Root Chakra Muladhara: Coming Home to Yourself
At the base of our spine sleeps a quiet fire: the root of who you are. This is the Root Chakra Muladhara as it is named in Sanskrit – meaning the original base, your first energy center. The Root chakra Muladhara is the foundation of the chakra system, located at the base of the spine. It is here that the red serpent (Mahamaya Kundalini) coils, connecting you to the Earth, reminding you that you belong here. The root is your foundation, your sense of safety, your ability to stand firm no matter what storms rage above. It governs your sense of security, survival instincts, connection to family, tribe, and the physical world.
The Chakra blockage is one of the most common. Everyone, at some point in their lives, has struggled with a Muladhara energy center blockage. Anything that could affect your survival and security, like having seen childhood abuse, living in poverty, been afraid of your life etc can cause it to close up! Balancing the Root Chakra is needed when it gets blocked (or becomes overactive). This may happen due to trauma or any other reason, consequently, there is a disruption in the flow of Life Force Energy.
Unbalanced Traits:
- Feeling disconnected, ungrounded, lost
- Control freak tendencies, self-centered behavior
- Financial Issues e.g. scarcity complex, hoarding mentality etc.
- Trust issues, tendency to bully or dominate
- Overly materialistic and attached to possessions
- Lethargy, lack of energy
- Emotionally needy, clingy behavior
- Family relationship issues – You are all alone
- Eating disorders induced by anxiety – binging, bulimia etc.
- Lower body imbalance or stagnation
- Hyper- vigilance for any threats, constant anxiety
- Difficulty being authentic: pretending or hiding true self
- Can’t share/ desire to have more (Bigger cake, Pizza slice etc.)
Balanced Traits:
- Deep sense of grounding and connection to the Earth and present moment
- Healthy sense of control and ability to flow with life
- Abundance mindset; trust in the flow of money and resources
- Trust in life and others; strong yet healthy personal boundaries
- Appreciation of material comforts without over-attachment
- Physical vitality, motivation, and an active lifestyle
- Emotional independence; secure and nurturing relationships
- Strong sense of belonging in family/community; harmonious relationships
- Healthy, intuitive relationship with food
- Balanced energy flow and vitality throughout the lower body
- Inner calm and a sense of safety in the world
- Comfortable expressing one’s authentic self
- Generosity, gratitude, and contentment with what is
Qualities
- Colour: Red
- Beeja Mantra: Lam
- Element (Mahābhūta): 🌏 Prithvi — Earth
- Location: Base of spine
- Nature: Feminine
- Sense (Indriya): Smell
- Quality: Stability, grounding
Deities:
Brahma — the Creator, four-faced, seated on a lotus.
Dakini — the red Shakti of the earth, guardian of the root.
At the Base of Your Spine…
At the base of your spine
sleeps the red serpent,
coiled in earth’s embrace.
It whispers: you belong here.
Its fire hums through soil and stone,
reminding you of your roots —
of the ground that holds you
and the blood that remembers.
It is the steady drumbeat of survival,
a prayer of flesh and bone:
I am safe. I am here. I am alive.
Invocation:
I place the earth in my bones,
the mountain in my spine,
the soil beneath my feet.
I am held, I belong.
how to heal root chakra
Chakra healing is the process of cleansing and energising one or more than one chakra, this can be done by using certain modalities. Other things such as foods, sounds, smells, yoga practices and healing crystals can also help. Follow it up by balancing the root chakra for a more centered result.
Having a healthy and balanced root chakra creates a sense of inner stability and calm. Root Chakra Muladhara balancing can result in the disappearance of innate fear and anxiety related to finances or feelings of powerlessness. Consequently making way for trust in the wisdom of the Universe. This, in turn, makes you self-assured while also deepening your own connectedness.
Nyāsa
Nyāsa (न्यास) literally means ‘placing’ . It is the act of mentally (and often physically) placing mantras, elements, deities, or energies into specific parts of the body to consecrate it as a temple of the divine.
Sit in a comfortable meditative posture.
Take a few deep breaths to center yourself.
Touch or simply focus your awareness on the chakra area.
Recite the mantra(s):
“Om prithvī-devyai namah” (Goddess Earth, I bow to you)
“Om prithvīm sthāpaya pādayor me sthiratā.” ( please keep the Earth at my feet as steadiness.)
“Om Brahmāya ca Dākinyai ca namah, sthāpaya mūlādhāre me sthiratā.” (Om, to Brahma and Dakini salutations, place steadiness in my root.)
Visualize the element and/ or deity, and feel the quality of that chakra awaken within you.
At each step, you can lightly touch the spot (or just hover your palm there if preferred), visualising the sound and energy.
Disclaimer: The mantras given here are modern Sanskrit constructions, intended as poetic, nyāsa-style invocations for meditation. These are not scripturally attested Vedic or Tantric mantras. These have been constructed to fit the spirit of nyāsa for an English-speaking audience who might not be versed in bīja or more cryptic Tantric syllables.
Balancing the Root Chakra
As someone who has struggled with a severely blocked root chakra, I know that it can be tough. I myself had a tough time trying to connect with others or asking for help. But shadow work and balancing the root chakra did help a lot. So, till the time you find your balance.. hang in there!
I can recommend the following practices (pick and choose as per your disposition) for balancing the root chakra:
Yoga for balancing the root chakra
Certain asanas (Poses) are beneficial, some of them are:-
- Balasana, also known as Child’s Pose
- Tadasana, also known as Mountain Pose
- Malasana, also known as Garland or Squat Pose
- Uttanasana, also known as the Standing Forward Bend
- Padmasana, also known as Lotus Pose.
Begin Your Journey Home
If you feel anxious, ungrounded, or disconnected, your Root Chakra Muladhara may simply be asking you to come back to yourself. To your own ground.
If you’d like support in balancing your energy and finding your inner stability, you can explore our Coaching Program or Energy Healing Services.
Your body already knows how to root, you just have to let it.