Healing the Root Chakra in 2021

Something that I've noticed becoming a theme this month is that there is a lot of root chakra "stuff" coming up for healing right now, in many people. This seems like an important theme that I want to address to help anyone out there who is struggling right now. I suspect that some of this is as a direct results of current world events, so it's an important topic that I feel we should all be aware of. 

The root chakra, also called the base chakra or 'Muladhara' is the energy centre at the base of the torso, which sits more or less on the sexual organs. This chakra is the lowest of the "major" chakras, and as such is the one that deals with the very concrete matters of survival, and having our basic needs for food, water, shelter and connection. It is your literal root and is the energetic foundation of your body & mind. 

The root chakra helps you to feel connected to your body, to feel grounded, safe & to value all life. What I've been observing recently when talking to clients is that there are many fears & worries to do with survival, which I suppose given current world events really shouldn't be surprising, but I sense there is more to it than that. I've been guided to talk about the root chakra to many of my clients this past couple of weeks, as it seems that there is a root chakra issue coming up in the entire collective, and it's shining a light on many individual root chakra imbalances that need attention. These all express themselves in slightly different ways, but the underlying themes do stand out.

When this chakra is balanced, you feel safe, secure and are more able to be calm, mindful and live in the moment.

Blockages of the root chakra can be caused by traumatic events such as being made homeless or losing your job, abuse, life threatening situations and major illness or injury. When that happens, we may shut down and become very rigid and self-limiting in our beliefs, actions and feel spaced out and ungrounded, insecure and anxious. It can also lead to prejudice, inflexibility and feeling stuck or paralysed in life - this can even be represented by physical paralysis. 

Root chakra energy needs to maintain a balance - when it is out of balance it can either be too strong or too weak. Neither is desirable, as they both represent an imbalance. Balance is an important key word for 2021, and I'm seeing the message that balance is needed in many readings for my clients this year too!

According to Swami Saradananda in the book The Essential Guide to Chakras, the following symptoms can be present when your root chakra is out of balance:

"When Muladhara Energy is Excessive

- You might feel stuck in life

- You tend to be sluggish, heavy, overbearing, overburdened, overweight.

- You hoard things, have a miserly nature

- Your thinking is in terms of black and white; you see others as being either with you or against you (wow, isn't that noticeable on Twitter theses day!)

- You may suffer from constipation.

- You frequently feel depressed.

- You are obsessed with physical security.

- You are preoccupied with routine & fear change.

- You might suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

When Muladhara Energy is Deficient

- You tend to be a fearful person.

- You lack discipline, suffer from restlessness, crave constant change.

- You may be underweight, spaced-out and ungrounded.

- You find it difficult to hold down a job.

- You are often unable to settle down, make commitments or sustain healthy relationships.

- You feel disconnected from your body.

- You live in a fantasy world and frequently resort to escapist activities."

This is not an exhaustive list, but will hopefully give you some idea of the issues coming up very strongly, that need to be looked at right now in many of our individual lives. 

It's also interesting to note that the restrictions imposed by various world governments, which are intended to be for our health and wellbeing, may actually be causing serious imbalances with our root chakra energy. Many people are indeed feeling fearful, restless from being shut in their homes, struggling with finding or keeping a job, unable to see loved ones & maintain healthy relationships, and even more are using the virtual world as an escape from the real one. I'm also drawn to note that the official guidance to "act like you are ill" or positive test results suggesting an illness when no actual symptoms are present may be disconnecting people from the natural communication with their own bodies, causing them to ignore their own physical feelings and may even lead some to imagine they are sick, when they may not be. This will all be taking its toll on our root chakras, and we should be mindful of that. 

I just want to clarify that this isn't a blame exercise, merely an observation. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and sometimes we need a bit of a nudge to heal certain aspects of ourselves for our highest good. It seems to me that the current root chakra "stuff" many people are struggling with, is at least in part being precipitated by world events, but the key to remember here is that there is always a gift in every crisis. The hidden gift here, is that by making us notice these unhealed aspects of ourselves, much as it may not be a pleasant experience, we now have the opportunity to bring that unhealed aspect or trauma into our awareness and take steps to heal and change.

Humanity is in a desperate need of love, compassion and genuine kindness - not the fake virtue signalling kind, but the real genuine connection that comes from feeling seen, recognised and loved. 

Root Chakra Healing Solutions

Much as many of our movements and access to things like holistic  therapies may be somewhat stymied or restricted at the moment, there are thankfully many things we can do at home to help balance our root chakra energy and help to enhance our wellness and wholeness. 

Reiki

Reiki is a powerful, safe and easy to use healing energy that can be used to bring any of your chakras into balance. If you are giving Reiki to your own root chakra, you can put your hands directly onto the bottom of your torso while you sit or stand. When working on others, you have to be more careful not to touch any of their unmentionables, so I normally recommend working in the aura above the root chakra when giving Reiki to somebody else, unless you are on intimate terms!
If you feel drawn to learn Reiki, online courses are now available via Zoom, and you can start out with our very popular Reiki I basic training for free!  

Root Chakra Crystals

Certain crystals can be very helpful for balancing our chakras, and red coloured crystals in particular will help bring the root into balance. 

Some good choices for the root chakra include red jasper, rubellite, carnelian, fire agate and smoky quartz. See which ones you feel drawn to! You can wear the crystal as jewellery or have a small tumbled piece in your pocket. You can also lie down and place the crystal directly onto the chakra to bring balance & healing.

Red Clothing

A very simple way to support your root chakra is to wear the colour red! red pants or skirt will be particularly helpful as these will be in contact with the root chakra.

There are many other ways you can hep balance your root chakra including yoga poses, chanting, candle spells and singing bowls attuned to the vibration of the Muladhara; check out the chakra section of our online store for more inspo!

You may also be drawn to the Hindu god Ganesh or the symbol of the elephant which is also associated with this chakra.

If you think that your root chakra may be out of balance, see which solution you feel drawn to - remember that your body has it's own wisdom, and it will help you to select the right tools or people to help you, if you listen to it.