Balancing my Root Chakra

Learning about the Root Chakra (pronounced: chuhk-ruh) has been interesting to say the least.  When I first started my research, some of the suggestions that came back on how to balance one’s chakra seemed a little hokey to me.  I really can’t see how eating strawberries, painting my toenails red, or smelling sandalwood is going to make me more balanced.  I was incredibly skeptical.  What I found was that the more I understood what drives this particular part of my being, some of these methods aren’t as far off as I originally thought them to be.

There are many symptoms of an under-active root chakra, that include both the physical and the emotional.  The root chakra is associated with our sense of grounding and connection to the Earth.  It also has connections in our sense of survival (fight or flight), health, abundance, family, and passion.  Because this chakra is considered to be the root or base of all of the other chakras it can create an imbalance throughout the body.

Psychological Symptoms:

·         You feel un-grounded with a depleting sense of self.

·         You feel disconnected from the world around you, including your own body.

·         Lack focus and discipline.  Are disorganized and lazy.

·         Can become anxious, afraid or restless in daily interactions.

·         You feel unsupported

·         Can feel like you don’t deserve love, are ashamed, and feel misunderstood.

Physical Symptoms:

·         Lower back pain, herniated discs, and spinal problems.

·         Problems with the groin, hips, legs, knees, calves, ankles, and feet.

·         Lack of energy.

·         Autoimmune disorders.

·         Varicose veins.

·         Constipation or diarrhea.

·         Eating disorders and/or malnourishment.

·         Over or under-active sex drive.

For me, what I found the most interesting is that when your root chakra is under-active, you find it hard to settle down.  This is something I have always struggled with.  I can remember making a comment to a friend not long after my college graduation that I was thinking of moving back home because I didn’t feel at home where I was currently living.  But then, I didn’t really feel at home where I grew up either.  For whatever reason I was looking for a connection to a certain location, a certain job, or a certain group of friends.  I still have yet to find that feeling.  But, now that I’m older I’ve scolded myself and come to terms with the fact that I’m going to have to settle down somewhere. 

Over the next three weeks, I plan to focus on meditating daily for anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes.  I will also incorporate root chakra music (there’s tons on YouTube) and affirmations into my daily meditative practice.  Personally, I believe that will be more effective than some other recommended methods.  I’m not a real good meditator, so it will be interesting to see if I see a difference after only a few weeks.  Something I want to keep in mind is that I’m already where I need to be, I just need to be able to listen to the real message through the noise.  My goal in meditating is to be able to be more focused and not get caught up in all of the day-to-day distractions.