yourself, design your life and work in line with your designs. But allow yourself to be flexible enough to flow with life without attaching yourself to the results. Instead of filling your “moment” with worries and fears, know that life and existence is wiser than you and try to say “I did my best, life knows the rest”. Believe me, life has designed more miraculous beauties for you than you could ever imagine. Do not deprive yourself of these miracles by trying to control everything.
Let’s talk about death a little.
On the other hand, try to make peace with the idea of death. Death is an inevitable fact of this life, of this realm. And nobody can prevent you from dying; whatever will be, will be. We are not just our minds. We are immortal souls who travel in infinity. Death is only an illusion of the physical realm and is never the end. It’s the mind that is afraid of death, not the soul. Because the mind knows that ego will end in death; therefore it creates the fear of death. This strategy which is wisely developed to stay alive is reflected in life as many different protection shields imbalances the root chakra for individuals who are overidentified with their minds.
Fear of death lies at the heart of all fears; where the mind perceives something as “dangerous,” the wise soul knows that the ego will be damaged. However, as there is no danger in life, there is nothing to fear in death. Remember. Everything in this universe is energy. No energy can be destroyed, it can only be transformed. Death is just a conversion to another frequency, and it reminds us that everyone’s journey is the same. We are born, grow and migrate to other realms.
Life is a musical!
Life is a harmonious game, a musical designed for the souls only to evolve into their best version. And the universe only wants you to evolve into your greatest self, your liberated, perfect version. It always brings you the experiences that will be most beneficial for you, so that you can get to know and understand yourself, and find the creator and the power of creation within you; then start creating peaceful, wonderful experiences for yourself, start experiencing heaven in this universe. This is the only goal.
That is to say, in order to have a permanently healthy and balanced root chakra, it is necessary to develop a healthy ego by understanding the fears of the mind, affirming the mind, and living in cooperation with life.
So besides the physical and mental practices above, try to confront your fears as your spiritual practice to balance your root chakra. Choose to surrender and trust life over your fears. Every fear that you overcome will connect you more with your soul. Your soul will remind you of your immortality. Looking at what you define as “danger”, and questioning where those definitions come from will begin to change the chemistry of your mind and the nature of those definitions.
So think about your fears in detail today, maybe it is up to you to choose not to carry them. Without healthy roots, we cannot grow properly. We can only reach higher as our roots become stronger.
With love.
