Charkras, auras and the healing energy of the body sounds a little out there doesn’t it? But, do you know that Eastern Medicine and Western Medicine both look at the body in similar ways? The difference is in terminology.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word used by Hindus. It means “wheel of light.” Each of the seven chakras has a physical, an emotional, a creative, and a celestial component.

Christian literature talks about the aura or light energy that surrounds people. Matthew 17:2 describes the transfiguration of Jesus, by saying that Jesus’s face “did shine as the sun,” and “his raiment was “glistering.”  You also see in Native American tradition, the brilliant aura around the buffalo which is the legend of the white buffalo.

We have energy centers in our bodies that as long as they are balanced, we stay in harmony and we are healthy. But what happens if these energy centers get out of balance? What are the affects on our mind, body and spirit?

Eastern philosophy refers to our energy centers as chakras. We have many chakras in our body, but generally there are seven major centers. Chakras are known as wheels of light. Western medicine refers to the energy centers as our nervous center which is responsible for sending electrical impulses to make our brains able to think and our hearts able to pump the life giving blood throughout our body.

Today, we will look at the first charka or the root chakra.  The root charka is red in color and is our life force. The First Chakra is located at the very base of your spine. The root chakra deals with issues of physical survival, safety and security and is blocked and weakened by fear and insecurity. The organs associated with the first chakra are the large intestine, Immune system and all reproductive organs. The first chakra is associated with the color Red. This is  the color of blood or passion. Therefore, the Root Chakra represents the life force (Chi or Prana) of the physical body itself.

When the  first chakra is overactive, we tend to be very angry, aggressive or annoyed all the time. The slightest provocation is enough to set us off. We are intent on  trying to control others and following higher authority is rather difficult for us. Materialistic or greedy individuals also tend to have an overactive root chakra. We are more likely to resist change and we are obsessed with feeling secure all the time.

The first chakra can sometimes be under-active and it is not ‘open enough’. In these cases, we tend to feel insecure or disconnected with the outside world. We tend to be disorganized. Finishing daily tasks with efficiency can be hard for us. If we are afraid, overly-anxious and nervous we also tend to have an underactive root chakra. We feel easily unwelcome in groups or at parties.

Both, underactive and overactive root chakras can lead to many physical symptoms like weight loss or weight gain or over or underactive sex drives, depression, laziness, anemia, IBS (irritable Bowel Syndrome) to name a few symptoms.

So, balancing the Root chakra is essential.

1. Envision a lotus at the base of the spine, where the root chakra is located.  Visualize red color glowing brightly at the base of the spine in order to open the first chakra.
2. The root chakra is all about one’s connection to Mother Earth. Dancing is considered great way of balancing the root chakra. To help balance the first chakra, you can get a pedicure, or go for a walk in nature to balance and open the first chakra. Stand barefoot on the ground to feel the energy of the Earth coming into your body.
3. Yogasanas or yoga postures like Mountain pose, Bridge pose and Warrior One can also help open and balance the root chakra.
4. Aromatherapy  involves burning a few essential oils (Angelica, geranium rose, Cedar, Frankincense or ylang ylang etc) or candles to make the room fragrant. If you apply these oils on the pulse points before meditating, this can also help you relax and open the root chakra. These oils can be used to rub on the soles of the feet for faster absorption.
5. Crystals like Azurite, Bloodstone and yellow topaz etc are recommended for well-balanced first chakra.
6. Nutrition for first chakra includes red foods like apples, strawberries, red cabbage as well as high protein foods like red meat, eggs etc.

The root chakra directs the Chi or life energy to all of the other chakras. When the root chakra is fully open and balanced, it will help you become a whole and healthy individual. You will be able to connect into this renewed energy and feel more confident, stable and physically alive.