The root 'chakra' or the 'muladhar chakra', located around the base of the spine, is the ‘mul’ ‘aadhar’ or the root support for life’s satisfactory journey.
The root chakra’s sphere of influence relates to survival, stability and security. The primitive and the prime instinct of the physical body is to survive; anything that threatens this survival causes fear. Fear and its many forms obstruct life’s satisfactory journey. These are blockages inhibiting free flow of energy in these aspects.
Fear manifests in physical, physiological, emotional and mental (thought/ belief) forms. This energy centre craves protection, safety, security, steadiness of the mind, anchoring in the “here and now”. When these aspects are missing in an individual’s life, there’s misalignment in the energy body.
Physical manifestation of imbalances
Physically, imbalances show up in the foundational structure — the skeletal framework of the body, in the bones, knee, hip, joints, as possible projections of arthritis, osteoporosis, sciatica, as restless leg syndrome, leg pains, plantar issues, ankle and heel problems, etc. In addition, lower back pain, chronic fatigue, weight issues etc. The ungrounded feelings can lead to frequent falls, less physical balance.
The physical manifestations are the “visible” exhibits of the emotional framework which gets misaligned long before the physical symptoms appear. These come as feelings; recurring emotions of being unsupported, unanchored, indecisiveness, procrastination, resistance, rigidity and so on. There’s excessive insecurity in matters related to money, relationships, career, health.
Feelings can be caught by paying attention to thoughts that are harboured. Here are few thought forms:
“I am unnurtured, unsupported, lonely” (abandonment thoughts).
“I am safe where I am” (resistance to change/ rigidity/procrastination thoughts).
“I want to flee this situation/ house/relationship” (thoughts of flight, leg pain).
“I don’t want to change/ It is not safe ‘out there’ (thoughts of insecurity).
“Decision making is hard” (looping in the same habit patterns, indecisiveness).
“I feel uprooted “ (unanchored, ungrounded, not in the ‘here and now’).
Other Misalignments
The clues can come forth as anxiety, shyness, lack of confidence, fear of loss; loss not just of possessions, but loss of old habits. There is fear of change/ movement, fear of doing new things, taking new decisions, cultivating different habits, behaviours and response patterns (the subconscious mind reads these as unfamiliar ‘turf’ and ‘dangerous’, and hence the procrastination issues. There’s also fear of success (financial blockage) as, “If I get rich, my relatives will queue up for money”/ “I will get in bad habits”, etc. The other forms of “root” fear come across as notions of rigidity, prejudices, hatred, intolerance, greed, arrogance, blind faith etc.
Clues exist at all levels. One can check the verbal manifestations in metaphors such as:
Tendency to develop “cold feet” (resistance).
Feeling “weak in the knees” (nervousness, anxiety).
Feeling of “spaced out” (ungrounded-ness).
Legs getting “jammed” (fear) or feel like “walking out” (escapism).
Feeling, for example, “in the bones”. (prejudice, intolerance).
Self-Inquiry
In the self-inquiry method, one can answer these questions honestly. This will generate awareness towards working on balancing this energy centre. Remember, excessiveness in any aspect counts as imbalance.
Am I resistant in changing my habits and response patterns even if I don’t like them?
Do I procrastinate taking new action steps?
Am I overconcerned about finances, job, relationships, possessions?
Do I feel disoriented, “spaced out” most of the time?
Do I have trouble making decisions?
Am I a workaholic? Or do I feel fatigued, lethargic?
Do I “take flight”/escape from situations instead of dealing?
Check out your specific thoughts/ beliefs and work on those areas to realign and integrate at the root level.
Disclaimer: Urmila Rao is an emotional healer and a forgiveness teacher. All the ideas expressed herein are her own, and not professional advice or medical prescription. Her website is: www.karmicwellness.in. Email: hellokarmicwellness@gmail.com
