4 Ways Your Students can Balance their Root Chakra (Muladhara)
Many people struggle with an imbalanced first charka. The first chakra is like a gate for the other energy centers and it must stay in equilibrium. Root Charka’s Sanskrit name is Muladhara. The word ‘Mula’ means root and ‘Adhara’ means foundation. Therefore, Muladhara is the core foundation of our spiritual development. The ultimate goal of every yogi is to open and utilize the Root Chakra. It is the base camp of the ultimate summit – human consciousness.
The Root Chakra is the first important wheel of the energy of the seven inner chakras of the human body. Chakras are like “spinning wheels” of energy. Each chakra contributes to a part of our subtle body. Chakras are also associated with specific organs. The Root Chakra is associated with the adrenal gland.
Location: Root Charka is located at the absolute end of the spinal column. The first piece of the spinal cord is the Coccyx which is right above the Root Chakra.
As you probably already know, muscles can’t grow if they receive subpar training. If you really want to make your calves stand-out, you must start training them the way you train your back or chest: fresh, from every angle, and to complete exhaustion. This location of the body is also the home for Kundalini Shakti, which in Hinduism means Devine Energy. The Root Chakra is part of the Lower Three Chakras who are considered masculine; they call us to action; they also help to ground us and are usually concerned with issues in the material world. Root Chakra is the energy center for the blood, bladder, kidneys, male reproductive organs, and feet.
Problems with the Root Chakra
When people experience and overactive Root Chakra, they can be bossy, domineering, egoistic, greedy, and even violent.
When people experience an underactive Root Chakra, they can be uninvolved sexuality, disinterested of intimacy, inadequate with slow cognitive functions, often frustrated, fearful and even deeply depressed.
When people have a balanced Root Chakra, they are approachable, grounded, with a sense of belonging, trusting and independent.
Here are a few notes on how you can recognize the behavior of unbalanced Root Chakra. The typical signs of unbalanced Root Chakra are to be often afraid, very self-protective and overreactive, replaying the “what if” scenario, and easily feeding the feeling of fear with imaginative problems and a multitude of bad variation scenarios. Generally, when we are afraid, we live in our heads. Our minds create re-run on most decisions and we portray mistakes from the past. We disconnect from what is happening in the present moment. Our connection to inner-self and intuition is lost. To regain equilibrium, yoga teaches us drawing our attention out of our heads and down into our bodies. Yoga also works to move energy in our body even when we are not focusing on it. When we recognize that we need to work on aligning a particular charka, certain yoga poses to help.
hen training your calves, throw conventional rep ranges out the window. I never do less than 20 reps per set when I train my calves. Usually, I aim for 25-30 reps.
4 Simple Postures for the Root Chakra
Easy Seated Pose (Sukhasana)
Tip for students: “Bring awareness to the bottom of the spine as chanting with deep breaths. Imagine a beaming red light coming from the bottom of your body and spreading upwards towards every corner of your body. Chant confidently, loudly. Hold in a meditative state for as long a desired, but attempt at least 5-10min, 3/day every day for 7 days. Chanting can be Oam or a self-loving chant of choice. Music can be played from the many free options on YouTube of Aum Chanting. Best is to focus on own voice and chant.”
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Tip for students: “As you stand, play with shifting your weight off-center. Lean forward, back, then to the right, and the left. Find the place where your weight is evenly distributed, focus on that place of equilibrium. Remember it. Come back to it. Rely on it. Trust it. Love it. Gift it with love and energy. Cherish your ability to balance with grace. Firmly press your weight into the earth, even spread your toes and imagine how you are rooted deeply. Pretend you a tree that no one can move. Pretend that no wind, no rain, no sun…no storm can move the balance of your roots.”
Standing Wide Leg Forward Fold
Tip for students: “Take a wider step and slowly, breath by breath overcoming fear and vulnerability, with a flat back, gaze forward, dive down chin pointing to the ground. Take at least five deep breaths into the pose. When you come out of the pose, hold your hips with your hands, press into the earth with your feet, and rise with a long flat spine with a flat back slowly. Repeat every day. Trust you balance when you press your feet. With time this pose will improve more and more.”
Seated One Leg Head to Knee Forward Fold (Janu Sirsasana)
Tip for students: “Before getting into this pose, do a sit-up using momentum. When doing the sit-up, do it with a big inhalation. Wiggle hips right and left a few times, even lift them as if you are trying to pull them away from the body and sit on the hip bones firmly. Be confident. Grab the toes with 1st, 2nd and 3rd fingers. Pull the belly button to your spine and with an exhale, and without bending knees, touch elbows to the floor on both sides of your legs, chin facing forward, and place head on legs (if possible). Stay for 20 seconds. Grow into it. This pose is a challenge even for advanced students. Be confident and know that repetition is the mother of success. ”
Fitness is not about being better than someone else… IT IS ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN YOU USED TO BE.
— Gordon Slanquit, Personal Trainer Association
When you’re finished with your workout, hang from a pull-up bar and simply relax. Then, walk on the treadmill or outside for about 15 minutes to improve circulation and ensure that your arms recover adequately.
Do this routine two to three days a week, but vary the volume of sets based on feel.
But, don’t stop after the workout ends. Use your arms throughout the day: make a fist, lift objects, glove up and hit a bag, carry your office bag with your grip, not your shoulder.
Here’s how it works:
Perform the first three moves one after another (Handstand Pushup Hold, Pledge Plank, Barbell Curl).
Rest 45-60 seconds between exercises.
That’s one set. Do up to 5-8 sets of these. Then, move on to the final two moves. Complete as many sets as possible with 30 seconds rest maximum. “You go until your form breaks, meaning you have nothing left”