Root Chakra Blockage Symptoms & How To Unblock It

Welcome to the fascinating world of the Chakra system! Let’s get into the Root Chakra, the foundation of our energetic system. I’ll uncover how blockages in the Root Chakra, located at the base of the spine, can affect your life force energy flow, sense of stability, security, and overall well-being. 

To fully embark on a journey of self discovery and healing, you need to fully understand the Root Chakra.

Understanding Your Root Chakra

The Root Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) or first chakra, is one of the seven main chakras situated at the base of the spinal cord, near the perineum (the area between your anus and scrotum or vulva). It is also the first of seven energy centers in the body called chakras. The root chakra serves as the foundation of your energetic system and is associated with the color red. 

Physically, the often overactive root chakra or base chakra governs your connection to the physical world and the physical body itself. It is linked to the legs, feet, bones, and lower back. Emotionally, the root chakra is connected to your sense of safety, security, and stability. It influences our ability to feel secure, grounded, present, and rooted in the present moment.

Spiritually, the root chakra enables you to establish a strong connection with the Earth and tap into its grounding energy. Imagine a beautiful tree with roots anchored in the ground. It aids in the manifestation of your goals and aspirations by providing a solid base from which to grow. When the root chakra is functioning properly, the energy flowing creates a sense of balance and groundedness. When you work on your higher chakras, and help them to get aligned or back in balance with the sacral chakra, you may experience a spiritual awakening. 

This could feel like a beautiful rush of energy. Or like a headache or migraine! Learn more about Kundalini awakening here. But keep in mind, it all starts with the base.

A blocked root chakra can have detrimental effects on your life force our physical and emotional health. Psychologist Erik Erickson’s stages of development explain how we develop in life. For example, in infancy you learn the concept of trust vs. mistrust. But here’s the catch: You carry each stage through life and those needs have to be continuously met or amended if there’s an imbalance. If the energy center of your Root Chakra is imbalanced, it will make itself known via various symptoms.

Physically, it may manifest as issues with the legs, feet, lower back, or immune system. Emotionally, a root chakra imbalance or blockage can lead to feelings of insecurity, fear, anxiety, and a lack of energy flow and of trust in oneself and the world. It can also result in a disconnection from primal energy in one’s body and inability to feel grounded or safe.

By understanding the importance of the root chakra and addressing any blockages, you can restore harmony and stability to your physical, emotional, mental health and spiritual development.

Trauma is stored in your body, whether it’s recent trauma, past lives or childhood trauma. It is important for your own self esteem, personal growth and even basic survival to heal those traumas. Understanding how the chakra system works (and how root chakra imbalances can block you from releasing that trauma) is an essential first step to healing.

In some cases, you may now know that your root chakra is blocked and why. Sometimes, it’s a mystery to be uncovered. Below, I have compiled some symptoms for you to check in with your body.

Root Chakra Blockage Symptoms

A blocked or underactive root chakra can manifest in various physical, spiritual body emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Yoga gives you the bodily awareness to know if you may have issues or show symptoms of a blocked or underactive root chakra. 

Think of the root chakra not only as your basic needs not being met, but if you don’t feel worthy of the things you have, it can create a blockage resulting in low self esteem. Because there are many reasons why your first chakra can become imbalanced, it’s essential that you dig into your own personal story. 

Explore your childhood and teen years. Most of us suffer from energy flowing in a suboptimal way due to emotions that are overlooked or suppressed. Major life events or trauma can also cause the first chakra to shut down. If you’ve recently experienced a big move, travel, a natural disaster, a fight with a loved one, it can affect this area. 

Let’s look at some examples of how these symptoms can manifest in your daily life.

1. Physical symptoms: Issues with the legs, feet, lower back, and immune system can be observed. This may include frequent lower back pain, poor circulation in the legs, foot problems, and a weakened immune response.
2. Emotional symptoms: Some of the mental signs can be in the form of insecurity or low self esteem, fear, anxiety, and a lack of trust. You may constantly worry about finances, job security, or basic needs (even if you have a huge house and money in the bank). You may even have anxiety disorders, an eating disorder, or be prone to panic attacks. There might be a sense of restlessness or an inability to feel grounded and present in the moment.
3. Behavioral symptoms: A root chakra imbalance can lead to certain behavioral patterns. Some may experience excessive materialism and obsession with accumulating possessions or wealth as a means of feeling secure. On the other hand, it can also lead to a scarcity mindset, where you constantly feel deprived and unable to enjoy the present moment. Poor focus is something that everyone deals with from time to time, but if it is a more consistent occurrence, you may have a first chakra blockage

Now that you have an understanding of the symptoms that can manifest with an imbalanced root chakra, let’s look at some healing techniques.

Root Chakra Healing Techniques

Healing an imbalanced root chakra can be approached through various techniques and practices that aim to restore balance in your energy field. If you’re someone who believes they have a blocked root chakra, you’ll want to look into participating in some of the below practices to help!

Yoga Asanas: If you’re already a yogi and have participated in my Chakra challenge or studied with me in one of my chakra courses, you already know how important honoring the physical body and subtle body is. There are certain poses that help activate an underactive root chakra. Poses like Mountain pose (Tadasana), Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana), Garland (Malasana), and Tree pose (Vrikshasana) are grounding poses that help connect you with the Earth and promote stability.

Pranayama (breathwork): A breathing technique to help heal the root chakra is called the Three-part breath or Dirga Pranayama. To do this, you’ll want to inhale deeply into your belly, expanding your lower abdomen, then ribs, and finally your chest. Exhale slowly, releasing your breath from the best, ribs and abdomen. This breathwork helps bring awareness to the root chakra and encourages a sense of grounding. If you suffer from anxiety disorders or panic attacks, this can be incredibly helpful to cope and keep those attacks at bay.

Affirmations: Repeat positive affirmations for the root chakra that focus on stability, safety, and security. If your root chakra is blocked, positive affirmations combined with other healing techniques are helpful. Try to start your day off with affirmations like the following:

• I am safe and secure.
• I am grounded in the present moment.
• I trust in the process of life.

Visualization and Meditation: If you participated in my Chakra Challenge, you’ll remember how I incorporate both asanas, visualization and meditation to help guide you to a healthy root chakra. While you’re meditating, imagine a bright red ball of light, like molten lava red. Let your body feel that red pulse down from your tailbone through your legs and down to your feet. If you’re being guided by an instructor, really try to visualize the picture you’re being asked to see. With this basis, you can start to visualize your spiritual energies flowing freely throughout the body.

Energy Healing: Seek out the assistance of an experienced energy healer or practitioner who can work with you to clear blockages and balance the root chakra using modalities such as Reiki, crystal healing, or sound healing. These practices can help restore the flow of energy in the root chakra energy field as well. This is also something to look into should you be working with another chakra like the solar plexus chakra, heart chakra, or really any and all the chakras.

Preventing a blocked root chakra and maintaining its balance is crucial for overall well-being and a harmonious energetic system. When your chakras are aligned you feel more at peace and you know that all your needs are met. A healthy and balanced root chakra provides a stable foundation supporting physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life.

I have some tips for you on maintaining the balanced root chakra.

1. Grounding Techniques: Engage in activities that promote grounding and connection with the Earth. Walk barefoot on grass, take your yoga practice outside, spend time in nature like going on a hike, practice gardening, or try grounding exercises such as visualizing roots extending from your feet into the ground. If you’re going through a tough time where you feel imbalanced, do something you’ve always wanted to do or something you just didn’t have time to. If you’re outside, breathe the fresh air and get in touch with the world around you.
2. Physical Exercise: Engage in regular physical exercise to help circulate energy throughout the body and maintain a strong connection to your physical self. Activities like walking, jogging, dancing, or yoga wink wink can be beneficial! In your own yoga practice, play with the poses and be aware of how your body feels within each pose. For example, I LOVE the yogi squat pose to help ground me. It’s comfy, and I can concentrate on the red ball of light rooting into the ground allowing me to feel secure.
3. Self-Care Practices: Prioritize self-care routines that promote a sense of security, stability and relaxation. Take warm baths, practice aromatherapy with grounding scents or essential oils like patchouli or cedarwood, establish consistent sleep patterns, and indulge in activities that make you feel safe and nurtured.
4. Nourishing Foods: Consume foods that support the root chakra, such as root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and beets. Include protein-rich foods, like legumes and lean meats, to provide a sense of grounded-ness and stability. If you are someone who copes with eating disorders, this is a symptom of an imbalanced chakra. Taking the necessary steps in nourishing your body along with chakra healing and other forms of healing can help you to cope better and allow energy to flow freely.
5. Mindfulness and Meditation: Engage in mindfulness practices and meditation to cultivate present-moment awareness and reduce stress. Incorporate body scan meditations, where you consciously bring awareness to different parts of your body, starting from the root area.
6. Make Sound: The seed mantra for your root chakra is LAM. Chant this silently or aloud to bring more life energy into your root chakra.

It is essential to be attentive to your human body and recognize when the root chakra needs some tender love and care. Some warning signs of an overactive root chakra or underactive root chakra may include feeling anxious, restless, disconnected from the energy centers of the body, or experiencing physical discomfort in the lower back, legs or feet. Notice if you are constantly worrying about survival, experiencing financial insecurities, or struggling with feelings of instability. These are all emotional signals that the root chakra is blocked or that there’s something obstructing your energy flow.

Regular self-reflection and introspection can help you identify imbalances in your root chakra. Trust your intuition, dig into your past and personal history, and listen to your body’s signals. Focus on root chakra healing practices above, such as grounding exercises, yoga poses, or energy healing techniques. By maintaining awareness and taking proactive steps, you can keep your root chakra balances and support your overall well-being.

Final Thoughts

The root chakra serves as the foundation of our energetic system. Your life force is associated with stability, security, and grounding. This energy center affects all your other chakras. So pay attention to it. A blocked root chakra can manifest in physical symptoms like lower back pain, emotional imbalances, and behavioral patterns rooted in fear and insecurity. To maintain a healthy root chakra and support the seven chakras above, various techniques can be employed, including yoga poses, breathwork, affirmations, visualization, and energy healing. Grounding techniques, self-care practices, physical exercise, and mindfulness can also help you in supporting the root chakra.