Root Chakra

EARTH CHAKRA

“Fight your fears and you will be in battle forever. Face your fears and you will be free forever.”   ~Lucas Jonkman~ 

"When you're walking through the graveyard at night and you see a boogeyman, RUN AT IT, and it will go away."  ~Rumi~

The Earth Chakra is also known as the Root Chakra and is located at the base of the spine. This chakra is grounding and deals with survival and your basic needs such as: shelter, food, money, safety, and emotional security. It also deals with your physical body and your health. This chakra is connected to your unconscious mind.

This chakra’s color is red and the corresponding stones are hematite, red jasper, and lava rock. 

The root chakra is blocked by fear and is opened by surrendering to your fears. The definition of surrender is: To agree to stop hiding, fighting or resisting because you know you will not win.  

When the root chakra is blocked you may not feel like you are not at home, anywhere. You may feel insecure and as if you are about to lose something. You could have anxiety and a constant feeling of being rushed. You may have hard time making decision or changes in your life. You could be suffering from constant illness, one cold (or flu, or backache, or more serious illness) after another. Your life may seem unstable to you. You may doubt yourself, your feelings, your decisions, and others.  rust becomes difficult when this chakra is blocked. A sense of fear, however slight, may be permeating your life and decisions. Characteristics common to people with a blocked root chakra are: anxiety, codependency, feelings of abandonment and an inability to focus.

While working through the emotional debris of this chakra you will come face to face with all of your fears, including your fear and possible avoidance of fear itself. If you think that you have no fears this might be a good starting point. Many people are afraid of being afraid so they deny their fears and stuff their feeling.  

In addition to looking at the current fears that you may have in your life, you should also be looking at your “core” fears. What fears have you carried with you from your childhood? Try to remember times in your life that you were afraid and write about those fears.  

The goal of this work is to let go of your fears and that alone can cause more fear. Ask yourself: am I afraid of my own feelings? Am I afraid to feel fear? Am I afraid of change? How has fear served me? Am I afraid to admit to fear, not only to others, but also to myself? By examining your fears and asking yourself, “What is the worst thing that could happen if my fear came true?” you can begin to put things into perspective. Being honest and authentic with ourself is the key to this work.

When the root chakra is open you feel at home in your present surroundings. You will have more energy for your daily tasks such as work, chores, and fun-time. You will feel like you are where you are supposed to be. The stresses in your life will feel less scary and daunting. You will have a sense that you can face life’s challenges successfully. You feel more rooted and safe in your body. You will find it easier to trust yourself and others. When challenges arise you will feel better able to tackle them. You will have a clear focus and sense of purpose in your life. Your anxiety will lesson. Your depression will lighten. And you will feel as if you are “settled down” in your life even when life is changing. You feel a great connection to the earth, others, yourself, your life, and your purpose.  

Journal work:  

Ask yourself: What am I afraid of?

Free-write on those fears. Once you are done writing then read your journal entry to yourself, slowly, and aloud. Next, journal your own personal surrender to your fears and when you are done read the entire entry to yourself. Write for as long as you can but for a minimum of 10 minutes. Remember this is not about punctuation and grammar and pretty handwriting. This is about letting go and opening up and tapping into your deepest thoughts.  

At first it may be difficult to tap in to your fears. Thinking about what you are afraid of is SCARY!!! And your mind and body may have learned to reject and repress those fears. If you suffer from anxiety that is a good indication that you have fears that you have stuffed and denied. That is how you have survived in the past and that is ok. In order to move forward their are three key ingredients that need to become a part of you: Honesty, Openness, and Willingness. That is HOW we overcome fear. After working through your fears and being honest with yourself you will no longer need those old survival tools of suppression,  repression and detachment. You will be able to be real with yourself and with others. You will be free of your fears. The anxiety will melt away when the fears are released.  

Do this every day for at least one month you will find that your fears shift and change. Things that you didn’t know you were afraid of will come up. And you will start to let go of the old fears that seem to have always haunted you. When you re-read your entries you may find tasks for yourself. You may feel the desire to join a drama club and overcome your fear of public speaking.  ou might head down and rent that scary movie you haven’t watched since you were a kid and try laughing your way through it. Or, you could find a tall building and safely overcome your fear of heights. Do you need to draw up a budget and take a good hard look at your finances? Your own mind will tell you what you need to do. Just listen. And do it. Action is required. By the end of the month you will sit down to ask yourself “What am I afraid of?” and you will find your pen hovering above the page with your heart answering, “Nothing”.

Please also remember that this is a journey not a destination. Old fears may creep back up and new fears may arise long after this chakra has been opened. Life is scary. And scary things will always be a part of our existence. But through this work you are learning new tools to deal with fear and to keep centered during times of crisis. When you feel fears arising then that is when it is time to sit down and do the journal work again. Once your chakra is open it will be much easier to unblock and let go of fears. You are doing the groundwork now that will serve you for years to come. You are building a foundation for your spiritual home that will last you a lifetime.    

YOGA: Tree Pose and Mountain Pose

Meditation: Chant in Sanskrit is LAM. Chant in English is I SURRENDER.

Body Work: The Root Chakra is connected to the kidneys. The kidneys are two bean shaped organs and are about the size of your fist. They are located directly below your rib cage on each side of the spine. They filter waste from your blood and produce urine to remove the waste from your body. Make sure that you are staying well hydrated while working on this chakra and in the future. Foods that support the kidneys are: cherries, cranberries, cinnamon, kidney beans, olive oil, and onions. Herbs that support the kidneys are: ginger, turmeric, and dandelion.

Life Projects: These projects will help you overcome fears and will support and balance your root chakra. Before the month is over all of these items should be checked off of your list of things to do. Try to plan in advance and try to go in order. Plan for two to three items per week. Do more when you feel strong. Take time off when you need to rest. If you feel extreme hesitance to do any of these items you need to go back to your journal and ask yourself, What am I afraid of? What is holding me back from accomplishing this task?  If you already do items on this list then look for ways that you can do them better. Ask yourself, How can I take another step forward in the right direction? 

• Find a quiet place in your home to create a meditation area. It should be a place without clutter or distractions. And it should be somewhere that you can do the yoga and meditation without being disturbed.
• Find a beautiful and inspiring red image and make it the screen saver on at least one of your technological devices. The mores devices you do this for the better.
• Find a piece of hematite, red jasper or lava rock. It can either be jewelry that you can wear or it can be a simple stone for your pocket. Carry this with you while you are working on this chakra. (If you have difficulty locating this stone or any of the different stones associated with the chakras then take a walk in nature and find a small stone that calls to you, just be sure to get a different stone for each chakra)
• If you don’t already take one then start taking a multi-vitamin.
• Make yourself an affirmation card with the following words, “I SURRENDER.” and hang it on your bathroom mirror
• Draw up an honest budget.
• De-clutter one room of your house. 
• Remove one unhealthy food from your diet and add one healthy food.
• Write someone that you are afraid to talk to a letter.  And then read that letter out-loud to the universe and destroy it. (or send the letter)
• Call a friend just to connect.
• Donate at least one item that you no longer use to charity. If you need to take a picture of the item before donating it so that you can preserve the memory that is attached to it then take a picture and save it in a special folder on your device.  
• Do something good for your body. Get a massage. Take a hot relaxing bath. Go for a walk. Take a yoga class. Or, give yourself a hand massage with olive oil. Whatever feels good to ou.
• Spend some time in nature. The more the better. Sit directly on the earth, if you can.  Feel the energy of the earth connect with your body. Imagine the energy of the earth entering your body through the place of connection.
• Draw a picture of what having no fears means to you.
• Write a list of healthy things that make you feel happy. Try to get at least 10. Keep the list in someplace that you can see. Do those things more.