Although there are 114 chakras in the human body, many people have only heard about the seven major ones. The root or muladhara (mula = root, Dhaka = support) is the first of these seven. It is located at the base of your spine in the tailbone and is associated with the color red. The colors are connected with the chakras based on the wavelength. For instance the color red has a wavelength of 620-750 nm and the root chakra has a wavelength of 650-750 nm. There is also a psychological meaning to each color as well. Much like a balanced root chakra, the color red islinked to survival skills and feeling grounded.
Within each chakra, a person can be balanced or unbalanced. If you have a balanced root chakra, you are likely to feel a good sense of belonging in the world. You are overall in good health and have a general feeling ofsafety. People with a balanced root chakra trust the world around them and are comfortable in their bodies. A person with an unbalanced root chakra can feel unrooted, because all of the energy that is supposed to be flowing through the length of you body is stopped at the hips and sent upwards toward the crown chakra. The energy never reaches the ground, leaving you feeling disconnected with it.
There are many reasons someone may have an unbalanced root chakra. This can stem from birth trauma or abuse/neglect in childhood. The imbalance can occur from a trauma that happens later in life (ex. major illness) or it even be inherited from parents who experienced severe trauma (i.e. living in a war zone). When the chakra is unbalanced, it can either be deficient or excessive. If your root chakra is deficient, you may be anxious or feel disconnected from your body. On the other hand, if your root chakra is excessive, you may be overly fixated on material objects or fear change.
Throughout your life, you will go through two chakra developmental stages. The first occurs in childhood and the second is in adulthood. Your childhood developmental stage happens during the first year of life. Where, according to Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental stages is when you learn Trust vs. Mistrust. During this time you are either learning to trust the world around you and find that your basic needs will be me or you are learning that the world is unsafe and your needs won’t always be met. The second developmental stage depends on your experiences as an adult. For instance, someone who becomes independent at a young age has a different adulthood chakra development than someone who remains dependent on their caregivers for a longer period of time.
In order to heal your root chakra, you can complete physical actives that require you to check in with your body like yoga and dancing. Grounding exercises like walking on the ground barefoot and meditation are helpful too. Reiki is a great chakra healing tool as well. There are also certain foods you can eat to balance your root chakra like naturally occurring red fruits and vegetables (no food dyes), root vegetables, and animal proteins (i.e. red meats and eggs). Its important to check in with your chakras often in order to maintain a positive and balanced life.