The first night alone in my studio apartment was challenging. I remember being so grateful that I had my dog and cat laying by my side. Being with them was home, and yes we were in a completely new environment, alone in the outskirts of Warwick, NY, but feeling their presence was everything. I eventually fell asleep and remember waking up the next morning to silence. I’d have to be the one to break it. Then, I heard the birds slowly stirring in the trees outside and my shoulders began to relax. It was that afternoon that I was practicing Yoga and suddenly experienced a sharp shooting pain going down my low back. I laid there paralyzed trying to think of how I had hurt myself.
I thought I had many different ailments until I finally realized that my root chakra was unbalanced, and had been for quite some time. All that I had learned about the root chakra suddenly flooded in and I began to put the pieces together.
I recalled the week prior and realized I hadn’t done anything unusual to injure myself. The pain went on for days and I tried incorporating more restorative yoga into my practice. I searched tirelessly for poses that relieved back-pain, and after a few weeks, began to feel some relief. That was four years ago and I still experience flare-ups every now and then. Every time I travel or ignore prolonged tension from fear or anxiety… the back pain returns.
I thought I had many different ailments until I finally realized that my root chakra was unbalanced, and had been for quite some time. All that I had learned about the root chakra suddenly flooded in and I began to put the pieces together. I was young, out of college, on my own for the first time, and having to figure out my career. How would I make money? How would I support myself?
Each year, I focused on building my career whilst balancing my passions. My passions would fuel good work and productivity; and my career enabled me to invest-in and explore my desires for yoga, art, and spirituality. I’ve been on an unashamed quest for security. Liberation can feel amazing, but my need to build a sturdy foundation for me to land (and grow from) became more important.
Without roots, we are like a balloon floating higher and higher into space until finally popping from the pressure.
5 Tips to Balance the Root Chakra:
- SIT STILL. The root chakra is our primal energy center and is responsible for out state of survival. It is the center of safety, security, and our basic needs. Anything that threatens the essentials aspects of survival will knock us out of balance and stir-up fear. Sitting still helps slow the mind down and transition us into a calmer state of awareness. After we’ve slowed the mind through mantra, yin and restorative yoga, or pranayama, we can then listen for the Higher Self and its wisdom. We can then act from this inner-wisdom and truth instead of our state of anxiety.
- EAT FOOD & SLEEP. When we want to meditate and reach higher-planes of existence, we may take up vegetarianism, a cleanse, or fasting. These types of eating habits will help us connect to our upper chakras and give us a feeling of lightness. However, when experiencing an imbalance in the root chakra, it’s best to eat grounding foods to bring you back to the Earth-plane. We are here, in these human bodies, having a human experience. If we spend most of our time trying to transcend the body and this life, then we’re missing out on a good portion of the reason why we’re here. We can not make change or have an impact on the world if we’re not connected to it. Root vegetables are hearty and a healthy way to create a sense of fullness in the belly. Meat is an even better choice to balance the root, as long as it’s from an animal that was cared for and sacrificed in a way that shows compassion or benevolence. Get to know your local butcher, if you can, and where your meat comes from. Say grace at dinner, bless your food, eat til you’re full, and get a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, that’s all it takes!
- ACCEPT LIMITATIONS. As creatives and spiritual people, it’s natural for us to connect to our upper chakras, ideas, and imagination. Sometimes we may find that it’s difficult to bring our ideas into tangible, physical reality. It’s a process for an idea to ride the manifestation current down through the chakras, ending at the root chakra where things finally take solid form. Harnessing our ability to focus will help us manifest our needs. With focus on materializing our goals and acceptance of life’s limitations along the way, we will one day witness the fruits of our labor. If there were no limitations to manifesting and creating our own realities, then what would life be about? Hard-work, determination, and discipline are all qualities of the root chakra. Seeing an idea through to its Earthly form is one way to stay connected to our planet, rooted in material existence.
- GET GROUNDED. Many meditations focus on the liberating, upward current of energy to move toward higher realms of consciousness. However, sending out energy downward can have a powerful affect on the entire system. Without roots, we are like a balloon floating higher and higher into space until finally popping from the pressure. To bring our energy downward is to keep ourselves grounded so we can experience higher realms of consciousness in a safe and productive way; that benefits ourselves, the people around us, the collective, and the planet. If you can, go outside and stand barefoot in the grass or dirt. Practice Mountain Pose by placing your feet in a natural position and pushing downward into the pinky edges of the feet. Feel the muscles of the legs turn-on. Stand tall, sturdy, and strong. Grounding is a process of connecting with the Earth and all Her edges, boundaries, and limitations. Feel Her presence which allows you to honor your solidity and anchors you in the here and now. Without grounding, we are unstable and unsure of ourselves. We may get lost in daydreams and fantasies and lose our ability to hold space for ourselves and the people around us. By merging with gravity, we descend into our physical form where ideas become reality.
- HONOR YOUR RIGHT TO BE HERE. Some of us struggle with constant financial or health problems that threaten our survival. There is an unconscious behavior or belief that our conscious mind must overcome in order to establish our right to be here. How do we handle taking up space? Do we embrace accumulating things and having enough? Some of us are born in abundance with no threat to the root chakra and these people have an easier time taking breaks, embracing luxury, treating themselves, and grooming. To expect prosperity makes it easier to create it. Some of us grew up in unstable households that created a feeling of scarcity within us that manifests into a panicky, insecure adult. We may feel confident in a group, but behind-the-scenes we over-work, worry about money, and put others before ourselves. We fear that if we stop and rest, then everything will fall apart, the next paycheck won’t come, and we won’t have or be enough. So we keep working and obsessing over our current state of insecurity, and don’t allow ourselves to buy a new shirt, eat a good meal, or accept gifts. We don’t blink when treating friends from out of town to dinner, but cringe at the idea of spending less than $10 on a breakfast sandwich for ourselves the next morning. This is an inability to “have” and own our right to be here on the material plane. Embracing material existence is not a dirty thing. Our world has shown us how beautiful, extravagant, and magnificent consciousness manifests into matter. When we look closely at what we allow ourselves to have, we get to witness how silly it is that we don’t treat ourselves with more generosity.
Somehow, taking care of ourselves developed into an act of selfishness or evil. In reality, if you don’t take care of yourself, then down the line you’re going to have to depend on others. Save them the heartache and troubles now and start living your life to the fullest… for you! Take up space, eat good food, read a book, take a mental health day, treat yourself to something luxurious or as simple as a nap. Raise your ability to “have” high enough to fill your needs! Notice how you feel when you read that…now, go do the work! Live through your conscious mind and not the stories your thinking mind tells you because its mindless chatter that only consists of the past. This is the present and you can be whoever you dream to be, but it starts with getting grounded.
Blessings! Namaste!
Kate