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The Chakras are spiritual, energy centers located within the body. It is based on an ancient Vedic, East-Indian system that has its roots in ancient India with over thousands of years of development, including the oral tradition. Along with Ayurveda, which is an ancient holistic system of healing the mind, body and spirit, addressing the healthy balance and flow of these spiritual centers bring about a happy and well-adjusted human being.

In my own study and practice of the above, I have found it remarkable in how it correlates with other religious, philosphical systems, such as Kabbalah, which has its roots in Hebrew mysticism and is based on what is called the 'Tree of Life'. In fact, many of the other great spiritual systems of the world have their own version of this 'Tree of Life' and the body's spiritual centers, including Buddhism, Nordic religion (paganism), and Christianity.

These teachings quite literally refer to the human body and the spiritual centers as a 'Tree of Life'. In fact, most often, all of creation is viewed as such, from the microcosm to the macrocosm. In Eastern philosophy, which is the focus of this article, the Muladhara root Chakra rests near the base of the spine, and it is called 'Foundation'. As an interesting note of interest, in Kabbalah the root Chakra or, Sepheroth on the 'Tree of Life', is called 'Kingdom'.

There are seven main Chakras or spiritual centers. When they are all healthy and working together, the result is a balanced and happy individual who is in tune with themelves, others and the universe. When the Chakras are imbalanced, or unhealthy, this affects the well-being of the person and can manifest through physical and mental health illnesses. If just one of the Chakras is blocked or out of balance, it affects all of the other Chakras.

For the purpose of this article I will begin with the 'root' chakra, which is the very roots of our 'Tree'. The Muladhara root Chakra is just that -- the foundation of our lives and how it was nurtured or not nurtured in our beginnings definitely affects whether we thrive or not in life. If it is out of balance or blocked, everything else will be affected. It quite literally reflects our early patterns and beliefs that were laid down early in our lives, primarily as children, such as our sense of belonging and being loved and secure.

I feel that I should pause here and give a brief history of my interest in the Chakras and why I was drawn to it. It stems from an experience I had almost thirty years ago that I finally realized over a decade later what it all meant. I had what is called a 'Kundulini' awakening. Nothing at the time could explain what happened to me. There was no literature available, or religious, spiritual leader that I knew at the time could could explain it or guide me. It was through self-discovery that I came to realize what it was. I always called it my 'Light' experience. I had no other way of describing it, other than it being quite profound and life-changing. This was before most people in the United States knew what 'Chakra' or 'Kundulini' meant, or it became popular.

As a therapist I incorporated Chakra healing into my practice when I thought it would be beneficial to my clients and they were receptive to it, with some good results. I also have used Kabbalah and Tarot in conjunction when appropriate, as they all tie in together effectively as a form of self discovery and guidance. In this entire process, my own personal healing was progressing also, since my 'foundation', my own childhood had been marred, disrupted and blocked due to abuse, neglect and abandonment. It was a long journey to healing my Muladhara Chakra and it is still something I need to continue to work on and maintain.

Now, back to my explanation of the Muladhara root Chakra. A part of healing the Chakras involves color therapy, which I was already familiar with when I had used it for my mother who had brain surgery and other patients with seemingly positive results. The root Chakra's natural, healthy color is red. The Chakras are all part of the aura that is given off in color vibrations. Something that I was able to 'see' for a long period of my life but seem to have lost the ability. I still can access it however, when the conditions are right. It seems like it was dependent on certain conditions being met that I was going through at the time, which made me more sensitive to seeing auras through opening up the third-eye Chakra. A death in the family triggered it I believe with the experience of seeing the 'aura' or astral body of the person as swirling colors in the corner of the room, upon the instant of their dying. I was not alone in this experience, as my daughter saw it also.

For the sake of focus, I do not want to get off track or go into other tangents too much, but everyone's natural Chakra colors vary, but a healthy Chakra is generally the color that the Chakra is meant to be, or, a variation of that color. That color is affected depending on the balance or imbalance of that Chakra. Color therapy is one of the main ways that is utilized in healing Chakras, among other things. Sound also is a healing medium as each Chakra corresponds to a primal vibration that represents it.

People who read auras can see the energy colors radiating outward around the person from each Chakra and usually can tell the condition of others health and their own health this way through seeing their own aura, which I have been able to do with myself. The use of various rocks and crystals can also be part of the healing process. There are stones, crystals and mineral rocks that correspond and complement each Chakra. Since my root and heart Chakra were blocked/imbalanced several years ago, a rose quartz rock actually presented itself to me one day where I was living back then, in a canyon. It was just waiting there for me one day in my yard after a storm had unearthed it. This is an example of how what we need presents itself to us and is often right in front of us. I still have and cherish that rose quartz. I keep it by my bed and sometimes under my pillow.

Our root, Muladhara Chakra also represents our connection to the earth, and the four elements are within this Chakra. It is in the Muladhara root Chakra that our orientation toward life begins to form at a very early age from the beginning, even prior to birth. It's interesting at this point to think about how we react and express ourselves. This is often mainly through one, or a combination of the four elements. Do you express yourself mainly through the element of air and the intellect? Or, is it through the earth and sensation. Perhaps it's mainly through emotion, which is the element of water. Or, fire -- intuitive and impulsive? There is probably one of these that is stronger than the others and this means that you need balancing with the other elements in how you express yourself.

I was always more of a fire way of reacting, which meant I have strong intuition but respond reactively, sometimes impulsively and was quick to anger. I burned myself out young having this imbalance through driving myself hard, but working on balancing these elements within me has helped me a lot through increasing my energy and better health. Sadly, I always felt like I had to be perfect and that then maybe I would be worthy of love. I know now that I'm worthy of love as everyone is but due to my Muladhara root Chakra being imbalanced I was forever seeking that foundation and belonging that I never had as a child.

I don't generally like to talk about myself too much, but I feel that bringing my own personal experiences into my writing will help readers understand and relate to what I'm saying. I developed a system of balancing and healing the Chakras which has helped me and others. Each Chakra influences the surrounding areas of the body where they are located. The root Chakra influences the organs of elimination, thighs, legs and feet. An imbalance of this Chakra can cause sciatica and a tendency toward foot issues. Muscle tension is common.

Briefly, my treatment recommendation involves keeping a journal and recording dreams for starters. Dreams are often an avenue for our higher selves and the Divine to communicate with us. They also often represent and symbolize our deeper feelings and needs. It's important to write a dream and its details down upon awakening. Sometimes dreams can be disturbing as repressed feelings and memories may begin to surface. It's important to have someone you can talk to if this happens, or, if it is getting too intense, sometimes a break is in order.

I also recommend creative endeavors, or hobbies, such as photography, art, writing and music. Wherever your interest lies the most, the important thing is that a channel of expression for your root Chakra, inner child and creative side be allowed to flow. I use poetry writing with my clients as I find it to be an excellent channel of expression and communication. Also, pay attention to colors around you and your preferences of color. What colors do you think you need more of in your surroundings to feel balanced? Red is the natural color for the root Chakra but there are many tones of red. Do you need more of an earthy rust-red to ground you, or, perhaps a more briliant red for more energy. Rose quartz is a good one for soothing the root Chakra.

Bath mineral salts and soaks are beneficial. A few drops of rose oil, or sandlewood oil are excellent for root Chakra balancing. Be sure that you don't have any allergies to them as I found out I do if I use too much. Never use essences of oil directly on your skin but they should always be diluted and organic as that is most free of chemicals and other contaminents. They're great for burning in an oil burner also. Jojoba oil is a great base oil to place it in. You can also just simmer water on the stove with a few drops of the rose or sandlewood oil in it.

Exercise is vital, and taking a class of some kind such as dance or Yoga is recommended. Also, possibly a class for a creative pursuit such as painting or writing. Yoga and dancing are both wonderful for opening up the root Chakra. A class is also beneficial for socializing with others in a positive way through common interests. A sport is beneficial too, as long as you're getting out, exercising and socializing. Horse-back riding is wonderful and you're also hopefully bonding with a horse, which I had the gift of being able to, and it was an amazing, healing connection. Horses are amazing therapy animals. Any pet can be also, so maybe consider a pet such as a cat or dog if you don't have one already.

Then, there's meditation for the healing of the root Chakra. I found what most helped me is guided meditation. Youtube has a lot to choose from for healing your inner child. You can look up one for whatever ailment is bothering you. I found this worked better than self-guided meditation because my mind is too active and distractable. The deep breathing works wonders too. Your body and your Inner Child will feel more calm when you're breathing in a relaxed and positive way. A lot of it has to do with our breathing because when we are agitated, our breathing is affected with a 'fight or flight' response. So remember to 'keep breathing' calmly and peacefully. Find a good 'mantra' that works for you! Mine is "You are enough!" Since I never felt that I was good enough, this was very beneficial. It's kind of like redoing the hardwiring that was programmed into us as children. It can be done! Love yourself and know that you are wonderful just for being you and as you are now. That is an excellent foundation to begin with!

Detoxing your body is critical for healing. Eat organic as much as possibe, avoiding all processed foods. Be sure to get enough sleep for your needs and don't overdo any one thing. Eliminate sugar, which is a huge culprit for health. Remember that balance in all things is the key, and always be 'mindful' and aware of your inner workings and your outer reactions. Self-awareness is important to healing. If anyone ever needs professional help, there's no shame in that. I have a list of references posted for this. I just highly recommend that you check out the reviews of anyone before using them. The important thing is to never give up and to be patient, gentle and loving toward yourself and others. You never know what others have been through either.

(c) 2018 Karen Eisenlord

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