When life gets hard, it’s time to come down to earth. “Muladhara” is the Sanskrit name for the first chakra, literally “root”. The first chakra is your connection to the element of earth, and opening up this energy vortex will help you calm and settle when your circuits feel overloaded.
According to Vedic tradition, there are seven major energy centers that govern different aspects of your life and your health. Chakra means wheel. As the energy wheels spin, each one generates a vortex that interacts with the world around you, generating influence into your environment and receiving energy and information into your own system. An unbalanced first chakra will make it very hard to settle down, to rest, or to relax. Your root chakra literally connects you to the ground. Opening your first chakra allows you to slow down and feel your feet. When was the last time you paid attention to your feet?
Muladhara is the foundation for the healthy functioning of the rest of your chakra system, so giving it some attention will enhance all aspects of your life. Embracing Muladhara is getting back to basics. If your world is spinning too fast, settling into your root chakra may be just what you need.
Muladhara is located near the base of your spine, between the anus and the genitals. Opening this chakra will bring new life to your legs, sensation to your feet, and calm to your disposition. Here are some ways to bring life back into your first chakra.
Take a walk.
Sleep.
Take time to really enjoy a meal.
Get a foot massage.
Organize the space you occupy.
Get into hatha yoga, especially the slow, deliberate kind.
Take time for silence.
Surround yourself with the color red.
Spend time in nature until you feel settled.
Does this sound like self care to you? It should. Muladhara is your survival program. In our modern world we think that these things are luxuries, but sleep, food, and a safe place to feel quiet and nurtured are needs. In fact, the chakra system corresponds almost exactly to the hierarchy of needs developed by Dr. Abraham Maslow. At the base of the hierarchy are food, safety, and shelter. If you are feeling a bit frayed around the edges, maybe it’s time to get back to your roots.
Source:
professional experience and study
This is the first of a series of articles addressing the chakra system and the individual chakras. I welcome questions and comments! If there is something chakra-related that you would like to know about, please contact me on my profile page.
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