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Today, more and more of us are living fast-paced lives in which we feel constantly rushed, unbalanced and stressed.
This imbalance can lead to physical problems as well as psychological issues such as anxiety or depression.
Have you noticed yourself feeling an imbalance lately? Then yoga, and more specifically, root-chakra poses, might be the key to get you balanced again.
When I was dealing with a lot of stress, I tried everything I could find, from calming pills to expensive retreats, but it wasn’t until I tried root-chakra yoga, that my stress seemed to dissipate and I finally found some calmness.
Ever since then, this has been a big part of my life, so I wanted to share that with you!
What is the root chakra?
You have seven chakras in total, and they are the energy centers of your body.
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine, and it’s responsible for your connection to the Earth and to the physical world.
When one of your chakras is blocked, the energy can’t flow freely anymore, causing all kinds of problems.
The root chakra is your foundation, it is your connection to the earth and to stability.
When all is going well in your root chakra, you feel grounded, balanced and stable, and you have a sense of security and confidence.
But when your root chakra is imbalanced, you feel ungrounded, anxious and disconnected.
Together with the other chakras, it is responsible for your health and well-being.
While the other chakras affect your consciousness, your root chakra is responsible for your physical self.
A balanced root chakra will help you be healthy, happy, and grounded, whereas an unbalanced root chakra can lead to depression, illness, and an inability to cope with stress.
Your root chakra is at the very base of your spine and is the first of the seven chakras.
Why is the root chakra important?
As we mentioned before, the root chakra is pretty crucial for our well-being, so when it’s not working as it should, you can expect problems to arise.
If you feel constantly stressed, if you’re sick often or if you’re not as happy as you should be, it’s likely that something is wrong with your root chakra.
The root chakra is also the energy center that is related to your survival instincts.
This means that it is in charge of your fight-or-flight response, which is what happens when you feel threatened and your body prepares to defend itself.
When your root chakra is well balanced, your fight-or-flight response is controlled and well-timed, but when it’s unbalanced, you’re much more likely to feel attacked or threatened by things that aren’t actually dangerous.
The thing is, if you went through trauma at some point in your life that you haven’t worked through, it could be that this is still affecting your root chakra to this day.
This survival instinct can also be triggered by something else, like a bad relationship or a toxic friend, and the root chakra will respond by feeling threatened.
The good news is that you can work on your root chakra and get it back to balance.
There are many different ways to do this, but first, you need to figure out what exactly is wrong.
How do you know something is wrong with your root chakra?
If you think your root chakra is unbalanced, the first thing to do is to look at how you feel.
Do you feel constantly nervous or anxious? Are you easily angered or do you have trouble coping with stress?
Do you find yourself sick often? All of these are symptoms of an unbalanced root chakra.
Another way to know if your root chakra is imbalanced is to look at how you live your life.
Is your job or your living situation healthy for you?
Do you have a healthy social life? Do you have a connection to the earth? If you answered no to any of these questions, your root chakra might be in trouble.
The thing is because your energy flows continuously, and because the root chakra is the first of the chakras if there is a problem in this chakra, it will affect all other chakras.
In other words, you will not feel free in all your chakras until your root chakra can flow freely!
Now, to make it easier, here are a few symptoms that your root chakra might be blocked:
- anxiety
- constant fear
- panic attacks
- financial problems
- health issues, especially relating to your bladder, colon, and lower back
- aches and pains in your body that you can’t explain
- nightmares
Are you experiencing any of the above?
In that case, this article is perfect for you, it will teach you exactly what you need to release your root chakra.
What does yoga have to do with your root chakra?
While yoga postures are more than just a way to balance your root chakra, they are a great way to start.
When you are in a yoga pose, you are focused on your breath, your movement, and your thoughts, and this is exactly what you need to balance your root chakra.
When you’re in a yoga pose, you’re connecting to yourself and your body and you’re giving yourself the support you need to get through your day.
Yoga helps you to find the strength you need inside yourself and it teaches you to use it when you need it.
Also, yoga is a great way to connect with the earth, which can be especially helpful if you have trouble with this.
The thing is, there are numerous ways to balance the root chakra, but yoga is one of the most accessible, given that you can practice it by yourself at home, whenever you want.
For me, these yoga poses I’m about to show you were truly amazing. They changed my life, and I’m not even exaggerating.
Yoga poses to balance your root chakra
Yoga poses that are great for balancing your root chakra include seated forward folds, seated twists, and seated forward bends.
These poses help you to open up your hips and stretch out your lower back and pelvis, which is where your root chakra is.
Follow these poses with a seated meditation to help you find calmness and balance.
Of course, you can do it any way you please. You can practice all of these poses in a flow, you can pick a few of them if you are short on time, or you could practice yin yoga and hold only a few of these poses for a really long time.
That’s the beauty of yoga – there is no right or wrong way to do it.
If you are new to yoga, please don’t push yourself too much or try to do too many poses at once.
Start with just one pose and if you feel comfortable, move on to the next one. If you’re not feeling comfortable, take a break and try again later.
Don’t force anything – let your body take the time it needs to adjust itself and learn how to balance your root chakra.
Sometimes it takes a while for certain poses to click, so be patient and kind with yourself.
Now that we’ve got the introduction out of the way, let’s jump into the actual poses!
1) Sukhasana
Sukhasana or the seated pose is a simple and easy way to start balancing your root chakra.
It is one of the most basic seated postures, and it can be done anywhere.
Sukhasana has the added benefit of making you more grounded so you can handle stress better.
How to do it:
Sit on the floor with your legs crossed in front of you.
If you have bad knees, sit on a pad or a pillow.
Now: this one is essentially the most basic meditation pose, but it works really well.
I personally love starting out my yoga sessions in this pose, as it signals to my brain and body that it is time to relax and be still.
This pose will help you to calm down and feel more connected to your body so that you can find balance in your root chakra.
2) Balasana
Balasana, also known as child’s pose, is one of the most relaxing and calming yoga poses you can do.
It is great for releasing stress and calming the nervous system.
It is also very good for opening up your hips, so it is a great pose to do after the seated forward folds.
Balasana is a wonderful pose to do at the end of the day when you’ve had a long and tiring day, as it helps you to unwind and get ready for bed.
How to do it:
Start by kneeling on the floor and then move down, folding yourself in half so your head and torso are in a puddle and your arms are resting on the floor in front of you and your knees are touching behind you.
Personally, this is one of my favorite yoga poses ever.
I love doing this even outside of my yoga practice, when I’m reading in bed, for example.
Something about this pose just feels so safe and comforting.
I like to think of it as my little space to breathe and calm down, where I can release any stress I’ve been holding on to.
This pose is particularly good for releasing any tension from your lower back, which is a common problem area for many people.
3) Malasana
Malasana, or the yoga squat, is a great pose to do at any time during your practice.
It is very good for stretching out your hips and helping you to find some balance between your upper and lower body.
It is a great pose to do daily, as it doesn’t take much time and it is very relaxing.
How to do it:
From a squat, spread your knees as wide as you can with your feet planted between them.
If you have tight ankles, you can put a yoga mat or another soft surface underneath your heels to lift your feet off the ground.
Hold this pose for as long as you can, and afterward, sit in sukhasana (a seated pose) and rest.
Now: if you have problems with your root chakra, chances are your hips are tight.
This is because we tend to hold a lot of tension in our hips.
This position was mind-blowing to me – it felt as if all that tension could finally be let go.
The best part is that you don’t even have to go further than that – just this pose by itself is already great.
But if you want to, you can work on deepening it by leaning your upper body forward and gently placing your hands on the floor in front of you or even in a triangle shape.
This will put more stress on your hips and help them to open up even more.
I love doing this pose, and it has the added benefit of strengthening your ankle and hip mobility.
4) Uttanasana
Uttanasana, the yoga standing forward fold, is one of the most basic yoga postures and a very good one to do to start balancing your root chakra.
It is a calming pose that stretches out your lower back and hips, which is where your root chakra is.
How to do it:
Stand with your legs about hip-width apart. Then fold yourself over, bringing your torso down to your thighs.
Make sure to keep your back straight, and rest your hands on your legs or the floor.
You can also place your hands on your knees. Hold for a few breaths, then slowly bring your torso back up again.
If you aren’t very flexible, don’t worry, I’m not, either.
In that case, you can bend your knees as much as you need during this pose!
5) Mountain pose
Mountain pose is a common pose in yoga as it is used to transition from one pose to the next.
It can be used as its own pose, though, and it is very helpful in balancing your root chakra.
It is a very calming pose that will help you to stay grounded and find balance in your life.
How to do it:
Start by standing straight. You can bend your knees slightly, keeping your feet planted on the floor.
Then, bring your hands together in front of your chest, making sure that your palms are touching.
Hold for as long as you want.
Now, this pose is literally just standing there, but what’s important is how you approach it.
Make sure that you keep in mind how you are rooted to the Earth through your feet and how you are being grounded.
That’s how you balance your root chakra.
6) Sun Salutations
Sun salutations are a sequence of poses you can do at the beginning of your yoga practice to help you find calmness and balance.
They are great for balancing your root chakra as they help you to stay focused and grounded.
These are also very helpful if you’re new to yoga and are trying to figure out which poses are best for you. They are a great way to learn what different poses do and how they feel.
How to do it:
The sun salutation is a sequence of poses that you move through one at a time.
I’m not going to go into detail about all the different names for each pose, but I will tell you what each pose does for your root chakra.
Mountain pose: As explained above, this helps you to find balance and calmness. It’s also a great way to transition from one pose to the next.
Warrior 1: This is a good pose for building your body up, which is what we want in order to balance our root chakra. It’s also good for really focusing on your breathing and staying grounded.
Warrior 2: Another good pose for building up your body and staying grounded.
Extended side angle pose: This is a great pose for opening up the hips and easing any tension in them. It’s also great for helping you to focus on your breath and stay calm.
Standing forward fold: This pose is a good way to stretch out your body, which will help you to stay relaxed and calm. It’s also a good way to get some exercise during your yoga practice.
Plank pose: The plank pose helps you to build up your core muscles, which are very important for balancing the root chakra. It also helps you to focus on your breathing and stay calm.
Downward dog: This pose is great for stretching out your body and helping you to relax. It’s also great for building up your back muscles, which are important for balancing the root chakra.
Cobra pose: This is a good pose for opening up your chest and easing any tension there. It’s also good for building up your upper back muscles, which are important for balancing the root chakra.
Here is a quick rundown of an example sun salutation:
7) Anjaneyasana
The Anjaneyasana pose is a great pose for balancing your root chakra.
It stretches the iliopsoas muscle and the quads, which is really helpful in opening up your hips.
How to do it:
From standing, step one foot forward, and then lower the back knee to the ground, essentially in one big lunge.
Hold it for a few breaths and then switch sides.
8) Virabhadrasana
This is the Warrior two pose.
I already mentioned it in the sun salutations, but this warrior is known as the fierce warrior.
Now: when we are dealing with the root chakra, the center of security, then tapping into the fierce warrior within us will help us to get rid of the fear that is holding us back.
This pose will also help you to open up your hips and build up your upper body strength.
How to do it:
Get into a high lunge and then extend your arms out forward and back.
9) Bridge pose
Okay, this is undoubtedly one of my favorite poses, and something I would do throughout the day, as well.
The bridge pose is excellent for opening up the hips and really tapping into your pelvic floor.
It also helps you to connect to your breath, which is excellent for helping you to stay in control of your emotions.
How to do it:
Lie down on your back and then lift your hips up off of the ground.
Keep your feet together and then straighten out your arms next to you.
10) Ustrasana
This pose is known as the camel pose, and it’s excellent for bringing balance to the root chakra.
It helps you to open up the hips and stretch out your lower back.
It’s also good for opening up your chest and relieving tension in the shoulders.
How to do it:
From a kneeling position, lean back and grab onto your ankles. Hold that stretch for as long as you can.
If you can’t bend back that far, you can hold onto your back, instead.
11) Wide-legged forward fold
Forward folds are great for the root chakra, and this wide-legged version is even better.
It stretches out your hips and your lower back, and it’s a great way to relieve stress.
How to do it:
From standing, step your feet out wide and then fold forward.
Hold the stretch for as long as you can.
This will help you open up and it will also allow you to calm down.
12) Savasana
Last but not least, we have Savasana.
Savasana is a great option for ending any yoga practice, but you can also practice it throughout the day.
How to do it:
What you need to do for this pose is simple: you lay down on your back.
While doing so, feel the support of the ground beneath you, feel the weight of your body, and remember to be present and grounded in that moment.
Hold this pose for as long as you’d like!
Will you try them out?
Now that you’ve learned all about the different root-chakra yoga poses, are you going to give them a shot?
Trust me, they have changed my life and I am positive that they will change yours, too!
If you give them a try, let me know!