Unblock the root chakra
The root chakra, also called the base chakra (or Muladhara in Sanskrit), is the first of seven chakras related to survival, grounding and security.
The root chakra, which is located at the base of the spine between the coccyx and the pelvic bone, is the pillar of our entire system on which the other chakras rest. It is red in color.
Since Muladhara is the foundation of the entire chakra system, it must be balanced before we begin working with the higher chakras. If we do not balance this chakra before moving on to the others, our progression will lack the stability necessary for true growth.
In this article, we'll cover some of the best ways to unblock and heal your root chakra.
How to unblock your root chakra?
Healing and unblocking the root chakra will help you transform your fears into courage and your negative energies into constructive and creative energy.
Fear levels that are too high can be one of the first signals that the first chakra is compromised and needs to be balanced.
The root chakra must be balanced in order to restore the body's source of prana energy. Healing the first chakra involves learning to accept, experience and appreciate your own physical body.
Your body is the manifestation of your life, so you must become its pain, its fear, its pleasure and its joy.
When your Muladhara chakra is balanced and healthy, you feel relaxed and grounded.
Let's look at my favorite methods for opening the root chakra and unblocking the root chakra :
1. Grounding for the Root Chakra
Grounding is building a foundation that puts you in touch with your body and allows you to be completely present in the here and now.
It is a process of dynamic contact with the earth that occurs through your legs and feet.
Through grounding, your consciousness completes the flow of manifestation, for that which has ground and substance will find its way into manifestation.
When you are grounded, you live in a state of grace, discovering the truths buried within your body.
Ultimately, we are all spiritual beings in human form, and we need to stay grounded in the earth.
Let's try one of my favorite grounding exercises:
- Stand (you can remove your shoes if you wish) with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned slightly inward.
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax.
- Now bring your attention to your feet and feel the connection with the ground.
- As you exhale, bend your knees slightly and imagine that you are sending a root from the sole of each foot up to your root chakra.
- Unload everything you no longer need into the earth with a single thought.
- As you inhale, begin to slowly bring the energy up through your roots and feel it flow through your feet, knees, pelvis and into your belly.
- Hold this posture for a few breath cycles and feel the wonderful earth energy revitalize your entire system and fill you.
- Repeat the exercise for a few cycles - try to imagine that you are pushing against the floor as you exhale.
- End the exercise by expressing gratitude for being alive in your physical body.
A single grounding session may give you some results, but the real benefits will only come with repetition over time.
If your root chakra needs balancing, this easy exercise is definitely worth your time.
This is a perfect practice to incorporate when you're out in nature, a park, or any other quiet place.
2. Root chakra meditation
Practicing meditation will develop your connection to the Earth and help you create a greater sense of grounding.
The most effective root chakra meditation is very similar to a concentration meditation, where you focus your attention on the location of the root chakra.
Here's how to do it:
Sit cross-legged, relax your shoulders, close your eyes and start by taking a few deep breaths through your nose and mouth.
Expand your belly with each inhalation and let your breath circulate to all parts of your body. Gently begin to bring your attention to the base of your spine, imagining it becoming warm and relaxed.
Focusing on the center of the tailbone, begin to visualize a glowing, red circle there on your body and begin to enlarge it with each breath cycle.
Stand still and feel the pulse of the earth beneath your body. When you are ready, take a deep breath and slowly open your eyes.
End this meditation with a few words of gratitude for all the blessings you have received. Practice this meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.
3. Root Chakra Affirmations
Here are some of the best root chakra affirmations to heal your Muladhara.
They can be used with the practice of grounding and concentration meditation:
- I am safe.
- I am anchored.
- I belong to the world.
- I am a beloved child of the universe, and I deserve love, peace and security.
- I am exactly where I need to be.
- I always have enough money to satisfy all my needs.
- I am at peace with the world and others.
- I trust more and I am less afraid.
- I open myself to receiving the abundance of the universe.
- I am open to receiving and accepting love.
- I am open to receiving and being nourished by the powerful energy of the earth.
- I am a physical being and I enjoy my physical presence.
- I resolve to take care of my body and accept it as it is today.
4. Root chakra yoga
Some of the best yoga exercises for stimulating and releasing root chakra energy come from hatha yoga.
The practice of hatha yoga is an ancient system of yoga, also known as mindful relaxation.
The reason it is excellent for the root chakra is that it involves grounding and relaxing each part of the body through the practice of asanas (body postures) and breathing exercises (pranayama).
How long should you hold each hatha posture?
It is recommended to hold hatha yoga postures for 45 to 60 seconds or for approximately 10 to 12 deep breaths.
Apanasana – this is a yoga pose for beginners in which you lie on your back, bend one knee towards your chest and hold it with your arms.
How to get the most out of this yoga pose?
Breathe deeply as you hold the stretch and imagine your root chakra expanding and warming. You can try slightly tightening the grip around your leg while you maintain this posture. Let your groin and shoulders relax. Once you're done with one leg, do the same with the other, and finally, grab both of your legs and bend them toward your chest.
Setu Bhandasana : Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your arms straight, palms down.
Start by sinking your feet into the ground without lifting your body and imagine that the energy of the earth is flowing through your legs, making them strong and strong.
Keep your legs firmly planted on the ground, breathe deeply and begin to lift your body by pushing your chest up. If you already have some yoga experience, place your hands under your back and bring your shoulders together. Feel the strong support of your legs and maintain this posture for at least 3 breathing cycles.
Shalabhasana – Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs straight. Your palms face up and touch the front of your thighs.
Begin to lift one leg off the ground and feel your root chakra activate, as you breathe deeply into your belly. Repeat with the other leg and if you feel strong, try assuming full locust pose by lifting both legs off the ground.
Janu Sirasana – this simple and amazing pose will help you release the many tensions around your root chakra.
You will feel great relief all along the body, from your lower back to your hamstrings. Sit up straight with your legs extended in front of you and your back straight. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, stretch your arms forward, reaching toward your feet.
If you're not flexible enough to reach your feet and feel too much tension in your hamstrings, don't worry! You can simply bend your knees to the point where you feel comfortable and hold this posture for at least 30 seconds.
5. Root Chakra Stones and Crystals
The main color of the root chakra is red - a color that immediately attracts attention. Red is very often used to signal threats and can quickly bring your attention back to security.
Most gemstones and crystals that correspond to the grounding energy of the root chakra are also red.
Red stones will boost your vitality, strength, power, courage and self-awareness, and allow you to stay more grounded in the physical body.
Some of the other stones that correspond to the energetic frequency of the 1st chakra are black. Black stones and crystals are known to provide the stability and protection needed to balance the root chakra.
Now let's see which are the best stones for balancing your root chakra.
1. Jasper
Typical colors : most often red, yellow, orange, brown, green, and rarely blue.
Helps with : self-confidence, self-confidence, courage, grounding, stability, energy flow.
It is a magical stone of anchoring and stability, which brings you comfort, security, strength and balance.
Red Jasper will help you reconnect to grounding earth energies by creating a stable frequency that corresponds to Muladhara.
R ed jasper is also one of the best crystals to help you awaken your Kundalini serpent, which is located at the base of your spine, in the center of the root chakra.
2. Carnelian
Typical colors : orange, red, yellow, brown and some others.
Helps with : courage, motivation, strength, self-confidence, overcoming past trauma, vitality, balancing energy.
It comes in beautiful shades of red and orange, and it is one of the best stones to help you overcome your deepest fears and increase your levels of courage and strength.
Red carnelian will allow you to overcome procrastination and increase your self-confidence levels.
3. Obsidian
Typical colors : black but also available in brown, green, and rarely in blue, red, orange or yellow.
Helps with : protection, energy flow, courage, self-confidence, decision making, clarity, grounding.
It is a powerful cleansing stone that has amazing grounding and protective properties.
Black obsidian can help you release any negative emotions such as fear, stress and anger, which are very often trapped in your root chakra.
4. Bloodstone
Typical colors : dark green body with red to orange spots.
Helps with : protection, energy flow, courage, self-confidence, decision making, clarity, grounding.
Beautiful earthy green stone with red blood-like spots. It is a very powerful protective and grounding stone, which will help boost your energy, courage and determination. If you need more stamina during physical activities and are working on awakening your root chakra through exercises, bloodstone is an excellent choice.
5. Tourmaline
Typical colors : black but can be found in all other colors of the spectrum.
Helps: release tension, energy flow, self-confidence, overcoming fear, protection, grounding.
It is a powerful stone of protection and one of the best shields against negative energies. Black tourmaline is also an excellent grounding and empowering stone, which can help you overcome difficult situations in life and establish a better connection with the energy of the Earth. This stone is very often used in cleansing and purification rituals.
6. Rhodonite
Typical colors: pink, pink-pink to brownish red, red, gray and yellow.
Helps with: emotional balance, strength, forgiveness, energy flow, overcoming fear, liver and kidney detoxification.
Rhodonite is a grounding stone that can help you cope with painful situations. It is a heart and root chakra stone that helps to effectively process the energies in these two energy centers.
Rhodonite is a very versatile stone that can be used to add strength and energy to the body and soul, allowing them to anchor the higher energies necessary for your spiritual evolution.
7. Garnet
Typical colors: most often red, but also green, orange, yellow, pink, brown, red-purple and black.
Helps with: grounding, self-confidence, energy flow, strength, passion, intimacy, security, protection.
Red Garnet is a powerful, energizing and revitalizing gemstone, which can be used to stimulate your kundalini energy. The main benefit of garnet is that it purifies the body's energy by removing toxins and returning your body to its healthy state.
Garnet is a large stone of protection that was once considered a defensive talisman used to warn of impending threat and danger.
6. Foods for the Root Chakra
The best foods for grounding and protecting our root chakra are:
- Red foods: strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, red peppers, pomegranate, watermelon.
- Root vegetables: beets, carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, onion, potatoes, leeks, radishes, turnips, parsnips, shallots, yams.
- Foods that are rooted in fitness: beef, chicken, pork, fish
Animal foods are probably the most physique-oriented foods you can eat.
They are excellent sources of protein and iron, necessary for the formation of healthy red blood cells.
Protein is the main nutrient that gives our body its structure and the best raw material for building our bones, muscles and organs, which are directly linked to our root chakra.
Physiologically, our body takes much longer to digest food because it is dense and creates a feeling of fullness in the gut.
However, if you're vegetarian or vegan, you don't have to eat meat to be grounded.
Foods such as root vegetables, dark leafy vegetables, beans, chickpeas, tofu, nuts and eggs are excellent sources of protein and essential minerals.
There are a few more key points to remember when it comes to healing the root chakra with foods:
Eating primarily protein-rich foods without a proper balance of other macronutrients can have the opposite effect on your root chakra.- Your root chakra contains the vibration of healthy physical hunger, and you need to be able to distinguish it from emotional hunger.
- It is essential to create a healthy relationship between you and the food you eat. In other words, try to only eat when you're really hungry.
- On the other hand, neglecting your body's needs for food intake through self-inflicted starvation or prolonged fasting can also have detrimental effects on our root chakra.
When we talk about food, let's remember to bring a little gratitude to the table.
Personally, I like to use affirmations, but I think it's enough to be grateful before all your meals.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations. Feel free to invent your own:
- The core of my being is nourished by organic foods rich in the best nutrients.
- Root vegetables connect me to the Earth.
- I express my gratitude to the plants and animals who support me with their presence and their gifts.
Opening of the root chakra
Accepting the body and that it expresses your life is the first step in your journey to opening the root chakra.
Your spirit lives in a physical body in this dimension, and through this body you can fully experience all the spiritual and emotional parts of yourself.
The root chakra can be considered open and activated if all the principles of this chakra have been accepted as a lesson in daily life.
Once you understand all the lessons and awareness of the root chakra, you can begin to consider using some of these chakra opening tools and adding new healthy habits into your daily life.
