Muladhara, or the root chakra, stands for “root and basis of Existence.” This is because the root chakra is our foundation for our chakra system. The root chakra is one of the seven chakras in the system. It serves as the base and its source of energy is dependent on the earth element. This chakra associates with the feelings of connection and grounding with the earth, while also representing our lives solid foundation.
The Key Characteristics of The Root Chakra
The root chakra sits at the beginning of our spine and corresponds with different areas of the body. These areas include the first three vertebrae, the perineum at the pelvic plexus. As all chakras have individual characteristics, the root chakra represents many basic needs. These include needs such as food, sleep, shelter, and etc. Behaviors that are survival based.
The root chakra also talks of security and safety as a way to maintain and feel rooted in our lives. You may experience a block in your root chakra in time of stress or when depending on things you can’t control. Giving too much power to external situations can may you feel that you’re not good enough, or don’t have what it takes. The root chakra recognizes these problems and feels this deep within its root.
But, when the root chakra is able to be open you will experience a deeper connection with those around you. Friends and family will have deep and meaningful relationships. The feeling of love and adornment will be abundant.
Root Chakra Healing & Why It’s Important
When the root chakra is out of balance this impacts an individual in a very personal way. This causes issues within their well being within the physical, emotional, and spiritual realm. People who experience this imbalance may lash out and feel impatient in their lives. They may fixate on issues that they cannot control or adopt habits they can’t break.
Some issues of overactive chakra can result in anemia, fatigue, and bladder conditions. Behavior can also shift where their fear becomes paranoia or greed. This is why it’s so important to incorporate healing the root chakra as a way to reroute thoughts driven by fear. When living by instinct, there’s a lot of insecurity, and that insecurity can be possessive.
This only works to nourish the anxiety and continues to feed it negative energy. When healing the root chakra, you’re getting rid of this negativity from determining your happiness. It helps students stand their ground on their desires and needs. This hands them the tools to recognize what is toxic in their life.
With these tools, they gain back the power and release the root chakra, and find they are living a more fulfilled and balanced life.
What Are Affirmations?
Affirmations work like a statement that has different meanings to different people. Depending on what the phrase is, it can be powerful and resonate with someone a little deeper. Because of this, an affirmation is generally a positive statement that affirms the self. This is to work the phrase into our core belief and influence our subconscious mind.
The influence of the subconscious mind resides deep within us. It works to process out millions of messages and allows are waking mind to read only specifics bits of information. What we know, and can recognize in our conscious mind is within reason, while our subconscious mind is the opposite.
This is exactly why it’s important that affirmations are speaking positively and within present tense. This is because our subconscious mind is so illogical it doesn’t recognize the difference of past and future. It only knows the here and now. Adopting sentences that are in the present and true right now influence what your subconscious mind and how it learns. After time, repetitive statements can help slip into our waking mind, changing some of our innate behaviors.
Here Are 12 Affirmations To Root Into Your Yoga Practice
These affirmations recognize what blocks the root chakra. Instilling statements like these into your practice will help your students be mindful of what’s blocking theirs.
- “I am connected and grounded through the earth.” This affirmation expresses the importance of feeling stable and connected. Especially in a world that’s moving forward at a steady pace, it’s important to have a reminder to be calm, to find relaxation in the now, and to be present. This affirmation will help your participants learn to take deeper breaths, and, to remember the here and now.
- “I am grateful.” The feeling of practicing appreciation for what we have in our lives is powerful. Positive psychology finds the expression gratefulness even in trying times enhances one’s wellbeing. This affirmation helps students remember their values, and encourages their strengths. It’s something your students can walk out of your classroom not realizing how therapeutic the class felt. While using this affirmation as a means to get by some challenging obstacles that life likes to bring us. Which relates to the whole purpose of the root chakra. To be okay where we are; to be okay with where we’re going and, appreciation their lives in the present.
- “I am abundant.” When someone feels they have plenty, this can be a huge release to anxiety and fear. Abundance helps individuals feel grounded and secure. It meets one of the basic needs for survival instinct. No matter if it’s in relation to finances, wealth, relationships or in surroundings. Positivity can help students realize that everything they need is already in them. It can help them realize that they can remain triumphant despite what obstacles they face.
- “I have a healthy body.” Today’s world floods us with media advertisements on how to look and what to buy. This can create misconceptions on how our bodies should look when we’re so lucky to have a healthy body. The skin that we are in is in itself, enough. The root chakra wants us to remember that we belong. That we have others that support us, and that loving ourselves comes first.
- “I am peaceful with the material world in which I live.” This affirmation reiterates that accumulation of possessions and not what matters, which the material worlds, what we already have access to in our life, is enough. To accept the material world within a calm state, will remind us of how much we really have. It will also help students recognize what they’re without may not be something they truly value. Taking the time to assess the world around us can help us better understand ourselves.
- “I am worthy of respect.” One of the issues that block the root chakra is when someone has issues with themselves. The root chakra intends to guide us to always remember that we already have everything we need. Reminding your students that they don’t need to search for validation in others. They’re worthy of respect from their peers. They’re worthy of respect from themselves.
- “I am independent.” Independence helps individuals not feel like they have to rely on others to achieve a task or goal. To know you’re independent is about acceptance of themselves, and acceptance of what they can do. Through this, they can feel worthy and connected to what’s around them. Addressing several of the concerns highlighted by a root chakra block.
- “The universe will always provide.” This sort of affirmation reminds participants that things are going to be okay. You never know who needs to hear these words, but reiterating it during classes helps resonate to those who do. The root chakra feels uneasy when it doesn’t know what the plan is. This affirmation makes it okay to put the calendar down and trust that things are going to work out just as they should.
- “In this moment I am stable and grounded.” This affirmation speaks directly to concerns of the root chakra. It helps students recognize that they shouldn’t give their energy away to others. That they have control of their thoughts and their energy and that putting their self value in the hands of others wont benefit them. Even if it’s just for that moment; they’re rooted to what’s around them.
- “I am confident.” Confidence is about knowing your worth. No matter what the obstacle is, you’re aware of what it takes to turn it around. Having that level is unwavering. Instilling this affirmation into your practice helps remind individuals know they have what it takes.
- “I belong.” The absence of belonging is a difficult state to be in. Social interaction and interpersonal relationships is something that impacts us profoundly. We’re social creatures and desire deep connections. To have assurance that our what we value is being supported is a fundamental desire.
The root chakra requires this as a basic need of survival. We need people to share our lives with. We need to know that state of belonging. Incorporating this affirmation in your practice will help students recognize that they’re wanted; that within the current moment in and out of the classroom, they all belong to one another. That their stories are interwoven and they share a similar moment. This grounding practice will help students remember a feeling of belonging.
- “I withstand the obstacles of life, as I remove what no longer serves me.” By removing the thoughts and negative pathways we develop a new sense of self. One that accepts forgiveness and encourages healing. By letting go of instances that no longer serve you, you’re opening the door to opportunity.
These negative thoughts or people are lowering the vibration, and potential, of what you’re capable of. Someone else does not determine flipping the script, and having students recognize that they’re worth is invaluable.
The Ways You Can Incorporate Affirmations Into Your Practice?
It may seem difficult to know when to incorporate affirmations that seem to flow with ease. The last thing anyone wants is for a student to feel uncomfortable with saying something. Here are some subtle ways to incorporate affirmations:
- Artwork. A piece of art can say a thousand words. This is saying for a reason. People interpret art differently through their own personal experiences. For the root chakra, incorporating grounding affirmations, can help students know their in an inclusive space. They can feel comfortable and present knowing their among like-minded individuals that meet them in a safe space. Consider placing artwork in the lobby before your students enter the class and what they see when they exit. This can be something that they unconsciously see every day before class.
- Ask To Repeat Silently. You can ask students to repeat the statements to themselves or under their breath. This may encourage students who are not comfortable yet, or feel silly, to continue to take part regardless. Introducing rooting affirmations in this fashion, can also help student’s focus on the meaning and how it applies to them.
- Consider Themes. Consider having a theme of a class be around a common block of the root chakra. One week focuses on independence and another self-esteem. Each week, or class, can focus on a different aspect of the root chakra. Individuals can then open their root chakras and remind themselves of the present.
Utilizing affirmations in your practice can help model how to use these words in each student’s life. It illustrates how powerful words can be, for ourselves, and when we interact with others. Introducing them can have a large ripple effect on students to help bring an extra boost of support to their lives.
Affirmations equip individuals with a way to honor themselves and others. When considering the root chakra, there is no better way to help students. It aids them in recognizing how they need to nurture themselves and how to maintain a balanced mindset. This gives them the opportunity to know acceptance and how to take control of their lives.
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