He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear. ~French Proverb

The first chakra is situated below the sacrum bone in which resides the Kundalini, and its main aspect is the innocence. Innocence is the quality by which we experience pure, childlike joy, without the limitations of prejudice or conditionings. Innocence gives us dignity, balance, and a tremend
ous sense of direction and purpose in life.”

My thoughts on creating roots:

Don’t be fooled, you don’t need to stay in one place to feel grounded and complete. Personally I think the ability to carry your root
It is my belief that one of our purposes in life is to overcome fear, to embrace life and feel secure in our knowing. This is no easy task to say the least! Each Chakra has it’s connection to something we fear; but here in the root we face our survival instinct and the connection we feel (or don’t feel) with ourselves, others and the earth we inhabit.s with you and feel secure no matter where you are is part of the process of creating a strong 1st chakra. But we all have different experiences in that regard. But whether you are blessed with a gypsy heart or homesteaders steadfastness; we can all benefit from balancing our root chakra:Muladhara.

I equate this chakra with Maslow’s understanding of our hierarchy of needs. Hey they even did this pyramid in matching chakra colors. But I see it like this, before you can think about being creative or loving others or reaching for the stars we have to take care of that basic instinct of survival. You may find that often when you feel you are fighting for survival all other considerations seem to fall by the wayside??? so our goal in balancing this base chakra is to create firm roots from which we can grow. It doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy or in perfect health before anything else can occur; it’s more creating that inner knowing that your needs will be met so you can focus on other things; on creating that sense of security deep in the self that we no longer feel that survival is a “fight”.

so now what? here’s some more info about the chakra as well as ideas about bringing it back into balance. (please visit this incredible site for complete information: http://www.allgoodthings.com/yoga/chakra/chakra_intro.html)

mula = root, source
adhara = support, vital part

This is the realm of life about survival, self-confidence, social order, personal security and family. When this Chakra is balanced, you feel great with a lot of energy at your disposal. You feel comfortable inside your own skin and in the world. When it is out of balance, there is a feeling of being alienated from the rest of the world. You perceive yourself as not belonging anywhere.

• Element—Subtle energies of Earth
• Endocrine gland—Gonads (the sexual organs). There are some who believe that this root Chakra also relates to the adrenal medulla (inner). This Chakra is said to be related to the inner adrenals where our fight and flight instincts come from when threatened.
• Energetic Life Force—Earth, survival, groundedness, solidity, foundation, psychic center
• Essential Oils—Patchouli (rub at the base of your spine to feel the energies realign), cedar wood, sandalwood. Also for aromatherapy: ginger, curry (garam masala), magnolia, lotus, pine, musk.
• Female Spin—Counter clockwise; Male Spin: Clockwise
• Flower Essences—Corn, clematis, rosemary
• Function—Purification of the body, elimination, instinct, survival. Each time we make a step towards symbolic consciousness, we bring a positive influence to our energy and biological systems.
• Gemstone—Ruby, flame agate, rubelite, carnelian, red garnet, red coral, bloodstone, hematite, red jasper, black tourmaline, onyx, black obsidian, smoky quartz, agate, phantom red quartz crystal, lapis lazuli, azurite, onyx
• Goddess—Dakini
• Keywords—Subconscious mind, root, source, support, foundation, Goddess Kundalini Serpent Power, action, sexual energy, safety, survival, self-preservation, home, courage, work, economy, leadership, trust, etheric body layer, fundamental root center, basic evolutionary life force, woes, center of our primal life force, tremendous gravity, magnetism
• Lotus Petals—4 (deep red)
• Mantra—LAM (called Chakra seeds by my teacher).There are meditations given later in this series for each Chakra.

 Spiritual LessonTo learn how to understand and use the material world without becoming attached to it—for your own benefit and others. Awareness of the universal identity. How to acquire wisdom while in your body, while maintaining a strong sense of the practical—remaining down to earth and having great common sense about your life. To learn how to make the best choices for your own physical health and conscious unfoldment. This Chakra is the grounding force that allows you to connect to the earth energies and empower your life force.

To reconnect think about being outdoors, getting your hands dirty, sitting in nature, playing with animals. The tone for this chakra is C, try tuning y0urself to C!!

Asana(yoga pose) for the week:

JanuShirshasana: Head to Knee Pose

Wellness Tip of the Week:

Engage Muladhara!!! (NOT kegels I have learned)  Yep, that kegel is near your muladhara,but it is so much more…either way when it is weak you are draining yourself of all your energy. Bring strength and awareness to your root and watch yourself soar.

Iyengar (1976: p.525) defines Mūla Bandha as:

A posture where the body from the anus to the navel is contracted and lifted up and towards the spine.

This is qualified in that the actual muscle contracted is not the sphincter muscle nor the muscle which cessates urination, but the muscle equidistant between the two.

Maehle (2007: p.11) defines it as “root lock” and further specifies that:

The root referred to here is the root of the spine, the pelvic floor or, more precisely, the centre of the pelvic floor, the perineum. The perineum is the muscular body between the anus and the genitals. By slightly contracting the pubo-coccygeal (PC) muscle, which goes from the pubic bone to the tail bone (coccyx), we create an energetic seal that locks prana into the body and so prevents it from leaking out at the base of the spine. Mula Bandha is said to move prana into the central channel, called sushumna, which is the subtle equivalent of the spine.^[6]

Mantra: Inhale I am safe Exhale I am connected

There a many techniques and meditations designed to open, activate or otherwise connect with your chakras.