Chakras are just a way to describe energy centers in our bodies. We use different sources of energy in order to be and manifest in the world. There are several different schools of thought regarding chakras, so I am writing from my own experiences and awareness, not from a specific school of thought. 

By paying attention to energy fields, you are sending an intention to yourself and your energy to rise to a conscious level of manifestation. You can then use that awareness and intention to refine your energy fields and become a more conscious creator.

Pay attention to your root chakra and see what you can manifest by paying more attention to it. This is the chakra that is at the base of your spine and in its ideal state, spins clockwise in a red color. This is where you store information about survival.

THE ISSUES

What we believe is necessary for survival and what is legitimately necessary can often be two different things. Here are the common influencers of the root chakra:

·       Money

·       Home

·       Job

·       Life and death

·       How we felt in early childhood about life

·       A sense of community or belonging

What I've often found in this chakra is mostly energy surrounding money, home life, losing children, and loss in general. I have seen all kinds of things stir up someone's survival space that you may not expect. A good way to conceptualize this would be to consider the bare necessities for life. What couldn’t you survive without? Food, water, and air are obvious answers. Try to visualize your worries surrounding this, some may find necessity in things that do not directly contribute to their homeostasis, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  

The Emotions

This chakra is really helpful to clear out and balance if you experience a lot of fear or anxiety. It is also very helpful to focus on when you want to feel strong, centered, and capable. 

It is most beneficial to focus on what you want to feel, not what you don't want to feel. So if you have identified an anxiety pattern or fear, ask yourself first "What is this fear trying to bring to me?" Once you hear what you are trying to receive, recognize this as an unmet need and this negative emotion is just trying to meet it. Focus on the unmet need those negative emotions are calling attention to and try to find ways to gain what you are missing.

For example, if you're feeling angry about something someone said, and when you dig into the anger you find that you want stronger boundaries and your anger is providing that. With awareness, you can focus on the boundaries and not the anger. 

Nothing is as important as we make it, especially if we are feeling disconnected, weary, scared, or just plain bad. Dig into the lies you tell yourself and see if you can let some of them go. See if you can shrink the story down in your mind and take it piece by piece rather than trying to solve the whole thing right now. 

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Physical symptoms of a root chakra imbalance are easy to notice. When it is balanced you feel safe, calm, and ready to tackle anything. Your body feels good!

When you have an imbalance, there are several symptoms that may present themselves. 

These may include but are not limited to:

·       Lower back problems

·       Rapid heart rate

·       Fight or flight sensations

·       Shallow breathing

·       Numbness or pain in the lower limbs

When your body is conversing with you regarding an imbalance, it may present itself through pain or discomfort. Give it attention in a loving way. We often attempt to shame our bodies back into functioning properly. Instead, try using a loving approach first and ask what it needs. Give it gratitude for holding onto the imbalance and making you aware of it. 

You can't make positive changes if you are disgusted with or shaming yourself. First, you need to accept yourself, know you are doing the best you can, and then go from there.

THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

Believe it or not, people can plug into our chakras and draw off energy from us. They can do it to us while in our presence or not. 

If you have children, they can end up drawing energy from us because we feel we wouldn't survive if we lost them. If the children are young and rely on you for survival, it makes sense they are connected to you in this way. Once they get older, you want them to anchor into their own sense of safety, independent from what you can offer them.

We are inherently tribal people. The root chakra can be influenced by those we consider to be in our tribe and how we interact with them. This tribal sense can lead us to give away our power or take it from others. 

Other people end up attached to this chakra if they tell us we can't survive without them or if you think someone can't survive without you. It is a much healthier act of love to encourage self-reliance and independence in the survival space. The tribe can work together in the survival space, but from an energy standpoint, you can only draw on your own source energy when working together.  

The Balancing Act

So how do you balance all this out? Meditation is always a great way to tune into your energy systems. 

But if you are not a big meditator, here are some other ideas:

·       Surround yourself with people who make you feel safe.

·       Create a sanctuary in your home where you can go that represents safety (it doesn't have to be big).

·       Eat root vegetables.

·       Connect with nature and express gratitude for the earth.

·       Chant LAM (the sound for the root chakra).

·       Visualize roots reaching into the earth and grounding you here.

There are many videos and meditations out there. I love the ones with nice sounds! Check out one of my favorites below:

Here are some affirmations for the root chakra.

·       "I am safe."

·       "The world supports me and wants me here."

·       "I am grounded."

·       "I love my body and being in the physical world." 

If you find any resistance to those affirmations above, that is also a good indication that your root chakra is blocked. Spend some time with yourself and find out why you are resistant and what you are telling yourself instead.