The first or root Chakra (Muladhara in Sanskrit) is located in the base of the spine, at the perineum, the area between the genital and the rectum.
This chakra is related to family, community and tribal issues. It is the home of our life force and it supports our physical health and vitality as it is the center that connects us to the grounding energy of the Earth and to the physical reality. It is also the root of the masculine energy within us (whether we are a man or a woman) and it contains the seeds of our full potential. On the color spectrum, our first chakra resonates to the color red in the auric field and to the C note in the musical scale.
The root chakra’ s primary function is to focus our attention on what we need, day-to-day in order to survive and thrive in life. It is through this chakra that we first experience the world as we are still in the womb and throughout the first year of our life. When we grow up with enough care, love and nurturing feelings, with caretakers who themselves felt safe and grounded in trust, it is most likely that our first chakra will develop healthily and that as a result, we will feel safe and worthy of love. If however our external circumstances (past or present) are unstable, our psychic development becomes destabilized and our consciousness becomes fogged with the core belief that the world is a scarce place where one has to struggle to survive. This belief then will act as a self-fulfilling prophecy, attracting circumstances in our life that validate it’s existence. All transitions such as moving, divorcing, having a baby, grieving, natural catastrophes, war, physical abuse, and financial difficulty can also create an imbalance at the first chakra level.
1st chakra issues may result in lack of physical stamina but also emotional stamina. Rather than feeling safe and secure in the world there is worry and anxiety. Or you can be out of balance with an overemphasis or fixation on material possessions, security or sensual thrills.
Consequently, aligning this chakra is key to evolving in life with a basic sense of security and safety. This in turn, empowers us to trust life itself, as we perceive the earth as a place that can adequately provide for food, shelter and security.
There are many shadow aspects of the first chakra, most of which are based on fear of lacking, which as we already mentioned generates conditions of scarcity and insecurity, thus reinforcing beliefs focused on not having enough and fear of lacking. As you see, it is a vicious circle.
Related shadows aspects of first chakra imbalance are:
Insecurity, anxiety, restlessness, disorganization, worry about not having enough, feelings of unworthiness, feelings of abandonment, poor boundaries, having a " me first attitude" with a lack consideration for others,lack of trust in others, rigidity, defensiveness, suspiciousness…
On the physical side: Overweight or notably underweight, eating disorders, disorders of the bones or teeth, issues with the spine, bowels, legs,feet, knees.
Self-Application:
While there are many aspects of this first chakra we could explore,for the purpose of this course, we will focus on the concept of limiting beliefs:
Key point 1:
A limiting belief is a belief that you have about yourself, or about any aspect of your life which keeps you from being the person you could be – or from having or doing the things youcould have or do-if you didn’t hold that belief. Often we carry these beliefs since childhood- they may be things we were told by our parents or teachers and we adopted them as our own, without really analyzing if they are true for us.
Sometimes, limiting beliefs come out of our fears -they can be used as a self-protective means to keep us from facing our fears. The problem with limiting beliefs, is that they are self-reinforcing: You create what you believe is possible for you, so as you keep entertaining the same thought patterns, you perpetuate the same results in your life, over and ever.
Here are some examples of limiting beliefs as they pertain to first chakra issues:
"It is hard to make a living" – When we view life from a state of difficulty, we attract more difficult situations in our life, so "It is hard to make a living" will continue to be true for us.
"Successful people are arrogant" – This belief is not compatible with success and it will keep us from attracting it to us.
"Rich people are not truly spiritual"-This is a common belief, particularly in so called spiritual circles, where money is often associated with corruption and in-authenticity. While in some cases this can be true, judging people in regards to how much money they have is per-se very limiting and will inevitably work against any conscious effort to earn any money.
Key point 2:
The danger with these limiting beliefs is that most often they are unconscious and they work covertly in our life, often as saboteurs of our most conscious efforts.
Field work for this week:
1. This week, start observing your thoughts and become aware of which limiting beliefs keep coming up for you throughout the day. Listen to your inner talk and become aware whenever you are complaining about someone or a situation.
In other words, catch yourself thinking, start becoming more conscious of the words you use in your language.
What beliefs are beneath these words and thoughts?
What assumptions are you making about your life that are keeping you stuck repeating the past?
What are you saying to yourself throughout the day that recreates the same negativity over and over?
*Identify and write down one belief each day which pertains to
to safety, money or possessions in general.
2. Find a quiet moment at night or in the morning to do this exercise: Sit comfortably on a chair or cross legged on the floor with your spine erect. Make sure to keep a sheet of paper by your side – and a pen – as you will need them later.
Start breathing from the root of your spine and simply focus on that area, while taking deep breaths into it. Rest your hands on your abdomen and think of the color red, or visualize it.
First Exercise:
Ask yourself:
What am I broadcasting to the universe from my root chakra?
Do I feel that there is plenty of everything for all, or am I stuck in a mindset of scarcity where things are such that I can just have enough to get by?
How safe do I feel in the world? Do I trust new people and situations, or do I find it difficult to get out of my comfort zone?
Rest for a moment in the energy of your root chakra and think about one belief you have identified during the day.
Ask yourself:
Is it true?
Is it really true?
Stay with these two question long enough. You should come to a point
where you actually start doubting that what you believed is
really true.
Now, ask yourself:
How do I react when I think this thought?
Feel what you feel, stay with the sensations. If unpleasant feelings arise,
let them arise, don’t try and push them away.
At last, ask yourself:
Who would I be without this thought?
Stay with that question. Let it penetrate your whole being.
(These questions are borrowed from Byron Katie’s Turnaround process, to learn more about Byron Katie’s wonderful work, go to: thework.com)
Go back to your breath, and as you keep taking deep long red breaths into the root of your spine, think about what you have managed to provide for yourself so far.
Second exercise:
Become aware of what you already have done, acquired or achieved in your life so far, and rest in the realization that you have managed to provide these things for yourself and there’s no real reason to think this will ever stop.
Continue thinking about more things that you have managed to realize and provide for yourself.
Feel how this realization is making you feel slightly more confident.
Rest in this feeling of confidence and trust.
Breathe it in a few minutes more.
When you relax and trust the universe to take care of you,
it no longer becomes such a scary place to be.
All that you can be, do and have is planted in the root chakra, and when your actions and your sense of BEING are rooted in this energy center they can be truly fed by your life force rather than by tension, busyness or worry. All you need to do is allow yourself to open your consciousness to this energy center and start tapping into your full potential.
I encourage you to incorporate these exercises in your life starting from today. Be proactive; commit to starting this journey to self-discovery. You will not regret it. Keep a daily journal of your insights…
The more you will put in these exercises the more benefit you will get from them. As you go on, you will start feeling subtle changes in your sense of being. You may feel more grounded, more present, as well as more aware of the connection between your beliefs and your reality.
This is the first lesson from a 7-lessons e-course I have created, specifically designed to leading you through a journey of self-discovery by introducing some basic self-coaching skills, following the path of the seven major chakras. This course is available for free, on request from my website. There is no better time than the spring to start de-cluttering in depth and clear our energetic space to allow for the new. This e-course will guide you into a holistic and gentle approach to an inner spring clean up!
Claire is a professional certified holistic coach who assists women in creating life balance and reaching their highest potential. A French native, Claire has spent 17 years of her life as an expatriate in various European countries, the United States, Africa and the Middle East. She now lives in Washington D.C, with her family, including 3 daughters.
Based on her background as a Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Claire has an integral approach and embraces a "whole person" model in coaching. Claire encourages her clients to honor the connection between mind, body and spirit, and she helps them to align and create balance in all planes. Claire brings more than 15 years of personal and professional experience in energy healing, meditation and self development work to her coaching practice.
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