Opening Root Chakra Symptoms And How To Balance Muladhara

Could you use more stability, security, or groundedness?

Each of these is a pillar to your foundation of self. No matter how strong these pillars are – there is always room for additional reinforcement.

This is easily achieved by opening the root chakra. Opening the root chakra will increase the energy flow through all the other chakras. But what does it feel like when you open your root chakra? Let’s dig deep into how to open that root chakra and how to recognize opening root chakra symptoms! ✨

What Is The Root Chakra? 

Signs Of A Balanced Root Chakra

You might be asking what does a healthy root chakra feel like? The simple answer is AMAZING!💯

A balanced root chakra creates:

• A comfortable sense of security in your physical environment as well as relationships
• A strong connection to the physical world. You feel grounded and you know it.
• A stable foundation. Your home and financial life are comfortable and you feel a true sense of belonging in your community.
• A grounding sense of abundance. You have everything you need to survive.
• An ability to create and maintain healthy boundaries.
• Balanced emotional health. You are not easily overwhelmed by fear or insecurity.

You could live your entire life without knowing the balanced energy flow of the root chakra. If the energy is blocked at the root, the other chakras don’t get a fair chance to restore balance. Becoming aware of the grounding energy you receive from your root chakra could change your life in ways you didn’t know were possible.

Now you know the joys of an open root chakra, let’s see if you recognize any of the imbalanced root chakra signs.

Signs Of An Imbalanced Root Chakra

A root chakra imbalance can be debilitating in ways that you can’t recognize. You might have a blocked root chakra if you notice any of these physical or emotional symptoms.

If your nervous system is on high alert all the time – meaning you are always stressed out 👎 – I like to call this orange alert, root chakra opening can bring you back to a place of homeostasis. When you are opening root chakra, symptoms may occur and you might think that it’s stressing you out more, trust the process my love, all the chakras are here to support you. Let them.

Since the root chakra holds the kundalini serpent, it is the critical foundation on which the entire chakra system rests. If this energy center isn’t able to flow freely, then your kundalini serpent will have a harder time reaching those higher chakras, the sixth chakra (third eye chakra) and the seventh chakra (crown chakra). Which in turn makes it harder for them to bring energy back down to sacral chakra and root chakras and it becomes a vicious cycle😨.

Physical Symptoms of an Imbalanced Root Chakra

• Lower back pain
• Leg and foot problems
• Digestive issues (These are usually related to the solar plexus chakra but it is worth mentioning here)
• Immune system weakness
• Eating disorders

Emotional Symptoms of an Imbalanced Root Chakra

• Fear and anxiety. Root chakra fears and anxieties are related to your financial stability, your employment status, or your housing situation. These emotions could be debilitating and could manifest as panic attacks.
• Insecurity. You lack trust in yourself, others, and the world around you. This may show up in your life as constantly doubting your own decisions and abilities.
• Depression. You may feel disconnected from life and hopeless.
• Material obsession. To compensate for insecurity, you may notice a strong desire to seek validation through wealth or possessions.
• Resistance to change. Seeking the stability you crave, you prefer things to stay the same and maybe overreact to changes you weren’t expecting.
• Aggressiveness. You may more easily perceive threats to your security and react with irritability and anger.

Learn more about a blocked root chakra.

The chakra system is always seeking harmony. If the root chakra is out of balance – feeling unsafe and insecure – it will be difficult to address any of the other chakras and their potential imbalances. Yes, you can isolate and work with each chakra individually but it’s important to work with the seven main chakras as a whole system.

How To Open Muladhara Chakra

Root chakra energy is very grounded. Plants grow best when their roots can grow deeply and steadily into the ground. Imagine the root you have been growing your whole life. If you don’t have a good support underneath you, you can’t flourish- it’s time for some grounding exercises.

Meditation

Meditating on the root chakra area can open space for root chakra healing. The color of the root chakra is red. The seed sound or mantra is LAM. Using this color and sound in your daily meditation will connect you with the energy of this center. Visualize this energy center opening up.

If you prefer a guided meditation check this video out 👀

Yoga poses

Physical exercise and physical wellness are important as a general rule of thumb, exercise literally moves energy in your body. But there are specific root chakra poses you can do for this energy center. Try movement with your meditation with these root chakra yoga poses.

1. Balasana (Child’s pose) – When you are in this shape focus on the hips grounding down to stimulate root chakra healing
2. Malasana (Yogi Squat) – Squatting is something we don’t do enough of in our current culture but our bodies were made for it. See if you can find comfort here and connect to your roots.
3. Utkatasana (Chair pose) – Feel grounded in the thunderbolt shape. Connect to your core and legs here creating a stable foundation to support you.

4. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) – As you stand tall like a mountain feel grounded. Notice the energy flowing freely from the soles of the feet, up the front body and down the back body.

For a complete yoga guide to the chakra system check out the full 7-day challenge.

Pranayama (breathwork)

Prana, the life force energy within you, travels on the breath. If your goal is to stir up the root energy center, practicing your breathwork will send prana to the area and create shifts.

Box breathing can be a great technique:

• Inhale for a count of 3
• Hold for a count of 3
• Exhale for a count of 3
• Hold for a count of 3. Repeat. (note: you can count to whatever number you are most comfortable with as long as you aren’t straining yourself)

Crystals

Just like the human body has subtle energy centers, rocks and stones have vibrational energy centers that can help stimulate your spiritual energies.

Many stones have different effects on the subtle body. I recommend heading to your crystal collection (or the shop if need be) and grabbing the reddest stone calling your name.

The intention you set by seeking out the “right” crystal will lead you to the one you need. Use this stone as a symbol of your root chakra opening work. Carry it with you and keep it close during meditations.

Affirmations

Positive words are a shown way to make lasting changes. You want to try choosing affirmations meant to create root chakra-opening symptoms. Check out this article for more on root chakra affirmations.

Affirmations to create an opening in the root chakra might sound like “All my survival needs are being met” or “I am safe and grounded by my sense of stability.”

Essential oils

When we work with our energy system we want to use as many tools as we have available. Your sense of smell is so powerful that you wouldn’t want to leave it out of your spiritual growth plan!

When working with the Muladhara chakra, remember this chakra is at the base of the spine and is closest to the ground, representing the earth. To stimulate it choose bold earthy scents. My favorite choices for this chakra opening are:

• Patchouli
• Cedarwood
• Myrrh
• Frankincense

Root Chakra Opening Symptoms

The Muladhara chakra is the base holding up the chakra system. Before you try to work with the life energy from the high chakras, like the throat chakra or third eye chakra, it’s important you feel stable and secure in the root chakra.

So what are the symptoms as your root chakra opens? You will notice them in your physical body and in your mental health.

Mental Root Chakra Opening Symptoms

• Your survival needs are being met: Opening the root chakra will impact how you relate to everything else in your life. Once your root energy flows freely you will have a sense that your basic survival needs are being met. You nourish yourself better (begin healing an eating disorder), get better sleep, etc.
• You feel more safe and grounded: You feel more grounded and secure in your own skin. Your sense of safety will keep you warm inside. You will be comfortable in any situation that arises.
• You become more confident: You start feeling more confident and the low self-esteem from a blocked root chakra will begin to improve.

Physical Root Chakra Opening Symptoms

• Tingling sensation: When you first start work on opening root chakra you may notice a tingling sensation at the base of the spine. This is your awareness returning. This is very normal and a sign your intentions are working.
• Lower Body Connection: Unlike the crown chakra which is more outside the body, the physical root chakra opening symptoms will be felt in the entire lower body. You may notice your back and legs get stronger. You might even feel a better connection to the ground with your feet and legs.
• More Energy: You could find you start to have better sleep which also leads to increased energy and stamina in your physical body.

Keep in mind that no two people are the same, so you may experience these symptoms or experience something else entirely. Your healing is unique to YOU.

FAQ About Root Chakra Opening

What are the physical symptoms of a blocked root chakra?

When your root chakra is out of balance, you might notice lower back pain, digestive issues like tummy troubles, maybe leg or foot problems, and a general sense of fatigue and sluggishness. It’s like your body’s sending these signals that something’s off-kilter.

What does chakra opening feel like?

Opening a chakra can be quite a unique experience, and it varies from person to person. It might feel like a gentle tingling, warmth, or a little buzz around the area where that chakra is located. For the root chakra, it’s all about grounding, so you might sense a deeper connection to the Earth and an increased feeling of stability. It’s like getting your roots deep into the soil, feeling secure and balanced.

What are the emotional blockages of root chakra?

When your root chakra is blocked, emotionally, you can feel insecure, anxious, and fearful. It’s like constantly worrying about basic survival needs, such as money, shelter, or even your job. Trust issues can creep in, making it hard to rely on yourself or others. In essence, it’s like a cloud of unease and insecurity hanging over you.

Final Thoughts 

When the root chakra opens it allows you to feel secure and stable. This strong foundation is necessary to allow opening in the sacral chakra all the way up to the crown chakra. Of all the seven energy centers, root chakra opening is critical, allowing free-flowing energy to the other chakras.

If the chakras are something you are interested in learning more about, my 300/500-hour yoga teacher training offers extremely in-depth chakra training with the brilliant Anodea Judith Ph.D.

Now is the time to go forth and experience root chakra opening symptoms for yourself – FINALLY!