I use the Chakras to understand myself at a deeper level and to coach my clients to better understand why their pain WON’T GO AWAY.
Our body is energy. We breathe, eat, and sleep to gain energy. Our body then uses that energy through metabolism and circulation. The nervous system sends messages back and forth between the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves using energy. This energy needs to flow freely within the body. Chakras are where energy is concentrated or focused within the body and are aligned anatomically with clusters of nerves (plexuses) and the vital organs that are using much of the energy (like your heart and lungs).
Chakras are where the energy of body, mind, and spirit merge and interact. For me this means that sensations in an area of the body, like pain, are consistent with specific emotional and spiritual life challenges.
Chakras are organized developmentally from bottom to top in that we must learn specific life lessons and move through specific emotions to evolve as a person.
1st = Root Chakra
This energy center is located at the base of the spine and it associated with where you make contact with the earth. So sensations from the feet up to the pelvis are associated with the root chakra, i.e. toes, feet, knees, hips, large bones of the body, and also the immune system.
The first sensation that you needed to feel as an infant was safety. If you are not safe, you are afraid. So the most common energetic block associated with the 1st chakra is FEAR.
What are you afraid of? Sometimes we have fear that we are not even aware of. It can come from how you were treated as a child or trauma that you experienced. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find the fear. But the one that I see and is more evident for people to understand is the FEAR associated with CHANGE. When I dig into a client’s story, their pain started with a big change in their life. Now not all change is bad, it just brings UNKNOWN and a certain level of fear. So getting a new job or retiring from a job you loved can create fear. MOVING, whether to a new city or to a new house can cause fear. Relationship change: becoming married, divorced or widowed or becoming an empty-nester is a big change. Financial change…either having MORE or LESS money can create stress. The fear can also be about knowing that you need to make the change and NOT doing it. You want to leave your current job, but afraid to leave. You want to get out of a relationship but again, afraid.
Feet hurt? Maybe you feel stuck in a situation, kind of like your feet are stuck in mud. You may know deep down what you need to do, but you can’t make the move to make the CHANGE.
Knees feel stiff? Fear paralyzes you and your joints. So your joints, especially of the legs become stiff.
Hamstrings tight? This may be the resistance to change that is happening or resistance in making the change you need to make.
Hip pain? Maybe you’re holding on too tightly to the way things used to be.
So how do you create more balance and flow of energy through your chakras? AWARENESS is the first step. I cannot say this enough. Create a practice of listening to your body, mind, and spirit. Now that you understand more about how FEAR affects the lower part of your body, notice when you feel the stiffness or pain. Notice when you have a sense of fear. Notice when you feel resistance to the change that is happening. Can you relate what you feel in your body to what you also think and feel emotionally or to a habit of thought and/or behavior?
If you are not sure how to work on the mind and spirit, then work on the body. Connect to your body! Use gentle movement of the feet, knees, hips and low back with awareness and compassion to get energy flowing again. Nourish your body with healthy food. Pay attention to how food makes you feel. Take a walk outside or through the woods. The Root Chakra connects you to and loves the earth.
You can use my Gentle Movement Video as a place to get started moving with awareness and compassion.
Namaste,
Stephanie