Balancing Muladhara "Root" Chakra to Release Anxiety
We continue our exploration through the chakra system, and dive into the balances and imbalances that relate to trauma in our lives. The last blog covered a brief overview of the chakra system, touching on how each one related to trauma. I recommend reading this first: https://www.alicebluetherapy.com/blog/processing-trauma-through-the-chakra-system if some of the concepts are new to you. Now we will take a deeper dive into the exploration of the first chakra, Muladhara.
Imagine that you are a tree, your roots moving down through the soil, past the worms and the sticks and the rocks, down down down to claim the life force that keeps your branches moving up to the sky. The earth is what holds the root, and gives you the nutrients you need to thrive. As a tree, you could not survive without a strong root system, just as humans need our root chakra, Muladhara. This chakra is directly related to our stability, and often considered our anchor to the wisest version of ourselves. This is the place of our grounded center, located at the base of our spine. When this chakra is in balance, we feel stable and secure in our life, free to move while our feet stay rooted on the earth. The color red is often associated with this chakra in ancient art, and used in visualizations to invoke balance in the root. Muladhara Chakra is the place of rootedness in our body, and when we slow down and visualize, we can release trauma that has created anxiety, instability, and pain in the lower body.
Trauma in Muladhara
We hold our trauma in our body. We unconsciously tighten or clench areas of our body to protect ourselves from harm, whether it’s emotional or physical. Over time, this causes unnecessary tension and often injury to the body. When we hold trauma in the root, we can feel pain or tightening in our pelvis and hips, or deep tension in our quadriceps.
When this chakra is out of balance, we can feel anxious or scattered, not knowing where our security or stability has gone. When we have an unstable home life in our early years, this lack of safety can become stuck in this root chakra, and manifest as anxiety and keep us in a hypervigilant state, even when we are in a place of safety. We often do not realize how deeply this holding is affecting our lives, and sometimes when we begin to practice yoga, trauma can surface. These memories were waiting for the safety in the body to be able to release.
Strengthen and Balance Muladhara
When you have experienced a relationship or situation that has felt ungrounded, there are antidotes to bring you back to earth. It is important to find a healing practitioner to lead you in the journey to release your trauma in tandem with these experiences:
Take off your shoes, and let your bare toes dig into the earth
Listen to slow music with heavy bass and lower tones
Hold yoga postures that stretch and strengthen the hips
Pay attention to your speech, and talk slower than your normally would
Lean into the loved ones that bring you comfort, support and acceptance
Chant “Lam,” the Sanskrit mantra to balance this chakra
Usually, we will have one or two practices that really resonate with us. We will actually feel relief in our root when we practice them. In my experience, focusing on 1-2 of these practices is more effective than trying to do them all, especially when we are feeling anxious. Notice which of these work for you, and give yourself some time to allow the benefits to start working. This is a mystical and sacred way to approach trauma healing, and I personally have experienced the benefits, especially when I have felt anxious and uncertain about which direction to move towards. Read more about anxiety therapy to explore the whole spectrum of ways to work with me.