I've been so focused on sacral chakra healing that I didn't even see my root chakra screaming for attention. Actually, that's a lie, I saw it staring me right in the face, I just chose to ignore it...the stillness, the idea of facing the shadows that lurk inside, setting boundaries, the fears...yuck, it all seems so much less exciting than the movement, creativity, sexuality, emotion and pleasure that makes up the second chakra. Even as I dove deep into my sacral chakra, teaching and taking classes full of deep hip openers, and a whole lot of exploration, my root put me right in my place. Again, here I am trying to fly through another process instead of taking my time to set up the proper foundation. Slowly, I'm giving in. As I'm dragged out onto solid ground my stubborn self emerges and dives back deep into the water...only to be pulled back out. The moments up until I decide to allow myself to be still and ground myself are possibly amusing and maybe even, for those around me, flat out irritating as I try to resist this stillness. In the end it's still somewhat unsettling...and somewhat unstill, but also exciting in the sense that this is really new for me. What I'm experiencing is similar to when you're in a yoga pose and you can't find the joy in it but you smile anyway and from out of nowhere joy bubbles up to the surface. Calm takes over your body even with that strange sensation you initially wanted to escape. Contrasting sensations existing at the same time. It's interesting that I'm always ready to leap, to fly, to run but in this stillness there is still just as much excitement, just as much to explore. My curiosity now running wild with the idea of what it means that you can feel opposite extremes in one moment. It surprised me, but my experience so far has shown me that I can explore depths I never knew existed, a deep peace that still feels very much alive and not complacent at all, and that I can open up with ease in this space. Allowing myself to let go and be supported has shown me how much support I truly have. I've been floating along lost in open water for so long that this feels like the most exciting experience I've had. I can actually create a life for myself here. I have a foundation to build onto and I can keep building up because nothing is crumbling anymore.
Root Chakra Tidbits
Located at the Base of the Spine, Color is Red, Element is Earth, Function is Survival, Grounding
Needs & Issues- the body, foundation, survival, roots, grounding, nourishment, trust, home, family, health, prosperity, safety, right to be here, appropriate boundaries.
From Anodea Judith in Eastern Body Western Mind:
"Without grounding we are unstable. we lose our center, fly off the handle, get swept off our feet, or daydream in the fantasy world. We lose our ability to contain, which is the ability to have and to hold. If we cannot contain, we cannot hold our boundaries and build up inner power; thus we cannot mature. Without boundaries, natural excitement gets dissipated and diluted and becomes ineffectual. When we lose our ground, our attention wanders and we appear vague and insubstantial."
