This week we focus on how to being healing your root chakra. The root chakra is most connected to the physical body and material world. It is the chakra most connected to grounding earth energy, and most connected to your bones, flesh, and muscles. Working with this chakra is vital for basic health and wellness.
Meditation for your Root Chakra
Guided meditation is an excellent way to develop a connection with your root chakra, and to provide visualizations that can aid in the healing and opening of the root chakra. One excellent recording is Brenda Stanger’s Into the Pause. Another excellent meditation is Harsada Wagner’s Root Chakra Meditation on YogaGlo. Set aside a time when you will have no interruptions and can take half and hour for yourself alone. Make yourself comfortable, make sure the room you are in is warm, the surface you are resting on is comfortable, and that there are no distractions around you. If you’d like, you can lie down on your bed while doing Brenda Stanger’s meditation. During Stanger’s meditation, you will being with a breathing meditation which uses the pause in your breath to explore your energy state. You will then be guided into a visual journey through a peaceful forest where you quite down your frenetic energy, so that you become open to the grounding energy of the earth. After doing this meditation once, you will experience a renewed sense of security, safety and grounding.
Mala Beads and Colors for Your Root Chakra
The Root Chakra is most commonly associated with bright, clear vibrant red. However, if you need to heal this chakra, focusing on bright red may be too intense. As such, Ruth White, in her guide to working with your chakras recommends wearing dark reds and browns if your root chakra requires opening. You can use rose reds, dark reds, and browns in your home to fill your environment with the best healing colors for this chakra. One of the best stones for opening the root chakra is smoky quartz. Smoky quartz promotes calmness, centeredness, and grounding, it also helps calm fear. In the picture below, we feature a yoga outfit and the Root Chakra Mala Bacelet. The clothing is chosen for its earthy colors, textures, and deep browns and reds. The Root Chakra Mala Bacelet uses smoky quartz mala beads with a sterling silver Muldahara (root chakra) charm.
Aromatherapy for Your Root Chakra
You can use aromatherapy to help open and heal your root chakra. Personally, I have found the use of pure lavender is best. Make sure you purchase pure essential oils. Using a diffuser will help spread the scent of lavender throughout your home or meditation space. You can also place a couple of drops of lavender into a warm bath. Or buy an eye pillow infused with lavender for your yoga practice and place it over your eyes every time you are in shavasana. Another great choice, is to purchase a pure soap infused with lavender such as Salt Spring Soapwork’s Lavender Soap. You can also try musk or hyacinth to help open the root chakra.
Recipe for Your Root Chakra: Vegetable Stuffed Potatoes
Dr. Deanna Minich recommends various foods for improving the health of your root chakra. She suggests that protein, root vegetables, and any red nourishing fruits and vegetables are good for the root chakra, such as red beans, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, apples, red cabbage, and beets. Below is one of my favorite quick meals for nourishing the root chakra.
Nourishing Vegetable Stuffed Potatoes
Serves 4. Prep time 45 minutes.
4 baked potatoes, pre-cooked
2 tbsp olive oil
½ a red onion chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
½ cup of red kidney beans, pre-cooked
½ cup of mushrooms
½ cup of red pepper chopped
½ cup of green pepper chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tomato chopped
½ cup of tomato sauce
½ cup of cheddar cheese
- Heat the oven to 375 F. In a large sauce pan on medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic until clear (about 4 minutes). Add the kidney beans and sauté for 3 minutes. Add all of the vegetables, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Rest the potatoes on 4 individual sheets of tinfoil. Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise, and scoop out about ½ of the inner potato. Take the vegetable and tomato sauce mixture, and place it in the center of the potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap the potatoes, until only the tops are uncovered and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- You can serve this with dish with a teaspoon of sour cream. You can also serve alongside your favorite salad for a hearty and healthy dinner.
This recipe can be made without cheese or sour cream for a wonderful vegan dish.