Grounding with the 1st /Root Chakra
By Carol Grimes
Located in the feet, legs, and base of spine (the perineum), the 1st Chakra, "Muladhara" in Sanskrit meaning root or foundation, is the place of grounding, safety, security, strength, and stability. The foundation of all the Chakras, this is the most important energy center to nourish for overall health and wellbeing.
When this chakra is awake and balanced, you will have the confidence to go out and try new things, allow yourself to be vulnerable, weather change more easily, be more present, and feel safe and secure within yourself.
The Root Chakra is comprised of whatever grounds you to stability in your life, including your basic needs of food, water, shelter, and safety. Its strength in adulthood is often related to how safe you felt as a child, and for most humans it is lifelong work to continue to strengthen this chakra. It is also the center of Apana Prana, the vital force required for all excretion functions to remove toxins from the body.
When unbalanced, it can manifest as fear, insecurity, self-pity, stress or anxiety, addictive behavior, avoidance of intimacy, distrust in the world, hoarding or greed for material things, or workaholism driven by a lack of self-worth.
Physically it can cause lower back, leg or feet issues, as well as constipation, hemorrhoids, sciatica, health problems in the colon or bladder or prostrate, lethargy or excessive sleeping, insomnia, and obesity and eating disorders. This is also the chakra to work with if you have experienced any kind of trauma or ongoing stress.
Let’s explore the 1st / Root Chakra, and discover ways to strengthen it so that you can show up for yourself and others from a place of true stability and centeredness:
Gravitate Towards Grounded People:
It's rare to find people in this world who are truly grounded, and when you do you should gravitate towards them and keep them in your orbit. When someone is grounded they feel safe, stable, and strong. You may feel calmer in their presence and know that you can be vulnerable around them. Life feels easier and more manageable somehow when you are with them.
Cultivate a Regular Body Practice:
The key here is to find a practice which builds awareness, connection, and appreciation for your body. Workout type practices may be okay as long as they don’t stir up the air element (we don’t recommend faster practices like running or aerobics), but a slower more mindful practice of stretching and strengthening with mind/body awareness will be more helpful for 1st chakra support. You’ll want to concentrate especially on the feet, ankles, knees, legs, and base of pelvis / base of spine — the physical location of the 1st Chakra.
Eat 3 Meals a Day and Include a Protein:
If you want to strengthen the 1st Chakra, you definitely don’t want to deprive yourself of food and nutrients. The body moves into a place of stress when you deprive it of food or practice fasting for too long or too often. One of the best ways to ground yourself is to eat 3 meals a day at regular times so the body knows you are caring for it and can relax. As a result, once you experience less stress/cortisol on a daily basis, you’ll automatically lose food cravings and a need to binge. Protein is the food of the 1st Chakra, so be sure to include a protein with each meal. As a reminder, there are many sources of vegetarian protein, including: pretty much any kind of bean, tofu and tempeh, eggs, greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, nuts and seeds, nut butters, etc.
Spend Time in Nature:
Spend more time in nature whenever you have the opportunity — walking, hiking, gardening, yard work, camping, visiting parks and gardens — will give your mind the support and grounding it needs to feel calm and steady. Sit or lie down on the earth and feel the earth energy rising up to support you. Gaze at a mountain or at a large tree and reflect on their qualities of stability and grounding. Spending time in nature is one of the best 1st Chakra practices you can do.
Breath Evenly and Steadily:
When you are inhaling, say to yourself silently, “breathing in.” When you are exhaling, say to yourself silently, “breathing out.” Try this for several minutes, making the inhale and exhale of equal length, and see how you feel.
Wear or Visualize Red:
Red is the color of the 1st Chakra, so wearing any shade of red, acquiring more red furniture, cushions, or bedding for your home, or simply visualizing the color red filling or surrounding your body will be supportive for grounding energy.
Engage the Sense Door of Smell:
Engage the sense door of smell when you are eating, walking, showering, or anytime you have the opportunity to stop and smell something pleasant. Take in several deep breaths as you smell this object and notice any thoughts, emotions, or sensations that arise in the body. Do you feel more steady and grounded now?
Focus on Safety:
Think about the people, things, and places in your life that make you feel safe and grounded -- surround yourself with these things. Who or what in your life does not make you feel safe? Perhaps it is time to let go of these things.
Practice Yoga:
We know, it seems obvious. But some people don’t realize that Yoga has very specific and powerful practices to strengthen the qualities of grounding, including the root / pelvic lock, breathwork and visualizations, and traditional asana poses. Find a slower practice or class to discover some of the best benefits of grounding through yoga.
Take Care of Your Earthly Self:
Lastly, think about taking care of your earthly self as a spiritual practice. Open and take care of your mail, charge your phone before going out, do your dishes and other chores, cook your own meals, go to bed on time to get plenty of sleep, and so on. You can honor this body that grounds you to the earth and allows your soul to grow by embracing these earthly chores as an act of self-love and self-care.
Carol Grimes is the Founder of Adosa Wellness