Healing the Base Chakra

The base chakra, also known as the first chakra, is located at the base of the spine. It is the survival center, supporting strength, determination, and the things that nurture us such as our family and friends. In certain traditions, such as Ayurveda and hatha yoga, it is regarded as the place where the resting kundalini is stored. It is the center through which we experience our connection to the earth and earth plane, while we are living this life. A healthy base chakra will keep you grounded and help you move forward in life.

Location:  Base of the Spine

Crystal:  Red Jasper

Color:  Red

Fragrance Association:  Patchouli

Keywords:  Survival, health abundance, connection to the earth, change, strength, family, security, nurture, assertiveness, determination, passion, practical matters, tradition, endings and new beginnings.

Emotional/Mental Healing:  An unbalanced base chakra can prevent you from advancing in life. When it’s blocked, nothing seems to happen. The lack of balance prevents the release of grief and other restricting emotions that hold you back. Everyone needs time to grieve, but this should always be a process of release rather than something to hold on to. Death is about change–not just for the person who dies but also for the relatives and friends they leave behind. All change brings opportunity and a fresh start. Without releasing grief and holding onto feelings such as sorrow and guilt, any new projects you start may never quite work or come to fruition. This prevents abundance–not only material but abundance on a deep soul level, of sensitive feelings and happy emotions. You feel unfulfilled. Slowly this has an emotional effect. You start to feel as if nothing is working or worthwhile and no one is on your side. You become stressed, a myriad of apparently unrelated physical symptoms begin to appear, and low-level depression sets in. You can feel as if you have lost a connection but to what you often are not sure. The dysfunction of your base chakra prevents you from appreciating the nurturing things in life. You can feel distanced from family and friends and unsettled. As you start to feel alone, insecurity can set in, leading to anxiety and panic attacks. In extreme circumstance, addictions, phobias, and obsessions can develop.

Physical Healing:  When the base chakra is out of balance, common symptoms appear, such as chronic lower-back pain, varicose veins, sciatica, water retention, rectal and anal problems, constipation, diarrhea, some fertility issues such as impotence and immune disorder. The base chakra also affects the health of the groin, hips, pelvis, lower end of the digestive system, legs, knees, ankles and feet.

Spiritual Healing:  The base chakra connects you to the earth. In one sense this is rational, mental grounding, as in your link to the planet; keeping your feet on the ground than your head in the sky. In another way, it’s bringing all your spiritual knowledge and experience into your everyday life, living in the present moment and experiencing every second of your existence. Part of this process can involve development workshops and classes, but many people go to these have enlightening experience and then simply go back to their everyday lives, maybe tell their friends about the weekend and nothing. A healthy base chakra enables you to take the experiences and skills you have acquired and use them in your everyday life. This brings positive change in small manageable doses, leading to happiness.

Lifestyle:  A balanced base chakra can help you move forward in life, change career, accept opportunities and run with the ball when it falls in your hands. It promotes a healthy sense of security and confidence, allowing you to give and receive nurture, stand up for yourself when you need to, take advantage of all that life offers and succeed in whatever you do.

Alternative Crystals:  Hematite, black obsidian, smoky quart, snowflake obsidian, red calcite, falcon’s eye, zircon, mookaite, black banded agate, jet, black opal, petrified wood.