Keeping your chakras healthy and functioning well will go a long way towards keeping you in great shape physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Here I help you assess the health of your base chakra and suggests ways you can strengthen it.

We all have our weaker and stronger chakras. Chakras may be overactive: too open or spinning too fast, or underactive: too closed or spinning too sluggishly.

Bear in mind that none of the chakras are more valuable than the others. People get confused by the terms ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ applied to the chakras- the Base chakra is every bit as important as the Crown! Their roles are distinct but equally vital. Your aim is to get all of your chakras working in harmony.

When you start to work on any one chakra you will probably find issues related to that chakra bubble up. This may not be a comfortable process, but it is your chance to look at & clear them. If things get too painful to handle by yourself please seek guidance from a skilled therapist or other professional who is well experienced in this kind of developmental work.

The three ‘Lower Chakras’, the base, sacral and solar plexus, help us to handle our daily life in the physical world. I would always suggest working with these three chakras in turn before going on to work with the higher chakras as those who neglect these three can become very ungrounded and find it hard to cope with everyday challenges. We start at the base as our foundation for physical health.

Base Chakra
The base, or root, chakra is our foundation for living and survival; it is located at the base of the spine at the perineum. This is the chakra that ties us into the physical plane of existence and acts as our anchor upon the Earth.

A healthy base chakra helps us keep our focus and sense of self, giving us a perspective on everything around us. It is our link with our past and our childhood. It is our ‘tribal’ chakra. Physically it relates to our physical structure, particularly the skeletal system and the way we move through our world. It is also the seat of passion at the immediate and instinctive level.

The root chakra gives us the fight or flight response which is controlled at a physical level by the adrenal glands. It helps us to manifest ideas into reality and anchors spiritual energies. A healthy base chakra can support us through times of change.

Potential signs of dysfunction
Underactive: Low energy, exhaustion, headaches, light-headedness, unfocussed, lack of motivation, fearfulness, insecurity
Overactive: Tension, over-excitability, restlessness, on edge, stress, angry outbursts, obsession, driven, risk-taking behaviour, volatility

Base Chakra Workout
Eat healthy, sustaining food
Take physical exercise that connects you to the planet such as walking or running
Take up gardening
Adopt a daily grounding routine
Find healthy outlets for build-up of energy- use a punchball or cushions if you need to work off aggression
Energetic passionate behaviour if circumstances allow!
Crystals: Use dark, grounding crystals & red crystals such as hematite, garnet and ruby

If you would like to study and work with your chakras in more depth I've found Liz Simpson's book 'Chakra Healing' to be very helpful. It is beautifully presented and a pleasure to engage with.