on November 18, 2016
Last Updated on June 12, 2025 by Linda Dieffenbach
An Overview of the Root Chakra
The root chakra—known as Muladhara in Sanskrit—is the foundation of your energy system. It governs your sense of safety, stability, and connection to the physical world. When this energy center is balanced, you feel grounded, supported, and secure in your body and in life.
As the name implies, your Root Chakra is your foundation. Like the roots of a tree, it connects you to the Earth, drawing energies from the Earth to nourish and strengthen your body and energy field. A strong root is essential to stability in your life.
When the root chakra becomes imbalanced, that sense of inner security can begin to waver. You may feel anxious or disconnected, struggle with financial or physical instability, or find it difficult to fully inhabit your body.
In this post, we’ll explore how the root chakra functions, what signs to look for when it’s out of alignment, and how to support it with grounding practices that help restore strength and stability from the inside out.
Properties of the Root Chakra:
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine, near the perineum, and opens downward toward the Earth. Its energy is associated with the color red and the element of earth, both of which speak to its grounding and stabilizing qualities.
Physical Influences
The root chakra influences the spine, coccyx, legs, knees, feet, and the lower digestive system. It also governs the bladder, male reproductive system, and genital and rectal areas. When this chakra is out of balance, physical symptoms may include issues in these regions—such as lower back pain, leg or foot problems, fatigue, or digestive irregularity.
Consciousness Influences
The root chakra governs issues of physical and egoic survival—your ability to feel safe, supported, and equipped to navigate the demands of life. This includes foundational needs like work, home, family, food, and finances, as well as your sense of stability in relationships and the world around you.
Your instincts for self-preservation—such as fight, flight, or freeze—originate here. So do gut-level impulses that help you recognize danger, sense truth, and respond quickly to threats or disruptions. When the root chakra is healthy, it supports your ability to trust yourself, assess risk clearly, and act with strength and discernment.
The root chakra also plays a key role in belonging—your felt sense of connection to your body, your family, your community, and the Earth itself. A strong root helps you feel that you have a place in the world, that you matter, and that you are supported in being who you are.
Sexuality is another element governed here—particularly as it relates to survival, power, and safety. When out of balance, sexual energy may be used to seek control, dominance, or security. When in balance, it can support vitality, presence, and grounded embodiment.
This chakra also influences your physical vitality—your energy levels, strength, and ability to be fully present in your body and in the moment. It helps anchor you in the here and now, making it possible to show up in life with confidence and resilience.
Is Your Root Chakra in Balance?
Your chakras are rich, complex, and multilayered energy centers that hold the imprint of your life experiences. They are constantly interacting with and influenced by the world around you. As you move through life, every experience—especially those that are emotionally charged—leaves an energetic impression. A healthy chakra is able to process and integrate these experiences, allowing for continued growth and resilience.
When experiences such as trauma, chronic stress, conflict, or other unresolved challenges are not fully processed, the chakra may become overactive, underactive, blocked, or energetically damaged. Over time, these imbalances can contribute to significant physical, emotional, or mental health struggles. This is why self-care practices and intentional healing are so important for energetic health and overall well-being.
With the root chakra, imbalances often reflect how safe, grounded, and supported you feel—both within yourself and in your environment. A strong root chakra helps you feel anchored and equipped to handle life’s demands. When balanced, it creates the inner foundation for your health, stability, and sense of belonging.
Here are some signs that your root chakra is in good health:
- A general sense of satisfaction and contentment with life
- Feeling grounded, centered, and present in your body
- Trust that your basic needs will be met with ease
- A strong sense of safety and security in the world
- Steady physical energy and vitality
- Good health and physical strength
- Appropriate body weight and a healthy relationship with food
- Regular digestion and intestinal health
- Confidence in your ability to navigate life’s demands
- Prosperity and financial steadiness
- Satisfaction in your job or career path
- The ability to let go of what no longer serves you
- An openness to change and a sense of inner stability through transitions
Signs of Imbalance in the Root Chakra:
Imbalances in the root chakra often reflect unresolved survival stress—whether emotional, physical, or energetic. These imbalances may arise from trauma, chronic stress, conflict, limiting beliefs, karmic influences, or long-standing behavioral patterns. Over time, if these disruptions aren’t addressed, they can interfere with energy flow and manifest as emotional distress, physical symptoms, or persistent life challenges.
When the body is under prolonged stress, the chakra system cannot function properly. Healing the root chakra involves more than just addressing surface symptoms—it requires tending to the underlying causes with care and consistency.
If these patterns feel familiar, it may be helpful to work with a skilled energy healing practitioner. Modalities such as Reiki, chakra clearing, and somatic or intuitive energy work can help calm the nervous system, release stuck energy, and support the body’s natural healing process.
Common signs of root chakra imbalance include:
- Chronic fear, anxiety, or hypervigilance
- Feeling ungrounded, disconnected, or spacey
- Hoarding or fear of loss
- Difficulty trusting others or life itself
- Excessive materialism or obsession with control
- Disconnection from the body or physical discomfort
- Use of sexuality for power, control, or security
- Resistance to change or feelings of being stuck
- Difficulty manifesting financial or physical resources
- Aggression, irritability, or emotional volatility
- Autoimmune disorders or compromised immunity
- Skeletal, spinal, or joint pain (especially in lower body)
- Digestive and intestinal issues
- Low energy, fatigue, or lack of motivation
- Career dissatisfaction or inability to focus on goals
Tips and Tools for Root Chakra Healing:
Healing and balancing the root chakra begins by reconnecting with your body and the earth. This chakra thrives on grounded presence, physical movement, and a sense of consistency and safety. When you create space for grounding practices, your nervous system begins to settle, and your energy can stabilize.
Movement is one of the most effective ways to activate and support the root chakra. Walking, dancing, yoga, and other body-based practices help you return to your physical self and move stagnant energy. Spending time in nature—especially barefoot on the earth or sitting with your back against a tree—can be deeply restorative.
Creating supportive routines and environments is also key. Whether it’s a calming home space, a nourishing meal, or a daily check-in with your body, consistency helps build inner trust and steadiness.
Letting go of clutter—both physical and emotional—can also clear space in your energy field. Practice releasing what you no longer need, and take time to acknowledge the resources and abundance already present in your life.
When deeper imbalances or old survival patterns are present, energy healing sessions can offer powerful support. Reiki, somatic practices, yoga therapy, and trauma-informed healing approaches help the body regulate, restore flow, and create the conditions for long-term healing. These practices support your body’s innate ability to heal, restore balance, and rebuild a strong, grounded foundation.
Here are some additional tools and practices to explore:
- Grounding meditations and visualizations
- Walking, dancing, or body-based movement
- Spending time in nature or barefoot on the Earth
- Decluttering and letting go of unnecessary possessions
- Creating safe, supportive routines
- Healing touch and massage
- Practicing gratitude and noticing abundance
- Eating grounding foods, especially red root vegetables like beets or apples
- Using the color red in your space or clothing
- Working with crystals like garnet, red jasper, or hematite
- Sound healing using the seed mantra “LAM” or vocal toning
- Practices that build self-reliance and inner strength
- Creating or reinforcing a sense of belonging—within yourself, your body, and your community
As with all energy healing, consistency matters more than intensity. Gentle, supportive practices repeated over time create lasting change.
Note: The Root Chakra is the foundation of your energetic ‘house’. It draws energy from the Earth to nourish and energize your body. When the Root is compromised, the energy flow to the other chakras may be impacted as well. It is therefore essential to build a strong foundation to overall stability and health.
Want to Explore the Chakras More Deeply?
If you’re ready to begin working with your root chakra more intentionally, the Root Chakra Self-Healing Course offers a beautiful place to start. This self-paced course gives you accessible practices and insights to help you ground, release fear, and build a strong energetic foundation.
If you’re feeling called to explore the full energy system more deeply, the Chakra Mastery Program offers a comprehensive journey through all seven chakras. This 9-month self-study course includes tools, guidance, and monthly support to help you create lasting transformation.
👉 Click here to explore the Root Chakra Self-Healing Course.
👉 Click here to learn more about the Chakra Mastery Program.
About Linda Dieffenbach:
Linda is a trauma-informed energy healer, coach, and personal transformation guide with over 15 years of experience. Through her compassionate and intuitive approach, she helps people break free from the patterns that keep them stuck. She guides them to reconnect with their inner truth, build emotional resilience, and create meaningful change.
Her background includes extensive training in energy healing, personal empowerment, trauma recovery, stress relief, relationship health, and emotional well-being.
Learn more about Linda here.
Interested in working with Linda 1:1? Click here.
Hello Linda – I was surfing the net when I found your article!
It seems my Root Chakra is weak. Can I keep a red light in my room and if yes should it be in a specific direction? Thank you kindly. Bharat
Hi Bharat,
Light therapy is not an area of expertise for me, so I cannot offer a definitive answer about the best way to use it for healing. Have you tried any of the other techniques that I recommended for strengthening your root chakra?
Well detailed symptoms and remedies for healing our root chakra. I found that physical exercise can be of great help if I want more satisfied, secured and satisfied and for having a better overall mood. Not just normal exercise, but to actually force yourself to do a bit more than you think you can. 🙂
I have also tried with essential oils and I have seen improvements in my overall mental condition when I changed my diet to more raw based foods. For the root chakra it is best to consume root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes, yam, ginger, garlic, onions, celery, asparagus. But I heard you have got to be careful with onion and garlic because they are considered as negative pranic foods. They can be great healing foods but daily consumption may drastically decrease your energy levels.
I have also used patchouli and ginger essential oil for the root chakra. If the benefit was there it was too subtle or maybe it happened too slow to be observed.
As you said, practicing gratitude can be a great asset to increase your overall mood. I believe it can start so many good things in you r life if you just see the good side of things. There is always a good side it is just that we are trained to see the bad side by others around us and by the media.
Overall, thank you for the article. Maybe I wrote more than I had to so it means it is well-written. 🙂
Hi Linda, just discovered your site. Been through a lot of stress over the past few years. Had a stroke in 2017, October. Back to for a year now and walking better. Can you help me with my route chakra.
Hi Jeff,
I would suggest considering a private session to determine what your needs are and what would be support you. Thinking an Integrated Energy Healing session might be a good starting point. You are welcome to call or email if you have specific questions.
I feel very unsecured specially after moving to USA from India. I was working in India but here at the age of 56 I have to restart my life. Don’t know driving, don’t know the working atmosphere and presently totally dependent on my husband. Please guide me what to do. Don’t have any money of my own and a woman who was independent for 25 years suddenly without nothing is scary. Thanks
Mrs hufrish irani
Hello Hufrish,
I can understand that the move has been unsettling for you. This is not a simple situation/question that I can answer for you in this format. There are some practical steps that you can take to start developing more independence such as learning to drive or learning to navigate public transportation to start. Look for opportunities to connect with people in your community to help alleviate the sense of isolation may also help. I do not know your skills, but online and work from home opportunities are prevalent. Upwork is a great way to earn some extra cash.
Try taking some active steps to create independence and opportunities and see where that leads you. If you are still feeling stuck, you may want to consider scheduling a chakra clearing session with me (we can do it via Skype) and we can go deeper.
Many blessings,
Linda
Hello linda. I am 16 and i feel like life is against me. I have all the symptoms of an unbalanced chakra but i dont have the resources to help me. And i also dont know where to get chakra classes or where i can do them on my own. Its really stressing and plus im trying to open my 3rd eye. Its alot of stress. Please respond!!!!!!
Hi Isaac,
Navigating issues within the chakras can be a complex process and may be something that you will need to see a practitioner for depending on what is going on with you. Depending on where you live, if it is not local, I do offer Chakra Clearing sessions via video conference. As far as resources to learn about the chakras, I recommend the books Wheels of Life and/or Eastern Body Western Mind by Anodea Judith. Additionally, Where Body Meets Soul by Elizabeth Frediani is a great resource for energetic self-care practices. Please let me know if you have further questions.
You are welcome to reach out to me directly at Linda@wellnessinharmony.com, as well.
Many blessings,
Linda
Hi Linda,
Warm greetings from California. Your article is one of the best I’ve read wrt knowledge about Chakras speciaficallu the root chakra . I’m an empath from childhood it runs in the family and hence I’ve suffered a lot emotionally affecting my spirituality and overall health . I’m going through a spiritually awakening phase after practicing and studying spirituality . I am aware of the brain gut connection and how chakras play an important role and I am also aware that if we are trying to improve the energy flow I can’t jump straight to the penal glad (that’s the goal ) it has to start from root. When I focused on other chakras ignoring the root there was lot of confusion I had symptoms of penal gland working but then realized I have to fix my root first . Mine root is totally imbalanced. I wanted to know apart from the techniques mentioned used to stabilize the root are there any significant and solid changes one can make in their root chakra with your help .!! Appreciate your article and thank you much for sharing !!!
Hi Anhishek.
Thank you for your comments.
Consider the Root Chakra as the foundation of your home. The health and stability of the foundation is key to stability within the rest of the structure, so you are correct in that it is the place to start if there are imbalances there. Grounding your energy, connecting with the Earth, and creating/recognizing safety are all key elements to Root Chakra health. Those things mentioned in the blog are fairly universal tools, however we each have unique life experiences that impact the health of each chakra, so you may wish to do some deeper work to identify the underlying causes of the imbalances to determine what practices are best for your personal situation. Modalities such as Chakra Clearing with Applied integration are ideal for this. You may also consider working with an energy psychologist, who is trained in the psychological field but has the added skill of being able to read and understand the correlation with the chakra system and energy field.
Please feel free to work out if you have any additional questions.
Many blessings,
Linda
There are many ways by which we can stimulate chakras in our body some of them are:
Thoughts
Thoughts are a form of energy. It has been scientifically proven that a positive thought allows our energy to flow freely and unrestricted, whereas, negative thoughts decrease energy within our body. Every thought you have is connected to a chakra. For example, a passionate thought is a red energy stimulant, but an angry thought decreases your positive red energy flow.
The Sun
The sun is our most important energy source. All the seven colour energies flow from the sun’s rays to the earth. People, animals, plants, minerals, water and our chakras receive energy from the sun’s light. If you are not able to enjoy the sun for a few hours daily, trying adding a good quality full-spectrum light bulb to a light source in your work area or in a lamp at home.
Food
The sun’s rays give plants life/energy. Once the plant absorbs energy, the colour energy that remains is the energy of that fruit, vegetable or flower. Without this energy, our body could not assimilate the nutritional value of the food. Balance your chakras daily by eating foods that contain each of the seven colour energies.
Thank you for adding some additional tools!
Root chakra is indeed one of the important and foundational chakra , and the ways you have mentioned about it and to balance is great and very helpful i have started yoga for the same .