Muladara, also known as the root Chakra, reflects the foundation from which we can build upon, in our practice and in our lives. One thing that I am leery of is connecting the Chakras to stages of development. If we are intent on healing ourself, then pointing fingers at our upbringing seems to relinquish our responsibility to self.
I could be wrong, but I am going to steer away from pointing that finger. I am an adult and the mother of 4 adult children, so if I do go that route then I would have to pick up the responsibility for the choices of my adult children. I had a fellow parent tell me one time, "We take to much credit for our children's success and way to much blame for their poor choices."
It was when I stopped playing that blame game that I was able to begin to heal and find my footing. Parenting is no easy task, and like yoga there is no one right way to raise your children, each child comes with a whole different set of guidelines and you as a parent come with a whole set of baggage. Once I was able to relinquished control I then begin to find my footing and get rid of some of my baggage. This self healing, this new awareness, was not just a gift to me but to my children.
The first Chakra is our need and our desire to survive, Our right to be here!. We have all heard of the fight or flight response, our intuitive drive to increase our energy level to deal with a perceived threat or to decrease our energy levels to avoid a threat. This can at times go into over drive if you do not feel safe., Your first Chakra energy can become deficient or runs into overdrive as your boundaries become to tight or nonexistent. It takes a sufficient amount of energy, or confidence to set up healthy boundaries.
My boundaries associated around my healing ankle, the parameter with in which I feel safe allowing anyone near it, is much smaller. Understandable as there is not just fear associated with the memory of the pain I felt, but I am feeling very protective of it. As I am slowly able to put weight on it and play with its range of motion, as it heals, those boundaries will expand. I could spend the rest of my life protecting my ankle based on a fear of injuring it again, or I can begin to trust in my ability. My right to be here, where ever that may be! (back out on a scuba boat, which I am looking forward to)
It will begin slowly as I safely am able to put weight on it, and eventually I will feel a little more confident in the ability of my ankle to do its job, to keep me grounded and rooted. My job on an emotional level is to work on creating a safe and focused environment and that means getting focused on purpose.
One of my teachers sent me this quote by Mahatma Gandhi"To believe in something and not to live it is dishonest."
I can say with all honesty I have been practicing, compassion, contentment, stillness, all the things I have been blogging about in the past few weeks. I know that as I come back to my mat, my physical practice is going to present a whole new set of challenges. My physical practice will be a strong reminder to create as well as maintain balance. Strengthening my left, my ability to nurture my self, to match the right, my ability to take care of everyone else, and thru all of this create a stronger foundation upon which to continue my growth.
As you come to the mat today, set an intention be mindful of your foundation. Your foundation is any part of your body that is making contact with the earth. Notice the difference between the perameter of your foundation, is there an equal and balanced energy exchange into the earth. Feel the support of the earth beneath you, of your body.
Notice where your foundation is in need of attention. When you standing, feel the weight evenly distributed between all four corners, shifting the weight forward, backward and to the sides then find a place where you can root down thru the heal an spread the weight thru spread toes.
Notice as the knees become your foundation, are you able to share the weight of the body thru to the tops of the feet so that the knees are not taking the full force of the pose. How does this shift your foundation?
Notice your hands, are the fingers spread wide, are you able to comfortably root down thur heal of the hand and out thru the fingers.
Are able to spread your roots, your foundation in a safe and effective manner to provide a safe place to build upon?
As you begin to leave the mat, set an intention to observe your foundation, the way you walk, the way you make contact with the earth. As you stand, as you move thru your life, do you move with confidence, with purpose. Be mindful of your foundation, notice any feeling that come up as you begin to bring awareness to your support system with in your physical body. How is it reflective of the support you give yourself, thru your job, activities and people you surround yourself with.
Do you sometimes feel as if you are standing on shaky ground, that you slipped up, walked upon, standing tall. These are soulful metaphors reflective of the energetic feelings of Muldadhara, root Chakra. Think of these as your "abllist" or "diablist"
Walk Tall,
land feet first,
You had better pull your socks up
run like the wind
jumping for joy
legs to stand on
legs were rubber
These re just a few Soulful metaphors that may come to mind, you may even have a few of your own reflecting the current state of muladara. these are helpful for me. Even after studying the Chakras for several years, I struggle sometimes in relaying the message and sometimes even fully grasping the content. My hope is in sharing my new and every growing understanding of the Chakras, it will help me in my practice of master so that I can speak, see and share authentically the healing properties of opening up the Chakras.
See you on the mat!
Have any Soulfull Metaphors or "Ablist" or "Disablist" you would like to share reflective of Muladara? Please share!