red – Happens For A Reason

Hi friends! Over the summer I began learning about the chakras, or the seven energy centers of the body. Having an interest in health, wellness, and spirituality, I knew studying the chakras was inevitable on my journey.

Having taken all of these photos in Miami with my new favorite red swimsuit, I thought a post on the “root” or “Muladhara” chakra would be appropriate, as the color of this chakra is red.

Although very skeptical at first, as soon as I began reading “Chakras For Beginners” by David Pond (given to me by a very good friend of mine), everything began to make sense. After about five pages in, the first thought I had to myself was, “Damn, all of my chakras are unbalanced.” I knew this book fell into my lap for a reason.

Chakras are energy centers, meaning energy flows through these points of the body. If these points are blocked, energy cannot flow through. Blocked chakras are said to lead to illness, both physical and psychological. Story has it that you must balance all of the chakras in order, starting with the root (followed by the sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown chakras). If there is anything I learned in life thus far, the root of the problem must be fixed in order to fix the rest. There aren’t any shortcuts here, and each may take some time to balance.

“The 7 Chakras for Beginners” by MindBodyGreen is a very helpful cheat sheet for beginners who are interested in learning about all the chakras. Click here to read this article.

The root chakra represents our foundation and feelings of stability and being grounded, and it t is located at the base of the spine/tailbone. If your root chakra is unbalanced, you may feel insecure, unstable, unsure of yourself, anxious, angry, controlling, afraid, and have a lack of self confidence. You most likely have problems with your basic survival needs: food, housing, work, and finances. If you are balanced, you will feel confident (not arrogant or fearful), grounded, centered, and stable. Balancing your root chakra creates stability and a foundation for yourself.

So how do you balance your root chakra? Through food: red beets and apples, red meat and eggs, vegetables from the ground such as carrots and potatoes, and red spices such as cayenne pepper and hot sauce. You can also do certain forms of yoga and yoga poses to open up your lower spine and help ground yourself. What worked for me was saying daily affirmations including “I am safe and secure,” “I am stable and grounded,” and “I am connected to the Universe and to the earth.” Visualization is also an extremely powerful tool, and while sitting in a chair, feet on the floor, you can close your eyes and visualize roots growing from your feet into the ground. Sounds crazy, but it works.

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Balancing my Root chakra took about six months, as I wasn’t happy with my work situation and didn’t know who I was as a person. Now that I’ve counted these months, it feels like it’s been a long time, but finding myself and securing my foundation was worth the wait, dedication, and hard work.

In 2016, I made a commitment to myself. Discovering and becoming the person I was meant to be were my top priorities. This is something that people spend a lifetime trying to figure out, and I didn’t want to be one of those people. Although I still have my moments, I used to live in a world solely based on fear and anxiety. I was very insecure and had low confidence. I was unsure of myself, and this uncertainty was reflected across all areas of my life.

Having succeeded in my 2016 intentions, I now feel grounded, and I am certain of who I am. I have a concrete foundation to grow as an individual and balance the rest of my chakras from here.

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