Feeling anxious, unfocused, or a bit unstable? Could be that you need to balance your root chakra. Your root chakra, or muladhara, is located at the base of your spine and is associated with stability, safety, and groundedness. The root chakra is the foundation upon which all your other chakras are built, and its instability can rock every aspect of your life. Take five minutes out of your day to actively balance your root chakra with one of the techniques below.
How to Know if Your Root Chakra is Shaky
When the root chakra is out of balance, you may be struggling with finances, work, and home. Perhaps you move around a lot or can’t seem to hold down a steady job. An unbalanced root chakra can also manifest as physical ailments such as…
- Weight loss or gain
- Anemia
- Depression
- Poor immune system
- Laziness
- Compromised digestion
An over-active root chakra can present as feelings of aggression, anger, annoyance, and greed, as well as a concern for all things material and a defiant need to remain in control. An under-active root chakra results in feelings of restlessness and depression, and a lack of discipline and focus.
How to Balance Your Root Chakra
Yoga: realign your chakras and direct the flow of energy to your muladhara with a grounding yoga pose like tree pose. Stand with your feet firmly planted on the ground. Transfer your weight slightly to the left foot and bend your right knee. Reaching down with your right hand, grab your right foot and tuck it against your inner left thigh just above the knee. Your toes should be pointing down and your heel and sole of the foot pressing against the thigh. You can raise both arms up to the sky or hold your hands in prayer position.
Meditation: Mediation releases energetic blocks so that energy can flow into and out of the root chakra. Red is the color of the root chakra and a powerful way to reconnect and achieve balance. Envision a red flower or a red beam of light at the base of your spine (your tailbone). Envision this light spreading down your pelvis and legs, from your feet and into the earth, thereby grounding you. You can even use this meditation as you are practicing tree pose!
Aromatherapy: scents are a powerful tool to ground us to our root chakra. Sandalwood, rosewood, ginger, cloves, black pepper, rosemary, and cedar essential oils are particularly potent for grounding. Use a diffuser to breathe in the essential oils while you meditate, or apply the oils to root chakra pulse points—the tailbone, wrists, and inner thighs (horizontal to the base of the spine).
Everyone’s root chakra slides out of balance from time to time, so make no judgment if yours is radiating a bit dull. Just take five minutes out of your day to reconnect, and you’ll be back in balance in no time!
