Root Chakra Healing: Open & Balance the Root Chakra

In this post, discover 14 powerful root chakra healing practices that will help you to open and balance your root chakra, allowing you to feel stable and secure, no matter what’s going on in your external world. Plus, sign up to receive your free 35 affirmations and 30 journal prompts for the root chakra below!

What is the Root Chakra?

Located at the base of your spine, the root chakra is your body’s energy center for safety, strength, security, groundedness, and inner peace. Your root chakra acts as your foundation. This is where you build your strength, power, and stability so that energy can freely and effortlessly flow throughout your entire body.

A helpful metaphor is to think of your root chakra like the roots of a tree. With strong roots, you’ll remain stable, firm, and supported, no matter which way the wind blows. And that’s truly what your root chakra does for you; with an open and balanced root chakra, you’ll remain grounded, centered, and calm, no matter what’s going on in your external world.

Does this mean everything’s perfect all the time? Absolutely not. A balanced root chakra signifies that you feel firm in your place in life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have hopes and dreams for something more.

However, because you feel so solid and steady, you’re not desperate or distressed as you wait for your dreams to manifest. Rather, you’re able to let go, trust, and ground yourself to the present moment, knowing that all is truly going to be okay.

In this post, we’ll dive deep into root chakra healing and discuss 14 powerful practices for opening, balancing, and healing the root chakra. First, here are some of the key attributes of the root chakra:

• Sanskrit Name: Muladhara (Mula: “root”; Adhara: “support” or “base”)
• Location: Base of spine
• Color: Red
• Body Parts: Legs, Colon, Kidneys, Prostate, Bladder, Tailbone
• Symbol: Four-petaled lotus with a square in the middle
• Element: Earth
• Mantra: LAM
• Affirmation: I am
• Balanced Attributes: Secure, Grounded, Strong, Centered, Stable, Steady, Safe, Peaceful, Supported, All Basic Needs Are Met
• Imbalanced Attributes: Insecure, Anxious, Depressed, Scattered, Disconnected, Restless, Fearful, Cynical, Neglected, Worried
• Fundamental Need: Survival

Root Chakra Healing

Even though each of your body’s energy centers has its own distinct role, it’s important to remember that all of your chakras, along with your life force (prana) and energy channels (nadis), act as one whole system.

So when one is blocked, it affects the rest of your chakra system, causing other energy centers to become underactive or overactive.

That’s why root chakra healing is one of the most profound self-care practices you can do for your mind, body, and spirit. As your foundation, it’s important to maintain an open and balanced root chakra in order to keep your entire chakra system in balance.

I like to think of it like this: your root chakra represents your basic needs, like warmth, rest, and security. If one of these basic needs isn’t being met, it’s really hard to focus on things like creativity, passion, love, and intuition.

So first, you have to take the time to create a solid and stable foundation for yourself. Once you do this, you can more easily focus on all the other aspects that make you who you are, including your creative energy, the things that bring you joy, and connecting with your spiritual self.

Below, you’ll find 14 powerful root chakra healing practices to open, balance, and activate this important energy center. You can use these practices as part of your daily routine, or pick some to do when you’re feeling imbalanced and misaligned. I encourage you to begin with the very first practice (ensuring your basic needs are being met) and then focusing particularly on the practices that resonate the most with you.

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Ensure Basic Needs Are Being Met

The root chakra acts as your foundation, and at your most basic level, before anything else, you have physiological and safety needs that need to be met in order to have a solid and stable foundation. These needs include food, water, warmth, rest, security, and safety.

While the rest of the practices on this list are powerful on their own, nothing can bring you long-term healing if your basic needs aren’t being met.

Unfortunately, depending on your life situation, this isn’t always easy. What do you do if food isn’t always readily available? What if you don’t feel safe and secure in your environment? What if your busy schedule doesn’t allow for rest? There’s no easy, one-size-fits-all answer here. So this is the best advice I can give you: don’t be afraid to ask for and accept help from others.

And also don’t be afraid to ask for help from the Universe. For most of my life, I wasn’t someone who would talk to a higher power. It wasn’t until recent years that I began sitting down and handing over my worries to the Universe.

I don’t say this to make you feel good; I say this because it’s my authentic truth: every single time I’ve actually paused and spoken to the Universe, my requests have always been answered. Sometimes, in minutes. Sometimes, hours. Sometimes, days. But never, ever am I ignored.

Meditation

Meditation is a powerful practice for healing all of your chakras, but there’s something especially powerful when it comes to root chakra healing. Meditating in the morning can be especially profound because it allows you to get grounded, centered, and stable as you start your day. Use meditation to connect with your foundation and to breathe calm, strength, and peace into every cell of your body.

A simple breathing meditation can be effective in root chakra healing. You might also choose to connect with your root chakra by envisioning it as a bright red glowing orb at the base of your spine. As you breathe in, see the orb getting bigger. As you breathe out, see it growing brighter. You can also recite some grounding affirmations as you do this (see below).

There’s tons of meditation resources and apps to help you get started. My personal favorite is Insight Timer.

Grounding Affirmations

The use of positive affirmations can be a powerful healing practice that supports your total well-being: mind, body, and spirit. For root chakra healing, focus on affirmations specifically dedicated to helping you feel grounded, stable, secure, calm, strong, peaceful, and centered.

You can recite affirmations as you wake up in the morning, during meditation, as you commute to work, in your journal, as you wind down for the evening, and any time you need to take a step back and allow a wave of calm to wash over you.

I’ve written some of my favorite root chakra affirmations below. Also be sure to check out my post, 35 Root Chakra Affirmations to Remain Strong, Steady, and Grounded.

• I am safe and secure.
• I am rooted in this present moment.
• I am strong, steady, and grounded.
• I have access to all the resources I need to survive and thrive.
• I am equipped with all the tools I need to succeed.
• Everything I need comes to me at exactly the right place and time.
• I vibrate powerful, abundant, peaceful energy and attract this same energy in return.
• Deep inner peace is my natural state.
• Even when the world around me feels chaotic, I remain rooted firmly to the ground.
• All my needs are always met.
• I have everything I need.

Connect to the Earth

The root chakra is associated with the earth, and one of the most powerful healing activities you can do is to immerse yourself in nature and let your bare feet touch the ground. You might also find a quiet spot to sit outside where you can journal, meditate, or just simply be. If you’re a gardener, you might choose to go outside and work in your garden, allowing your bare hands to dig into the earth.

Nature is one of the greatest healers in the universe. When you take the time to connect with the earth, you connect with your roots, your foundation, and the truest, most authentic part of you.

Breathing Exercises

It isn’t always possible to stop what you’re doing to meditate in the middle of the day, but a breathing exercise is a more than suitable replacement that can help you to regain your feelings of calm, balance, and inner peace. Alternate nostril breathing is one of my favorite breathing practices, as this simple yet profound practice is known to calm the mind, reduce anxiety and stress, and promote overall well-being.

Here’s another simple breathing exercise to help you feel centered and grounded:

Inhale deeply to a count of four. Pause for a full second at the top of your breath. Then exhale for a count of five. Pause at the end of your exhale. Then repeat the cycle. Do this as many times as needed to calm your mind and ground you to the present moment.

Gratitude

As you go about your day, notice all the things that contribute to your open and balanced root chakra. These things might include the locks on your doors that keep you safe; the money in your bank account; the food in your kitchen; the blankets that keep you warm; your strong, healthy body; access to clean water; and more.

As you notice everything in your life that allows you to have a solid foundation, say a little thank you for each thing. These can often be the things we take for granted, so acknowledging all the positive aspects of your life with sincere appreciation can be a powerful reminder of your abundance.

And don’t forget to express gratitude for your own inner qualities and talents. For instance, you might express gratitude for your ability to stay grounded and calm in all situations. You can also express gratitude for your inner strength and resilience. All of these things contribute to a balanced, open, and healed root chakra.

• You May Also Like: 500 Things To Be Grateful For Today

Journaling

Journaling is a profound practice to get in touch with your inner self, gently probe your thoughts and beliefs, explore your feelings, and connect with your body’s energy centers. For journaling specifically focused on root chakra healing, you can take a variety of approaches. You can center your practice on writing root chakra affirmations, write down what you’re grateful for, or answer journal prompts that pertain to the root chakra. For root chakra journal prompts, check out my post, 30 Journal Prompts to Open and Heal the Root Chakra.

When you sit down to journal, first set the intention to connect with your root chakra. Seal this intention with a few deep, grounding breaths. Choose to write with honesty and authenticity, and release any judgment or self-criticism that may come up. It’s important that you make this time a judgment-free zone. The path to healing is paved in radical honesty and acceptance.

Visualization

Visualization exercises can be beneficial for root chakra healing in a number of ways. One way to visualize is to follow the practice outlined in the Meditation section: connect with your root chakra by visualizing a bright red glowing orb at the base of your spine. As you breathe in, see the orb getting bigger. As you breathe out, see it growing brighter.

You can also practice visualization by envisioning your highest self with an open and balanced root chakra. What does a day in your life look like when your root chakra is completely balanced? How do you feel? How do you carry yourself?

Visualize some unexpected obstacles appearing during your day, and see yourself reacting to these obstacles with a sense of calm, stability, and steadiness. After your visualization, see if you can align with that balanced and centered version of yourself as you continue through your day.

Yoga

Almost any well-rounded yoga practice will support total body chakra healing, as yoga supports the free flow of energy (prana) throughout your body and can clear any blockages that may exist in your energy channels (nadis). Approach your yoga practice with an open and authentic heart.

For root chakra healing poses (asanas), check out the list below. During your practice, focus on connecting with your root chakra. Breathe into that spot at the base of your spine, and when your feet are on the floor, focus on setting up a strong and stable foundation for your body (as well as connecting to the earth).

• Mountain Pose
• Downward Dog
• Tree Pose
• Lunge Pose
• Warrior II

Aromatherapy

Sense of smell can be one of the most underutilized senses for restoring balance to your internal energy, as scent has the ability to both soothe and revitalize. For root chakra healing, use earth-scented essential oils, such as Cedarwood, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Basil, Patchouli, Black Pepper, Geranium. For more information on how to use essential oils to heal the chakras, check out my post, A Guide to Essential Oils for Chakra Healing.

Color Therapy

Color therapy is the act of immersing yourself in the color associated with that chakra. For root chakra healing, this means immersing yourself in all things red. For instance, you can eat red food, wear red clothes, light red candles, write with red pen, and surround your space with red items.

I often hear the question, “Does color therapy really work?” I wholeheartedly believe your success with color therapy is entirely tied to your intentions and belief. When you approach this practice, first set the intention to connect with your root chakra. You might decide that every time you see a certain red item, you’ll recite a grounding root chakra affirmation. You might also spend some time visualizing a bright red orb at the base of your spine.

At the heart of it, don’t simply surround yourself with the color red just for the sake of it; do so with intention. Decide that you are going to cultivate a sense of groundedness, stability, and strength throughout your day.

I also like to combine color therapy with other root chakra healing practices, such as aromatherapy and journaling.

Food

While we often think of food as affecting our physical selves, it also profoundly affects our mental, emotional, and spiritual selves as well. Just as eating too much junk food can be linked to anxiety, stress, and negative overall well-being, eating the right types of food can help you to feel calm, stable, and secure.

For root chakra healing foods, focus on root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots. You might also choose red fruits such as apples, cherries, and strawberries. Finally, as your root chakra is associated with strength, make sure you consume enough protein, which you can find in beans and nut butters.

Crystals & Gemstones

Each chakra has powerful crystals associated with it, and these crystals can be used in various ways to balance and heal the energy within. For root chakra healing, use grounding crystals such as Hematite, Obsidian, Onyx, and Red Jasper. (You can find a list of grounding crystals and stones here.)

So how exactly do you use crystals for root chakra healing? After cleansing and programming your crystals, you can meditate with them, wear crystals as jewelry, keep them in your pocket throughout the day, create crystal grids, or keep them in a prominent spot nearby where you can easily see them.

Whenever you see or hold your chosen crystal, set the intention to ground yourself to the present moment and feel a sense of security and stability, no matter what’s happening in your external world. You might also choose to recite a root chakra affirmation, such as “I am grounded,” or “All my needs are always met.”

Here’s a few more posts to help you get started with using crystals and gemstones to heal the chakras:

• 7 Chakra Healing Crystals to Restore Inner Harmony
• How to Use Crystals: Grids, Pendulums & More

Connect to Your Highest Self

What does this mean? Who is your highest self?

Your highest self is your truest, most authentic self. This part of you is untouched by external circumstances, appearances, and experiences. It is eternal and unchanging. This essence exists beyond your body and physical appearances.

If you stripped everything else away, this part of you would remain: the real and true you.

Your highest self is also the person you are when all of your chakras are open and balanced and energy is flowing freely throughout your body. And this all starts with your foundation: your root chakra.

One of the most powerful chakra healing practices you can do is to spend a day walking in the shoes of your highest, most authentic self. For root chakra healing, set the intention to walk through a day as your highest self with an open, healed, and balanced root chakra. Start the day feeling grounded, secure, stable, strong, and supported. Keep this version of you in mind as you interact with others and also in the way you talk to yourself. Anytime you find yourself straying from your highest self, simply choose to realign.

It may help to first journal about your highest self so you have a clear picture of who that person is before you start your day. No matter what, remember to refrain from self-criticism and judgment, and have compassion and love for all parts of you. Let this experience serve your highest good and support your growth.

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What practices have served you in opening, balancing, and healing your root chakra? Leave your questions and tips in the comment box below. And for more more chakra resources, plus uplifting affirmations and self-love encouragement, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!

More Articles For You

• 8 Best Chakra Books For Profound Energy Healing
• Chakra Colors and Meanings: A Beginner’s Guide
• 7 Chakra Healing Crystals To Restore Inner Harmony
• Chakra Affirmations: 70 Affirmations For Your 7 Main Chakras
• Chakra Healing Foods: A Complete Guide (w/ Chart)

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