Grounded.
When you hear that word, what does that mean to you? What do you see? What do you feel?
When I hear that word, I like to imagine my feet literally buried into the ground, feeling the grains of soil between my toes. I want it to mean feeling at home in my body, with who I am, wherever I am. I want it to mean that I breathe through the dissaray with ease, that I accept things as they are because I wholeheartedly trust in the process, in the journey. On precious days all of these things ring true but lately ‘groundedness’ has become more of an abstract concept. Everything feels so chaotic right now and I feel ‘uprooted’ and ‘unrooted’, like nothing fits anymore. Where I live, my home itself, my work, my hair, my clothes, the list goes on. I am unsure of everything. I’m trying to re-structure how I see this uncertainty, to try to see it as a big adventure, with a widened lens of curiosity to all that is yet to reveal itself but there are moments, hours, days, weeks that the deep pangs of insecurity, the feelings that I am not safe, I am not where I am supposed to be, that things are just ‘not right’ take over and I know I’m not alone. It seems as though every single person I know is going THROUGH it right now, that these feelings of up/unrootedness, this sense of being unmoored and unachored are rife among so many of us.
A few weeks ago as part of my kundalini yoga training, we were learning about the Chakra’s and were asked to take a chakra test which consisted of quick-fire questions that help determine what chakra’s in our bodies were in or out of balance. For those that might be unsure of what the Chakra’s are (I am still a somewhat newbie to this wealth of knowledge but from what I understand), the word ‘Chakra’ in Sanskrit literally translates to ‘wheel’ and is used to describe the 8 energy systems (1. Root/Muladhara, 2. Sacral/Suadisthana, 3. Solar Plexus/Manipura, 4. Heart/Anahata, 5. Throat/Visuddha, 6. Third Eye/Ajna, 7. Crown/Sahasrara and unlike other traditions that say there are seven chakras, in Kundalini Yoga they also count the Aura as the 8th chakra) in the body that have a vibratory frequency that transmits 9ft in all directions. The chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC in the oldest text called the Vedas. The Vedas are the earliest Sanskrit literary records and the most ancient scriptures of Hinduism. Each Chakra is connected to specific organs as well as the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of ourselves and influence everything. The chakras hold 'prana,' or pure healing energy, that's all around us and within us, to help us stay healthy, happy and full of life. Through taking this test, we found out that out of 20 of us in the programme, almost every single one of us was experiencing effects of an underactive, or an imbalance in the Root chakra and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
The Root Chakra, also known as Muladhara, (derived from two Sanskrit words, Mula meaning “root” and adhara, meaning “support” or “base”) is the first chakra and is located at the base of your spine and is the foundation for all the chakras above it, which means when the Muladhara is blocked or not fully functioning, it causes the stagnation of the other energy centers in the body. They say that the Root Chakra is what connects us to the spiritual energies of the realms, of our ancestors and their experiences. Their ancestral memories and lived traumas are transmitted into our very own Root Chakras alongside our own experiences which can also play a part in the creation of imbalances. Each of us has over 2000 ancestors in 11 generations over a span of only 300 years! Now that is ALOT of stuff to inherit so working to release this energy is important work. Sexual trauma is another huge thing that can affect our Root chakra since it is located at the tailbone/pelvic region of the body. This means that when one experiences sexual trauma/assault the root chakra energy stops flowing correctly. Physical manifestations of Root Chakra imbalance may look like (but are not limited to): sluggishness, colon issues, lower back issues, inflammation, cramping, left arm/leg/foot issues, prostate issues. An energetic imbalance in the Root Chakra can make us feel profoundly insecure, restless, with little to no energy and can show up as anxiety, depression, rage, resentment, low self-esteem and in extreme cases suicidal thoughts. The shadow emotions of issues around the Root can look/feel like resentment and rigidity. While losing our sense of belonging and interest in being part of the world, a generally pessimistic outlook and a lack of capacity to focus are also mental signs.
So the chakra that keeps us literally rooted to the ground, that makes us feel safe/secure, that helps us move forward in life, ignites our sense of ‘Joie de vire’, that gives us a sense of purpose and belonging in the world is malfunctioning for so many of us and I guess that’s not surprising 2 years into a time of mass destablisation, our lives up-turned in so many ways. It’s no wonder we are feeling so collectively…ungrounded.
If you’re reading this and feeling like this could be something you’re experiencing, I am not certified nor any kind of expert but here are some of the things I’ve been learning about and trying as I go along that could possibly help me/you/us to start to move through these blockages to stay grounded amidst the mayhem:
Mantras for the Root
I invite you to say these out loud to yourself or write them down a bunch of times:
I am secure in who I am
I trust in the natural flow of life
It is safe to be me
Repeat them as much as you can, as much as you need! Even if you’re not there yet, when they don’t feel true, keep going!
Here are some examples of movement to try that will start to shift the energy around the Root:
Root lock (my personal fav), spinal flex, crow pose, chair pose, squats, frog pose, front stretches. Just a couple of minutes a day or even just one or a few of these can start to help.
The Root chakra is represented by the colour RED. So wear it in whatever way you can!
Try eating red foods like beets, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, pomegranates, red peppers, red chiles! Plant and herbs like horseradish, burdock, astragalus, dandelion, sage are good for grounding as well as spices like nutmeg, cloves, cayenne and paprika! Smells like amber, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, black pepper and patchouli are known to be helpful for opening and balancing the root chakra as they help create a sense of grounding and calm the mind.
Healing sound - The mantra LAM - Listen in the bath, or as you sleep or you can just play this in the background of whatever you’re doing!
Good self-care activities for the Root: Walking on the earth, the dirt with your shoes off and feeling the ground beneath you, pedicure and dancing with your shoes off wherever/whenever!
And if you need to hear this right now:
You are loved. You are appreciated. Your life carries so much meaning. You are important. You are beautiful. You are special. You are enough.
To end, I leave you D’angelo, my eternal anchor and solace! I just read through the lyrics of this song (The Root) which I must’ve heard more than almost any song ever but the words just hit different today so I’m leaving them here for you in case you want to read/feel them too.
As always I’d love to hear from you, let me know if any of this resonates.
In love, care and tenderness,
Naomi X
This really hit hard, but in a gentle and loving way. It was almost like I could let go of everything I’ve been clinging onto so desperately and let you catch me with these words.
I found your newsletter yesterday without looking for it and I felt a very strong, instant connection and now after going through all of your posts, I’m beginning to understand why.
Thank you, I found you exactly when I needed to ❤️🩹
Thank you for sharing the resources! Here’s something I do for my root chakra as well: https://youtu.be/VeGPzHue__0