Your First Chakra...and Your Yogic Roots

We've all known some person who seems so perfectly grounded. They smile all the time and they seem to always attract positive attention.  We're all capable of living in a blissful state; it all hinges on feeling grounded and emotionally balanced.

What we might not have known is that getting to this state of being isn't that hard. There are physical channels within our bodies which we need to trigger in order to create the needed energy and purge that energy that makes us feel stale.

The seven chakras are the major energy centers we're talking about. Various Yoga poses, or asanas can trigger response from our chakras and enable us to change and improve how we feel.

Your first chakra is called Muladhara, which loosely translates to "roots". It's located at the base of the spine.

When the first chakra is balanced properly, we feel good-specifically, we have an obvious sense of self-worth, feel connected to the Divine and see things as they happen in the present tense. We're able to learn from adversity and find the positive in any situation. We also feel able to give our attention to others in a positive way because we see ourselves positively and don't feel wounded.

Some benefits of a balanced first chakra include:

• A well-functioning digestive system
• Trust in self and others
• A healthy drive that allows passion and ambition to be used constructively

When the first chakra is imbalanced, blocked, suppressed, whatever you want to call it, it messes with our ability to recognize our ow self-worth and goodness.

We become driven in the wrong ways.

When the first chakra is weak, the workaholic takes over, and we keep working harder and harder but without a goal We think working harder and pushing ourselves will create self-value where we don't see it. We become self-serving in a desperate effort to bolster our feeling of weakness and we forget how it impacts others as well as ourselves.

When the first chakra is too strong, we become domineering, greedy and act dishonestly and may have violent thoughts.

Some indications of an imbalanced first chakra:

• Issues with digestion; sciatica and back pain
• We fell mad at the world
• We feel worthless and avoid connecting with others

Various Yoga poses can help bring the first chakra into alignment. Keep in mind that some poses calm it down while others wake it up. 

• Most forward folds awaken the first chakra (Muladhara), such as Uttanasana (standing forward fold), Paschimottanasana (sitting forward fold)  and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (supported bridge) and help us remove stress and regain a sense of grounding.
• Child pose (Balasana) and Reclining Bound Angle pose (Supta Badha Konasana) help calm it down.

FIND PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF YOGA POSES IN THE ASANA INDEX AT:

http://yogadancer.com/

I have no affiliation with this site but it is a fabulous resource, so enjoy it and do donate if you can.

SOURCES:

YogaFit 

Mind Body Green