The First Chakra: Root Chakra

The First or Root Chakra is found at the base of the spine, the point you are sitting on right now as you read this post! Its name, Muladhara, means "root," and the paths of energy in this chakra extend downward like a root through the legs and feet to contact the solid earth below.

Its color is a deep red, and its symbol is a lotus of four petals within which is a downward-pointing triangle, symbolizing the root energy.

Agate and Wood Healing Crystal Necklace

The Muladhara or Root Chakra is the foundation for the whole chakra system. Its function is to respond to any issues concerning survival: eating, sleeping, exercising, recovering from illness, making a living, or simply feeling safe and secure. If our survival needs are properly taken care of, then we can safely focus on other levels, such as learning, creativity, or relationships. If there is some damage to the chakra, then we find ourselves repeatedly coping with threats to our survival, which keeps us from accomplishing other things. These threats might be changing jobs, having to move, recurrent health problems, weight problems, or a general feeling of fear for one’s safety.

When the chakra is closed, we lack stability. When it is too open, we are frozen solid. The ideal state would be to have stability and flexibility in balance.

The element associated with the Root Chakra is earth. Earth is solid, earth is heavy, earth is below us, and earth supplies us with our survival needs: food, clothing and shelter.

Eating is a very basic Root Chakra survival activity. Without food, we do not survive very long. Eating disorders often indicate a Root Chakra imbalance. Eating is a grounding activity—it helps to bring us down, helps us to feel settled, calm, secure. Excess weight can be an attempt to ground out high stress, to protect the body, or to replace proper grounding techniques. Eating too little or being chronically underweight can be an attempt to avoid grounding and physicality because it seems too frightening or confining.

Red, black and brown healing crystal gemstones are popular for the Root Chakra. Visit our Root Chakra center to shop our selection of healing crystal jewelry and accessories designed to help heal and open your Root Chakra.

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