Chakras. The name conjures up an image of a human body with seven swirling energy points along the spine, each one of the colors of the rainbow. But what are chakras all about? What do they represent? How does one work with them?
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Seven. There are seven chakras, just as so many other important things in life come in sevens. The seven wonders of the world. The seven deadly sins. The seven days of Creation. The seven lucky gods of Buddhism. The seven cities of gold. The seven dwarves :). The list goes on and on.
The specific properties of these seven chakras are not definitively laid out in any historic, single-source master tome. Instead, each practitioner tends to decide for themselves, based on experience, discussion, and reading, what they understand chakras to be. Just as each of us is a unique individual, each of us can have a different view of how our chakras work.
Still, there is a general consensus by most (but not all) practitioners on how chakras tend to work across all humans.
Let's review what these base assumptions are. We'll start from the bottom, our literal rear end, with Muladhara. We'll finish up with the very top, the crown of our head, with Sahasrara.
Chakra 1 – Root
The first chakra, Muladhara, is the root, bottom chakra, associated with the base of the spine. As the root, it is often associated with the most basic of survival instincts. Fight and flight. Stay or go.
Its symbol is the simple lotus with only four petals.
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This chakra is about our basic needs. The survival instincts we have in life. A common need for shelter and food. For breathable air and drinkable water.
Its color is red.
The name in Sanskrit is Muladhara.
The animal is the elephant, a creature of strength and power. Other animals used in various cultures are the ox, bull, and snake.
The element, as you might imagine, is Earth.
Crystals related to the root chakra are hematite, garnet, and black obsidian.
Foods relating to this chakra are, perhaps naturally, the root vegetables. Potatoes. Parsnips. Garlic.
This chakra relates to anyone who is struggling with challenges. It is that base. The grounding which lets us take another step.
For yoga, think about the ones that give you the most stability. Sitting in a meditation pose. Lying in child pose. You want to focus on poses that, for you, give you that safe, stable feeling.
Every one of us is different. Every one of us reacts in different ways to different poses. So with all of these yoga pose recommendations, remember to look within yourself to know what works best for you. If you don't feel stable in a meditation pose, go with the pose that, for you, brings the most calm and quiet.
A root energy is at the base of everything. If you study the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, most people cannot even begin to think about esoteric issues like "where will I get my master's degree" if they are starving to death and sleeping in a gutter. They need those basic needs met first.
