Introduction to Muladhara Chakra
mula = root, source
adhara = support, vital part

This information has been collected from years of research, and from my own knowledge and experience from teaching Yoga for more than 35 years. It will help you to understand the meaning of Chakras and why it is important to know about them.

The 1st Chakra is regarded as the seat of the Kundalini (Sanskrit = the coiled one). People talk about this powerful energy rising from this point and how it affects the person who experiences it. Consciousness is often the first effect. It's almost as if you have been asleep and are just beginning to wake up. The only way to know this is to experience it. You can't learn how to ride a bike or swim without actually doing it.

The Root Chakra deals with your physical and material consciousness, how you express yourself in the safety of your own environment (what makes you feel safe), and how you choose to protect yourself, your survival skills in the physical body. A strong Root Chakra can be assumed with leaders and people with magnetic personalities. If it is overactive and not conscious of self, the person could be a know-it-all. If it is balanced, one will be a powerful healer, courageous, with a strong life intention. If it is seriously blocked or underactive, the person could become suicidal or be in a constant state of depression.

This is the realm of life about survival, self-confidence, social order, personal security and family. This is our basic or cosmic Chakra. All life is emotions, and all basic emotions rise from this Chakra into our consciousness. There is more to come in Part 3 (see below for link) about blockages and how to unblock this Chakra.

If you think of your body as having a negative and positive pole (the spinal column) from your skull to the lowest spot in your spine, you can get a better image of this. It's sort of like an electrical charging system. Practicing Yoga is like charging your poles with a battery, which ignites your inner fire and raises your power to see yourself as a physical body carrying You around. Most of us don't think of ourselves as only our body. That's a first step in beginning to understand that there is more to all of this than what we are moving around in.

You will learn many more reasons why it is important to not have a blocked Root Chakra, and keywords are a great way to learn about anything. We've all learned how to use keywords for whatever it is we're looking for on search engines. When we do a search online, it teaches us how to compress, condense, and summarize our state of mind. The mind is always associating as we travel through words to another meaning. This is why I have put many keywords into lists for you. Suggestion: print out the lists and compare them so you can see the differences, even visually.

 

Anatomical Description of Chakra Location

The perineum (above and between the anus and the genitals) is the center of the Susumna pole (see Chakra Introduction link below). Just above that is the coccyx, at the base of the spine (tailbone is a word often used). The coccyx is in the lower back and is described as a triangular bone formed usually by fusion of the last 4 (sometimes 3 or 5) (coccygeal) vertebrae. It is connected to and just below the sacrum, which is where the second Chakra is located.

The coccygeal plexus is a nerve plexus formed by the ventral branches of the coccygeal and 5th sacral nerve and by a communication from the 4th sacral nerve, giving off the annoccygeal nerves. According to Iyengar, “Kundalini is symbolized as a coiled and sleeping serpent lying dormant in the lowest nerve center at the base of the spinal column, the Muladhara Chakra. This latent energy has to be aroused and made to go up the spinal column piercing the Chakras up to the Sahasrara (7th Chakra) just above the head.”

Other Anatomical Areas Affected

To understand this Chakra anatomically, look at what can impair the nervous system and interfere with the nerve function of this area of your body. In fact, the first and second Chakras are often brought together as one Chakra because they are so close to one another and share many functions, but I am going to follow Sri Yukteswar's description and keep them separate. He calls Muladhara one of the 5 spinal centers, the coccygeal. This is the feeder for the brain to collect and distribute nerve impulses from the entire central nervous system.

The Muladhara Chakra affects the adrenals, kidneys, lower section of the spinal column, colon, legs, and bones (including marrow). It travels down to the feet, too. Iyengar includes the “pelvic plexus” as belonging to this Chakra (the triangular point between the male sexual organs and anus, and the cervix for women).

 

The coccyx anchors the spinal cord at its core depth, so when it is out of alignment it can put stress on your entire nervous system. To help your coccyx stay aligned—which also helps this Chakra to not be blocked—choose exercises that lengthen your lower pelvic muscles. The lower muscles will then free your coccyx from unnecessary tension. The whole spinal cord rests upon this Chakra, and the spinal cord is the inner passage to higher planes of understanding. In fact, Kegel exercises are really good to loosen up this Chakra. The instructions are given in section 1.5 for the Root Chakra.

The spinal cord has been given many names throughout history: Jacob's Ladder, the I AM channel, the Golden Stairs, The Stronghold of Man, the Tree of Life, and many more. They all mean the same thing. Everything from this Chakra up to the cross of the solar plexus is involved with the natural functions and actions of physical life.

If you have any history of falling on your tailbone, see a good chiropractor (one who uses an instrument called the activator for gentle adjustments without cracking and twisting) to make sure you are not out of alignment in this area. There is a Web site with a list of chiropractors who are trained with this instrument. You can see if there is one in your area (http://www.activator.com/qualified_doctors.asp). It is probably out of alignment if you feel pain or tenderness in that area, or if there is a lot of muscle tension there (just below the genitals, in the bottom center of your buttocks). These are the two most common ways to know. Being aligned physically is very important for any work you are doing to help release your Chakra system. This is why Yoga exercises are such a great way to keep your body healthy as you age, and also why a good chiropractor who adjusts with an activator and also uses gentle muscle techniques to eliminate spasms - is indispensable.

It is especially important for this Chakra to be healthy and comfortable in its deep location, because this is the area that rules your sense of survival, your self-preservation instincts. This is “gut” stuff that you have a hard time to control when it is not functioning properly. The more out of sync this Chakra is with your body, the less grounded you become.

This and the second Chakra receive energy from the earth's physical force and also from the vitality of the Sun. The Kundalini—lying dormant in this Chakra—is referred to as ShabdaBrahman in human bodies. Shabda means sound. As the Goddess of sound, she “maintains all breathing creatures.” Breath is the Goddess in Kundalini.

Obviously, when this Chakra is balanced, you feel great with a lot of energy at your disposal. You feel comfortable inside your own skin and in the world. And of course, when it is out of balance, there is a feeling of being alienated from the rest of the world. You perceive yourself as not belonging anywhere.

With red the main color here, it can be helpful to use everything that is red to awaken this Chakra. This means in the clothes you wear below your waist, in the foods you eat and drink, and on it goes. Use your imagination. There is a lot more about this in this Chakra series.

The Kundalini has become a symbol in religion, and even medicine. Quite misunderstood, of course. Think about the ancient mystics who worshipped the snake, the serpent power slithering up the tree in the Garden of Eden, the Ophite snake (which is shown as the serpent power concealed in the base of the human spine), and it is even symbolized by the caduceus (an insignia modeled on Hermes's staff and used as the symbol of the medical profession). I find that a bit humorous, since the majority of medical doctors know nothing about the Chakra system, let alone even believe in it! It is also thought of as the flood of milk-white light that creates a bio-energetic surge of ecstasy for many people up their spine. Of course, this is the sweet nectar that I refer to often throughout this Chakra series. To learn all the keywords (definitions) for this Chakra, click on the next page below.