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The Seven Chakras
First: Root, base of spine/tailbone
Second: Sacral, lower abdomen/sex organs
Third: Solar Plexus, upper abdomen/core
Fourth: Heart, centre of the chest
Fifth: Throat, neck/throat
Episode 58: Speak Your Truth with the 5th Chakra
Sixth: Third Eye, between the brows/centre of forehead
Seventh: Crown, top of the head
First Chakra
Muladhara"Root Support"
Colour: Red
Element: Earth
Function: Grounding, Stability
Issues: The body, foundation, survival, roots, nourishment, trust, health, home, family, and prosperity
Foundation
Sings of Root Chakra Balance
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Good physical health and vitality
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Comfortable in the body
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Sense of trust in the world
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Feeling of safety and security
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Ability to relax and find stillness
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Well grounded
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Prosperity and Stability
Signs of Root Chakra Deficiency
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Disconnection from the body
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Noticeably underweight
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Fearful, anxious, restless, has trouble settling
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Poor focus and discipline
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Financial difficulty
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Weak boundaries
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Chronic disorganization
Signs of Root Chakra Excess
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Obesity and overeating
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Hoarding, material, and greed
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Feeling sluggish, lazy, tired and drained
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Fear of change, addiction to security
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Rigid boundaries
Disconnection from the Body
"To lose our connection with the body is to become spiritually homeless. Without an anchor we float aimlessly, battered by the winds and waves of life." - Anodea Judith
Overcoming Fear
Step One: Understand the Fear
Ask questions like:
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Where did it come from?
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How is it serving me?
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Where do I feel this fear in my physical body?
Step Two: Release & Integrate the instinctual response to fear
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Does it make you want to run and hide?
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Does it make you angry and triggered or paralyzed and confused?
Step Three: Develop the Strength and Resources to effectively meet similar threats in the future
There are many methods to support this step
Examples:
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Personal development and building self-esteem
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Improving communication skills
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Learning martial arts/self-defence
Replace Responsible Fear with Responsible Faith
Assessing Your Healing Questions:
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What is known about the birth, breast-feeding, or early infancy?
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What else was going on in the family at that time?
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Were there any major illnesses, surgeries, or hardships?
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What kind of bonding and nurturing came from the mother?
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How did the mother relate to her own body?
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Were there any threats to one's survival or the survival of family members? How were these factors addressed?
First Chakra Healing
Method #1. DRAWING THE BODY
The method:Using a large piece of paper and coloured markers or crayons, draw what your body FEELS like
What it reveals:The exercise clearly shows us what is going on energetically in the body
Going further:The therapist can ask the client to describe the drawing and then ask further questions about specific parts to the drawing to get more information.
The client can also stand in front of a mirror and hold the drawing in front of them in a way that's similar to an "x-ray" What feelings does this bring up about yourself? If you only saw this picture, what would you assume about this person?
Repeat this practice periodically to see the progress through the healing process over time.
Method #2. CONVERSATION WITH THE BODY
The method:Imagine that you are a visiting consultant of a corporation. It is your job to interview each member of the company about how they each feel about their job and their position in the company. Each body part is a member of the corporation. Start at the feet and work your way up to the face.
You can do this with the help of a therapist, or you can audio record this method. The therapist names a body part and the client replies with, "I am my feet and I…" complete the sentence with their emotional experience.
When the whole body has spoken the therapist can read back the responses they've written from the client but leave out the body parts. This gives the client the chance to hear how the body is expressing their life experience.
Going further:Go back and have a conversation with the body. You can choose the parts that are most significant if you want to. Go deeper and ask questions until you have a better understanding of the fears, and information.
The goal:Develop a relationship and connection to the body through communication and acknowledgement. One that can bring positive action and change.
Method #3. CULTIVATE A PHYSICAL PRACTICE
The method:for cultivating a physical practice is essentially finding a type of moving meditation that you can make into a daily or frequent routine. A physical practice moves energy around in your body. Exercise also releases endorphins that make you happier.
The goal:for this method is to create and cultivate a relationship with you physical body through a specific training technique. The style you choose is completely up to you.
I highly recommend practices like yoga and pilates that are safe, and require a deep mind-body connection to advance in the practice. Finding a qualified instructor, or personal trainer is also very beneficial in helping you deepen your practice and connection. We use specific cues that help you find and "wake up" body parts and muscle groups.
Going further:Don't just go through the motions. Get curious. Ask yourself why you hold your breath in heart-opening poses in yoga. Challenge yourself to increase the weights by a couple pounds in your weight training, or go for that one extra rep. When your body is feeling tired or needs a break, surrender into a child's pose on your yoga mat. Breathe. Be still. Listen to your body.
METHOD #4 FOOTWORK
The goal:to maintain an energetic connection while working on physical grounding points and energetic flow/movement/stability
The method:there are several techniques to use for this method. You can use acuballs, massage balls, dowels, and/or rollers to literally massage out the soles of the feet. Practice this while standing, one foot at a time, shoes off.
You can also take off shoes and socks and stand on different surfaces such as carpet, hardwood floors, and mats and press into the feet. Rock and shift from one side to the other, front to back of the foot, really getting a feeling for the surface below you.
Go further:Once you have rolled out the feet or pressed into the floor, stand tall again and notice how you feel holding yourself up again. Do you have more awareness of your feet? Do you feel more grounded?
METHOD #5 GROUNDING/EARTHING
The method:grounding, also known as earthingis a grounding technique that is best done in the warmer months as it requires the person to be barefoot in nature.
The goal:When there is a physical connection between the electrical frequencies of the human body and the earth, the earth is able to promote physical wellbeing in the body.
Going deeper:practice method #4: Footwork in the mud/dirt, sand, or grass
You can also try walking meditation as you earth/ground
METHOD #6 MEDITATION
Free Root Chakra Meditation here!
Other Chakra Episodes
