Menu
By Hanne
In this post, you can find an explanation of what the Chakras are and why they matter? The word Chakra comes from Sanskrit, and it means wheel. When we think about yoga, meditation, or Ayurveda, Chakra refers to a circle of energy within the body. Chakras are like wheels of energy that keep us healthy. How? Keep on reading, and you’ll find out.
What the Chakras are,
and why they matter?
Usually it is said that there are seven of the body’s energy centers. There are actually many more, but usually, you only hear about these seven major ones. Seven Chakras are located in the spine, starting from the base of the spine all through to the crown of the head.
How can chakras keep us healthy? Open and aligned chakras ensure free energy flow within our bodies. Whereas if there is an imbalance, the energy flow is restricted. Imbalance affects not only the function of the one Chakra but also the function of the other chakras. How to keep a Chakra in balance? That is a challenge, but it is not difficult and definitely not impossible when we are aware of the imbalance. I will get into this more closely later on this post and in future posts.
Chakras of Matter and Spirit
The Chakras of Matter. The first of the three chakras are chakras of matter. And, therefore they are more physical by nature.
First Chakra: Muladhara = Root Chakra is at the base of the spine. This Chakra is responsible for our feelings of safety.
Second Chakra: Swadhisthana = Sacral Chakra is below the navel. And it is responsible for our creative expression.
Third Chakra: Manipura = Solar Plexus Chakra is in the navel area. It is the source of personal power.
The Fourth Chakra is connecting matter and spirit.
Fourth Chakra: Anahata = Heart Chakra is in the middle of the seven Chakras, and it unites the lower chakras with the upper ones. It can be thought of as a bridge between the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The heart chakra is responsible for love and connection.
Chakras of the Spirit. Fifth Chakra: Vishuddha = Throat Chakra is in the throat area. It is responsible for our verbal expression.
Sixth Chakra: Ajna = Third eye Chakra is in between the eyebrows. It is the center of our intuition.
Seventh Chakra: Sahaswara = Crown Chakra is at the crown of the head. It is responsible for enlightenment and spiritual connection to our higher selves and ultimately to the divine.
How to align the Chakras? Awareness is the crucial point to note in aligning Chakras. We need to be aware of which one(s) of the chakras out of balance.
If we can’t spot an apparent problem in some areas of our body, it is more difficult to notice the imbalances. The first and main thing is to become aware of our bodies and minds and understand the clues we are getting from within to align our chakras.
Muladhara Chakra The Foundation of Life
Mula means root, and adhara means base or to support. The location of the Muladhara chakra is at the end of the spine between the genitals and the anus. The energy flow of this Chakra goes directly down in the ground, and therefore it is a vital part to keep us grounded. Its responsibilities are feelings of safety and security.
The element of this Chakra is earth. The simplest way to activate this Chakra is to step outside and walk barefoot, hike in nature, or do gardening, for instance. These are good ways to assist and activate connection to the earth, using the earth’s energy to ground you into here and now. If you feel spacey or have trouble concentrating, the above methods are worth trying.
Different colors are associated with different chakras; for Muladhara chakra, the color is red; however, we don’t obviously have a red wheel of energy swirling in our bodies. Each Chakra has its mantra as well, and for the Muladhara chakra is LAM.
Stability in Life
The primary function of Muladhara is to ensure stability, groundedness, and security. Meaning the basic needs in our life such as food, water, shelter, and safety, and on the more emotional side, letting go of the fear. When these needs are met, we can feel grounded and safe. And we also tend to worry less.
The feelings of safety in your life right now have less to do with what you have in your life right now. It is more often relating to the security that you have felt as a child. Everything you experience, starting as an infant, is recorded in Muladhara Chakra and will become the earliest experience of your primal feelings. If you felt that the world was a safe and trusted place where your basic needs were met, you probably think that way today. And if not, you may find out that your first Chakra is imbalanced.
Since the family is the root of our life, nothing is more critical regarding the Muladhara Chakra than the family. So whatever is stored in our body due to family interactions is shown in this Chakra area.
It supports us spiritually and physically, keeping us stable and standing on our two feet, connecting us to the ground. It is the foundation of yourself and how you deal with daily issues.
What are the symptoms of imbalance?
How do you know if the Muladhara chakra is out of balance? When imbalanced, one might experience anxiety, fear, and nightmares. Muladhara chakra supports the spinal column, legs, feet and bones, teeth, and large intestines. So problems in these areas might be related to issues with this Chakra.
Physical problems might cause problems in the colon or with the bladder, or issues might be shown as a lower back, pain in one or both knees. Eating disorder is also one sign of imbalance in the Muladhara chakra, as well as anemia. The imbalance might also cause feelings of not been grounded and concentrated.
Is the Chakra Weak or Overactive?
Weakness in the area of Muladhara chakra can cause you to be more fearful than you usually are. You might get afraid without any apparent reason. Feelings associating with weakness can be feelings of victimization, anxiety, and feelings of not being connected to your body.
One of the signs of overactive Muladhara chakra is overeating and being obese. Overeating and being obese might lead to feeling sluggish and lazy and greedy—wanting something more, even though already having enough everything.
The emotional imbalance might show a lack of commitment. It might have to do with personal relationships, projects, even as an individual as a whole. The lack of responsibility towards the individual might be due to some unfinished businesses with parents or abuse during childhood.
How to balance Muladhara chakra?
Through meditation, you can connect to your higher self, and it also helps to ground you. Sometimes in life, you maybe can’t trust that the world will give you what you need to survive. However, once you are connected to your higher self and have trust in the higher power, you can feel safer.
Whether it is consciousness, mother nature, God, or Spirit, the connection to the higher power brings you a sense of peace and stability. Yoga asana practice helps you open and align the Muladhara chakra. Chanting the mantra LAM might also help you get more balance to the Chakra.
Certain foods can also help you balance the Muladhara chakra; maybe you have heard the phrase you are what you eat? There are specific foods that might play a role when balancing this Chakra. Foods that are good in balancing the Muladhara chakra are, for example, carrots, potatoes, cherries, salmon, spinach, watermelon, and eggs. Good herbs include cayenne, meadowsweet, and valerian. And my tip is to select the foods you are drawn into. Your body is wise; it probably knows the best.
The balanced state of Muladhara Chakra
Muladhara chakra helps you not only to stay in balance but commit to your work and be energetic. Being the first of the chakras creates a foundation and opens the chakras above. You can think of it as the foundation of a house. The foundation needs to be strong to provide a safe place for you to reside in. And needless to say, but unless we stand on our own two feet, our journey through life is going to be rocky and unstable. Therefore, it is essential to make this Chakra powerful and robust and then focus on the other chakras.
When Muladhara Chakra is balanced, you may experience overall good health, being comfortable with your own body. You experience feelings of safety and security, stability, vitality, and prosperity. You feel commitment to your work and are full of energy.
What about the other six of the Chakras? I will get into that in my future posts. Stay tuned.
PS. Was all this something that you already knew about Chakras? Feel free to share.
Pin for later
Hanne Nousiainen
Yoga teacher • Personal Trainer
Hanne Nousiainen
Recommended posts
Favorite products
