Are you feeling insecure, unsettled or overwhelmed? Does life feels like it’s getting on top of you? Are you being clumsier than usual or experiencing leg pain?
Your root chakra may be out of balance. Yoga and essential oils to the rescue!
I’ve got plenty of tips and tricks to help you rebalance your root chakra.
The root chakra ("muladhara" in Sanskrit) is the first of the seven chakras.
Located at the base of the spine and associated with the earth, your root chakra is your support centre (“mula” means root or base, and “adhere” means support). It’s related to your right to be here, to be cared for, and to feel nurtured.
One of our most basic needs in life is safety and security. That doesn't just mean having a roof over our heads or being safe from would-be predators, it's also related to the way we feel in ourselves, in our relationships and in our environment.
The root chakra is one of the most important energy centres in the subtle body as it is the foundation for all the others.
When it's out of balance, it can throw all your other chakras out of whack.
I’m going to help you tap into your root chakra and realign it with yoga, essential oils and more.
Is your root chakra out of balance?
When your root chakra is perfectly balanced, you'll feel steady, safe and grounded. You know you have enough and you instinctively feel held.
But when it's out of balance, it's a different story.
You might experience some of the following physical and/or emotional symptoms:
Lack of confidence, insecurity or like you don't belong
Feeling ungrounded, unsettled or anxious
Physically wobbly or clumsy, or a lack of co-ordination
Feeling disconnected from nature and the people around you
Pain and/or stiffness in feet and legs
Life feels chaotic and overwhelming
Excess flexibility in the hamstrings
Angry or frustrated, feeling stuck
Greed or clinging to material things
Worries about money
Low energy, exhaustion, fatigue
If you feel like your root chakra is out of whack, don't fret.
There are some simple tools both on and off the mat that you can use to bring it back into balance again, making you feel steady, grounded and ready to deal with whatever life throws at you.
How to rebalance your root chakra
Connect with nature
Get grounded and connect physically with the earth and nature. Get outside into the fresh air and immerse yourself in the natural world - if you can find a strong, stable tree to be near, so much the better. Or simply stand barefoot in the garden for a few minutes.
Eat grounding foods
Focus on consuming foods that come directly from the earth as they have grounding qualities that will enhance your feeling of stability, security and connections. My favourites are potatoes but any root veggies will do. Think carrots and beetroot!
Wear red
Red is the colour associated with the root chakra so wearing red when you're feeling off balance is a sure fire way to strengthening your support centre. Treat yourself to a pair of bright red socks or even buy yourself a bunch of red flowers that you can keep in sight. Visualising the colour red also works a treat!
Practice steady, grounding yoga postures
Long holds, deep breaths and steady asanas that ground into the earth are brilliant for realigning the root chakra. I share my top three yoga poses for when I'm feeling scattered and out of balance. Click here to read more >
Apply rich, earthy essential oils
When you're feeling ungrounded or unsettled, you're looking for rich, earthy essential oils like ylang ylang and myrrh. I've listed some of my personal favourites here. Click here to read more >
Repeat affirmations
To raise the vibration of your root chakra, repeat the affirmations associated with it. Use these on-the-go when you're feeling particularly insecure (repeat them in your mind and focus on the meaning of each word) or repeat them during meditation or in yoga postures.
"I am here"
"I belong"
"I am safe"
"I am home"
Chant 'LAM'
A bija ("seed") mantra is single syllable sound that is repeated aloud to stimulate the chakras.
Similar to the way you might chant "OM" in a yoga class, reciting a bija mantra continuously raises the vibrational frequency of a the chakra to which it's associated helping to make you feel more balanced in mind and body.
The bija mantra for the root chakra is 'LAM' (pronounced "laaaaam" rather than "lamb").
Sit in a cross legged position on the floor or stand and root your feet into the earth (preferably barefoot)
Place your hands low down on your abdomen, towards you public bone
Chant 'LAM' aloud
Feel the vibration of the sound resonating under your palms and notice the effect the mantra has on your subtle body
Repeat the bija mantra until you feel more balanced, focused and steady