Root or Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra):
Healing, Meditation, Meaning, Stones & Crystals
- Motto: I Am
- Mantra: LAM (pronounced “Hum”)
- Color: Red
- Element: Earth
You can’t build a strong house without a foundation—and it’s the same thing with our BodyHouse. The Base Chakra or Root Chakra (either one is correct) is the “foundation” that supports all the rest of you. In fact, its Sanskrit name is Muladhara, is made up of Sanskrit words: Mula (root) and Adhara (support, base). It’s the spiritual energy wheel that sits at the base of your spine.
Root or Base Chakra Table of Contents
- Symbolism & Meanings
- Healing & Cleansing
- Balancing & Realignment
- Activation
- Return to the 7 Chakras Colors & Meanings
Root or Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) Symbolism & Meaning
So what lives in the basement of your BodyHouse? Think back to when you were a little kid. I don’t know about you, but the basement was where all my scary monsters lived. (I always hated it when Mom would tell me to go down and pull a package of hamburger out of the freezer.) The Base is all about survival and security: it couples with our Lizard/instinctual brain that simply feels and doesn’t reason things out.
The Root Chakra is where everything lives that we’ve believed all our lives. Go back to those kid years: what you get told when you’re three years old is still in there, unless you’ve actively changed your mind about it. Any ideas about personal safety, family, trust that someone would care for and about you – the First Chakra holds it all. It’s all about your physical self, too, your basic needs: the push for food, water, shelter, sex, safety and shielding. It’s the ancestral memories of war, natural disasters and catastrophes. It’s home base for taste and smell.
The Root Chakra also holds your Early Warning System: when all of a sudden your senses scream NOT HERE NOT NOW NOT SAFE GET OUT, that’s your Base Chakra doing its best to glow Alarm-Bell Red to get your attention. So it’s no surprise that the Base Chakra is also where your fight-or-flight instinct lives, and that red is the color connected with it. Red is also associated with anger and stress, which contribute their own energies to Getting Us Out Of Bad Places.
Basically (pun intended), the Base Chakra is where we have the mechanisms to ground ourselves and give ourselves “roots” to grow strong and healthy in the world.
Root or Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) Healing & Cleansing
How do you know when your Root Chakra is out of whack? Look for things like lower back pain, poor circulation and lethargy. Your libido may be low – or nonexistent. Sciatica (that wretched pain down the back of your leg), varicose veins, foot problems, constipation, immune related disorders, even eating disorders – they are all symptoms of a Root Chakra that isn’t supporting you well. Emotional signals can be sadness, depression, restlessness or aggression. You may get overwhelmed with fears around survival needs and the ability to provide for yourself, lack of courage and basic self doubt. You may find change just more than you can handle. Any of those, and your Root Chakra is asking for help.
So what can you do to heal these things? Plenty!
The first thing you have to do is GET MOVING. When the Root Chakra is either sluggish or overactive, movement can help – especially with digestive issues. Doesn’t have to be a marathon, either – walking or dancing or going up and down your local hills can help. The Earth is your big-time friend for this. Sit on the ground, and just imagine a spot by your tailbone opening up and drinking in all those good Earthy energies.
Red foods are your friends. Tomatoes, cranberries, strawberries, those yummy red apples (it’s the season!). Red meat is terrific – so basic. Beans, nuts, eggs, and root vegetables can all help heal the Root Chakra that’s gone haywire. And spice up those foods with ginger, cloves or black pepper (even a hit of cayenne). Get the blood pumping!
Take a good soaking bath with aromatherapy oils in it. Which ones help a rotten Root Chakra? Think warm and lush – sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, musk. Burn a red candle while you marinate yourself.
And balancing thoughts are vital.
TRY THESE MANTRAS:
I am safe and secure in my own energy.
I am strong and can support myself.
I acknowledge my anger, my fears, and thank them for their information.
I now release them into the Universe, their job done.
Root or Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) Balancing & Realignment
You’re probably wondering what the difference is between Healing and Balancing. It’s the difference between a cracked vertebra and a spine out of alignment. The first needs a bunch more work than the second!
There are a lot of things that can help with balancing your Root Chakra. Holistic methods like massage, acupuncture and reiki or other energy work can definitely bring the Chakra into line. But when you don’t have access to holistic professionals, there are a lot of things you can do for yourself.
First, try visualization. Imagine a beautiful red lotus at the base of your spine. How does it look? Rich and lush, or a little weedy? Imagine it in full bloom, radiant, flourishing and fragrant.
Pamper those li’l roots of yours. Get a pedicure! All that fluffing and buffing and massaging and making those tootsies pretty will make you want to flaunt those roots, no? And paint those toenails red!
Speaking of which, WEAR red. Doesn’t matter if it’s your favorite hoodie or a cashmere sweater. (Red leggings? Oh baby, yes.) Sling a sexy red belt low on your hips and get that Root Energy going.
And absolutely and of course, drink red wine. Did we really need to tell you?
Root or Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) Activation
There are some great ways to wake up your Root Chakra, and of course Yoga is at the top of the list. No, we’re not going to tell you to become a pretzel! In fact, one of the best yoga sutras for Root Chakra is good ol’ Mountain Pose. That’s where you simply stand, feet planted solidly on the ground, and breathe easily, openly and deeply. Feel that Root Chakra energy reaching right down, creating energetic roots through your feet to give yourself the feeling of strength and stability.
Crystals are also terrific when it’s All About the Base. You want stones that will balance, protect and clear. If you can give yourself a good lie-down and place the stones around your Base, terrific; otherwise even having several that you hold and play with can be of assistance.
In no particular order of Awesome, we suggest Azurite, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Chrysocolla, Citrine, Garnet, Golden Yellow Topaz, Hematite, Obsidian, Red Carnelian, Red Jasper Rhodochrosite and Smokey Quartz. Many (but not all) of these carry that woohoo Red energy; the others are particularly good at grounding and shielding (remember we talked about the Protective Mojo in the Root Chakra).
If your Root Chakra is revved and rock-steady, everything else is more supported, strengthened and sharp. You’ll feel energized and ready to move forward in the world.
Go you!