Muladhara: The Root Chakra

Sex, sensuality and survival. If this was a movie trailer I’d have sold half the tickets with those three words alone, no imagery required. It’s powerful and intriguing stuff and it’s all going on in the root chakra. Let’s get to it. So in your best deepest sexiest voice, say “larm”. Oh, and if you could pitch it to resonate to the note of C I would be grateful…

Overview of Muladhara

The red chakra is called Muladhara which means ‘root’. It sits right at the bottom of the pelvis and governs the gonads, and it’s also where Kundalini energy resides. The root chakra grounds us to the earth and it is the energy that keeps our metaphorical feet firmly on the floor. When we are grounded we feel a strong connection to planet Earth and nature.

The root chakra is the home of our sexuality, sensuality and sense of security. It governs our reproductive organs and the hormones that they produce. This is also the home of our basic instincts for food and shelter which are our most primitive survival impulses. The positive side to our survival mechanisms are also housed here giving us strength to endure and fight in extreme adversity — to survive no matter what. The root chakra really is the storyline from a blockbuster film.

All energy ebbs and flows, rises and falls, it’s natural and this goes for our chakras too (more info about energy here). At any point in our lives our chakras can become sluggish, over-stimulated or even blocked. Alternative healers work on the energy flow around any physical, mental or emotional issues to boost the energy and restore balance, and by doing so, the symptoms disappear without being directly treated.

Root Chakra Fast Facts

When Muladhara is Imbalanced

By recognising the tell-tale signs of a chakra imbalance you can take steps to restore the energy flow yourself. When the root chakra is stable you feel safe and secure in your world. You’re sexually balanced and relationships, money, career and home situation are all manageable.

If the root chakra is overactive you may be feeling controlling or quick to anger if it feels like a situation is no longer in your command. You may be dependent on others for your security, have money or housing worries, excessive materialistic tendencies, trouble keeping employment or an overactive sex drive.

If the root chakra is underactive then you may feel disconnected from the world, others may find you aloof and disinterested in sex. Depression, inertia and laziness can cause long-term problems in your life if not addressed. Hoarding and overeating can be a negative manifestation too.

Physical symptoms of an imbalanced root chakra include lower back pain, constipation, STI’s, weight gain/loss, auto-immune disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s not unusual to have chakra imbalance at some stage in our lives and understanding which ones are out of balance and correcting them can make a substantial difference in our health and wellbeing.

Exercising the Root Chakra

Understanding your relationship with your root chakra works best when you actively engage in an activity that harmonises it. We’ve put together some activities that you can try that will get you in touch with that energy flow and balance it. Refer back to the Fast Facts section and you’ll see that there are plenty of ways to work with your root chakra! Get creative and have a go yourself or try the exercises below…

1. Chanting the mantra to the note of the chakra

Each chakra has a musical note associated with it and the note of the root chakra is C. The association is to do with the vibration of the chakra which will respond to the vibration of the note in sympathetic resonance. In simple terms, it’s the same when piano strings start vibrating and sounding because of another noise going on in the room.

So when you listen to, or sing the note of C you’re stimulating your root chakra to vibrate in sympathetic resonance, thereby restoring a depleted chakra or calming an overactive one.

Use a keyboard or search online to find get the pitch of the note C in a comfortable octave for you. Then, using that pitch, sing the associated mantra which is LAM. Pronounce the mantra less like ‘lamb’ but more like ‘larm’. Try and make the middle ‘aaa’ part of the word soft and long. This creates more vibration. Repeat the mantra at the pitch of C for as long as you feel comfortable and rest in Śavāsana afterward.

Tip: Pick the lowest pitch of C that you can manage. Deep, guttural sounds resonate better for the lower chakras.

2. Use an essential oil in a diffuser

Take a look at the selection of essential oils associated with the root chakra. Pick one or create your own chakra mix to use in a diffuser. The root chakra is associated with the sense of smell and will respond well to essential oils that are in harmony with it.

3. Wearing colours and jewellery and outdoor activities

The root chakra is most often depicted as a deep, blood-red colour, so wearing red clothing helps to boost your root chakra. You can also engage in an activity associated with the element of earth: do some gardening, walk in the woods, plant some seeds or care for a bonsai. All these activities are grounding and have a restorative effect on your root chakra.