When the Root Chakra is Blocked
When one feels that there is no support system in one's life or there is a lack of nurturing (or just a perceived lack), low back pain is usually the first symptom (can include sciatica). There can be blockages in the body, including varicose veins, tumors or polyps in the rectal region, depression, immune-related disorders, mental or emotional problems, a lack of self- esteem, attachment to family background and beliefs and behaviors learned from them, superstitions, kidney problems, pain in the legs, feet, and everything that flows down from the lower back into the toes.
Experiencing confusion, distraction, and disconnection are indicators that this Chakra is not functioning the way it should. All sorts of physical problems can arise from drug addictions, anemia, cancer, arthritis, heart disease, gynecological problems, Aids, herpes, candida. All of these are connected to the Muladhara. Temper tantrums is a typical expression of a blocked 1st Chakra. Angst, a psychological expression used in Europe more, is directly related to this center, because it comes from fear of survival.
A misaligned spinal column or blocked Root Chakra can cause things like sexual or reproductive problems, circulation and blood deficiencies, constipation, bladder irritation or disease, and even Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which of course is a medical term used for lack of energy). I prefer to call it an immune system that is out of whack and needs some serious boosting!
If this Chakra is underactive (in the same way a thyroid can be), there will be frigidity for women and impotence for men. The person will lose interest in being active. Laziness. Depression. The perfect example is someone who finds it impossible to deal with being grounded and practical. Things do not get done in a timely manner. There are obstacles seen everywhere. Unblocking this Chakra can bring unbelievable energy to a person's intention and change the life dramatically.
On the other hand, if this Chakra is overactive, one will become addicted to sex and its pleasures in an abnormal way. Aggressive behavior. There is impatience, irritability. This is the person who cannot sit still, who is fixated on self. When this Chakra is overactive without release in a positive way, the results can be deadly, literally. The person can lose it to such an extent, that they lash out and hurt someone else, all in an uncontrollable way, and hurt themselves in the process.
When the Root Chakra is Open
Physical health is strong. There is prosperity without attachment. There is trust. There is a feeling of being very centered and grounded. It is much easier to be practical and organized in one's life when the Root Chakra is grounded appropriately and also flowing freely. One tends to be able to handle upsets and traumatic events in a more balanced way. In fact, if you find yourself grieving and feeling incredibly sad...and you can't stop crying, here's what to do. Start panting like a dog does when very excited. Sit straight or stand while doing this. Feel yourself connect to this Chakra and visualize the color red streaming through your body down through your legs and up through the top of your head. Feel the warmth of the color red. See yourself lying on a bed of thornless red roses, so soft, a thick cushion of them. This should help your crying to not be so convulsive, and this will relax your solar plexus and diaphragm muscle. It really works. Try it to find out the next time you are crying your eyes out. I did this when I lost most of my treasured belongings in Hurricane Andrew, then my mother died as a result of it, and then my father died, and I lost my job and my house—all within 13 months. It helped me enormously. Yoga was my anchor to help me get through this, the most difficult period of my life.Healing Visualizations and Meditations
According to Sri Aurobindo, “there is no willed opening of the Chakras, they open of themselves by the descent of the Force. In the Tantric discipline they open from down upwards, the Muladhara first. In our Yoga, they open from up downward. But the ascent of the force from the Muladhara does take place.” I add this so at least you do know that it can start from the opposite direction. Bhagwan Razneesh said that it is important to do soothing meditations and visualizations at night and more active and dynamic ones during the day (for obvious reasons I think).- The number one thing you can do to awaken this Chakra is DANCE! Dance with your entire body. Play your favorite music and just let your body move to it. The Kundalini Meditation moves very potent energies within the meditator - bringing them into the Kundalini, at the base of the spine, where this Muladhara, Root Chakra resides in all its infinite glory. Do this at sunset. Each of the 4 stages lasts 15 minutes (altogether 1 hour). Consider it your workout: First Stage (15 minutes)
Be loose and let your whole body shake, feeling the energies moving up from your feet. Let go everywhere and become the shaking and shivering and shimmying. Your eyes may be open or closed. Second Stage (15 minutes)
Dance any way you feel to, and let the whole body move as it wishes. Third Stage (15 minutes)
Be still, standing or sitting—witnessing. Fourth Stage (15 minutes)
Lie down. Be still.
Rose Meditation
- You can think about a brilliant, deep red rose with its velvety leaves and soft-petalled shapes and divine smell. Visualize roses without thorns. Visualize yourself lying in a bed of these roses, so soft, so special to you. Or if you can think of something else that gives you the same feeling, go there, too. Just follow your associations without trying to place them anywhere. Be free. You can visualize anything red that you find very soothing. A red hibiscus is wonderful if you are familiar with these flowers. A poinsettia, one with a lot of red leaves. Think of the color of a brilliant red ruby. Let that light fill your heart and expand it like a laser beam reaching outside of you. Be silent with this thought.
- Visualize that the earth beneath you is a warm, red clay, and feel your feet becoming rooted in the clay and grounded with the earth. Feel the warm red clay healing the soles of your feet and washing your skin with its red hues. Your skin is getting softer and softer. You are melting.
- Sit against a tree or big rock and feel your body align with nature, with Mother Earth. Feel the element earth all through your body.
- Eat veggies and fruits that are red as you work on this Chakra.
- Wear red underwear and the color red.
- Wear the gemstones or crystals given in Part 2 for this Chakra.
Red Sun Meditation
- Lie down or sit comfortably and inhale prana into your spinal column and visualize it flowing deep down into the base of the column. This image is a great one to imagine that you are looking down into your tailbone and this light is radiating out with the hues of red and orange as it spreads up. See it fill the lower part of your abdomen and buttocks and hips, healing all those parts of your body, including the genitals, bladder, colon, uterus, prostate. When you exhale, visualize that it removes all toxins and waste from all of these areas. Inhale and exhale slowly as you do this for at least 10 minutes, preferably longer.
- Sleep with your head facing north if at all possible. As you are getting ready to fall asleep, imagine that there is a healing energy entering your body from the north and filling your body as it travels south and reaching down and through your toes. When you exhale, let all that energy flow from your toes and out the top of your head. As you do this, focus on the Root Chakra as it communicates with your Crown Chakra (the 7th) on top of your head. Get the image of an oval balloon around the trunk of your body.
- Imagine the root center as your grounding or primary energy source. Visualize that it is stable, strong, feeding you with powerful forces of energy.
- Visualize that you are like your favorite tree, rooted into the earth with your feet. When you do Yoga, imagine that you are connected to the soil of the earth, just like that tree.
- If you enjoy making things, visualize this area of your body and use clay to portray it.
- As you clean the garden and place a plant or herb into the soil, visualize that you are just like that plant or herb, getting ready to grow and expand from the light of the sun.
- Visualize that you are walking inside of the elements—just like air and earth—and the other elements are gravity and space. Visualize all of this and feel your feet inside of these elements. Let the energy from your coccyx move down into your feet and down through the soles of your feet. Feel your feet firmly planted on the ground.
- “The person who experiences the activation of this center of force easily succeeds in overcoming the attachment for earthly matters and becoming highly courageous, defeats for good his/her fear of death. The concentration and meditation on Muladhara Chakra leads to the knowledge of this Chakra and of the means of awakening it.” —Swami Shivananda