The First Chakra is the first of the seven Chakras. It is also known as the Root Chakra. On the physical body it is located at the base of the spine. If you were sitting crossed-legged on the ground it would be located at the exact spot where your body touches the ground if you were to draw an invisible line from your spine into the Earth. Each Chakra also has a unique name in Sanskrit, and that is because of the area of the world where Chakras were first discovered. Chakra means “spinning wheel” in Sanskrit, and it is a beautiful visual. Just like a pinwheel, windmill, waterwheel or any other kind of wheel, when the energy is flowing the wheel can spin freely. If it is blocked then the wheel stops turning (see previous blog post “It’s All About Balance” for more information on energy blocks).
The Sanskrit word for the First Chakra is Mūlādhāra (Mula=root, adhara=basis). This Chakra is what connects us to the Earth and keeps our energy grounded. When doing meditations around this Chakra—or when I need to ground my energy before or after a Reiki session—I picture a tree with long roots reaching deep within the earth drawing up that Ki life-force energy into my body.
Each Chakra also has a colour associated with it that resonnates at the same frequency. Root Chakra is the red chakra. So if you are feeling that your spinning wheel could use a boost, wearing red will help!
The area of the body that can show symptoms if there is a blockage are all the lower parts of the body near this Chakra point: spinal column, colon, male reproductive organs, pelvis, legs, hipbones, and lower back. If these areas are giving you difficulty it could be because this Chakra is blocked. Consequently, if you draw in more energy to this area you may find chronic pain in this region lessens.
The mind, body, and soul are connected so if you have a physical ailment your Chakra could become blocked and if there is an energetic block, your body might show signs of distress in order to get your conscious attention, or you might feel frustrated or anxious. For example, if your knees hurt, perhaps you are not feeling stable in your personal life. The mind-body-soul connection makes it so what affects one, affects the all, just like if you balance one, you’ll help balance the other two as well.
The emotional/mental themes that are central to the Root Chakra surround stability, safety, security, self-preservation, fear, and grounding. This is our fight or flight center. This Chakra is especially susceptible to imbalances during major transitions in your career, love life, where you live or money (i.e. those areas that create the feeling of a stable foundation within ourselves).
As a Reiki practitioner, it is important that I ground my energy before and after giving Reiki. As the Root Chakra is the one that directly connects us to the Earth, when I am not grounded I feel spacey and like I’m detached from myself and from reality and I feel very depleted. One of my first times giving Reiki after my certification I forgot to properly ground myself and connect myself to that grounding energy. By the end I felt so drained and tired and loopy. Imagine you are watering a garden, but instead of turning on the hose to allow as much water to flow as needed, I was using a jug of water that was bone-dry by the end. It was a very intense lesson I learned that day and ever since I have been incredibly cognizant of the importance of grounding myself and my client.
When you find yourself feeling this way, you may need to ground yourself. Meditation is a quick and easy way to do this. If you aren’t someone who “knows how to meditate” (spoiler alert, there is no “correct way”), you can always just sit cross-legged on the ground (preferable directly on the ground) and spend a few minutes focusing on your breath to help ground yourself and bring energy into this Chakra. If this area is of major concern for you or you require some assistance drawing in that energy, please contact me (or your go-to Reiki practitioner) to schedule an appointment. We would be honoured to help.
I made a little info-poster below to highlight the key elements I have touched on in this blog to serve as a First Chakra Cheat Sheet of shorts. For more information please visit the “ENLIGHTENMENT” tab on the menu for some resources that I have found particularly enlightening.
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Happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by. May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.
-J
Lightbearer Reiki 