The Root Chakra and Its Red Color Meaning

Root Chakra - The First Chakra

When you first start learning about chakras, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. After all, the whole idea of chakras and energy healing can seem a little far out there, especially for some people who have never dealt with the subject before. While it is very real, it takes a bit of time for some individuals to connect. Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with that. In order to better understand your root chakra and the color associated with it, you have to first understand what it is and what it’s capable of doing for you. Only then will you truly be able to start noticing when that particular chakra is opening up for you.

Read on to learn about the first chakra, which is the root chakra, and discover why it’s associated with the color red.

What Is the Root Chakra?

Just as the name implies, the root chakra is the very root of all the other chakras in your body. As such, it has a direct impact on virtually everything that happens in your body, not to mention the way that you feel on a daily basis. It can affect how you feel both physically and emotionally. The root chakra is typically associated with your most basic needs, such as the need to feel safe, the need to be wanted and the desire to have your most basic needs of shelter, food and safety met. Of course, it also plays a very important role in your spiritual development because it helps you become more balanced. Once your basic needs for survival are met, the root chakra opens up even further, thereby allowing you to meet your needs on a deeper level.

Where Is It Located?

You can find your root chakra at the base of your spine. It’s in the same area as your tailbone. When you think about it, it makes sense that the very chakra that you use to stay grounded to the rest of the world would also be located at the base of your spine. You can think of your root chakra as the entryway for your body’s energy. Everything that comes into your body and everything that goes out of it goes through this gateway.

How Do You Know if Your Root Chakra Is Blocked?

Since the root chakra dictates energy associated with basic needs like survival, you are likely to notice that you have an abundance of fear if this particular chakra becomes blocked. You might even start to notice that you are having panic attacks when you haven’t had a history of them in the past or that you have a number of deep-seated fears running through your mind that aren’t typical for you. On the other hand, you might feel a general sense of anxiety or fear about the future. You may begin to fear for your safety or your well-being as it relates to those basic needs that are associated with the root chakra.

Signs and Symptoms to Look Out For

There are a number of psychological and physical symptoms associated with a root chakra that isn’t open and operating as it should be. On the psychological side of things, you may tend to lose trust in other people. A lot of individuals who have a root chakra that isn’t operating properly find that they are always worried about not having enough. It doesn’t matter if the subject in question is money, food or something else, there is a fear of not having enough of the things that matter most. This can cause a number of problems in various interpersonal relationships. It also manifests in a physical sense. Many people with a blocked root chakra either overeat or don’t eat enough. They may experience significant weight gain, even if they’re not eating more than usual. If your root chakra is blocked, you might also feel dizzy, have a lot of headaches and find it difficult to focus.

What Color Is Associated With the Root Chakra and Why?

Red color Muladhara chakra illustration

Red is the color that is always associated with the root chakra. If you stop and think about it, it is easy to understand why. In almost every culture, red is a symbol of vitality. After all, it is the same color as the very blood that runs through your veins as it gives you life. Red can also represent love and an innate passion for doing something. In a less direct sense, it may also represent a sense of protectiveness. You might have heard the phrase, “when someone gets angry, they see red.” Obviously, they don’t truly see a red color that just pops up in front of them, at least not in a physical sense. However, the color red is sometimes associated with anger, even rage. If you tone that down a little and temper it with love (also represented by the color red), it becomes easier to understand how this color can represent a sense of protectiveness for the people that you love.

When you consider the fact that the root chakra is the very base of all of your needs that must be met in order for you to grow physically, spiritually and emotionally, it only makes sense that red would be the color associated with it. Your root chakra gives you a sense of protection when it is operating properly. By the same token, it also allows you to grow emotionally and spiritually so that you can feel love and passion, provided that your basic needs have been met. As such, the root chakra represents many things. When you consider the fact that red can symbolize love, protectiveness, passion, life and even rage, it only makes sense that these two would go hand-in-hand.

How Do You Keep Your Root Chakra Balanced?

Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to keep your root chakra balanced. A good portion of it all involves learning how to better connect with nature. Of course, you can do that in the way that best suits your needs. For example, you might decide to plant flowers or go for a hike. By the same token, it’s just as effective to spend time sitting on your deck with a cup of coffee as you enjoy the sunset. While much of keeping your root chakra balanced involves being out and about in nature, it doesn’t end there. You can also open up your root chakra or keep it balanced by listening to music, meditating, and taking time for yourself each day. If there is a particular activity that makes you feel especially grounded, then it’s a good idea to participate in that activity. In the end, it’s all about learning to stay grounded as much as possible. This in turn allows you to make sure that your basic needs are being met and that you are subsequently becoming more adept at meeting your needs on an emotional and spiritual level.

What if You’re Still Struggling?

If you are doing all of the things mentioned in the above paragraph, yet you still feel like your root chakra isn’t fully open, it may be time to try measures that are a bit more involved. For example, you might decide to keep a journal that focuses specifically on helping you discover what you feel afraid of and why those fears are essentially dominating your life. If you can put it in writing, it often becomes far more clear. That gives you an opportunity to truly examine the cause of those fears and then find ways to work through them. If you’re not sure why you feel afraid, it’s very difficult to address the problem because you don’t know where it’s coming from in the first place. Last but certainly not least, you might try visualizing yourself without those fears. Visualization works when it comes to almost every chakra in your body, and the root chakra is no different. By simply visualizing what your life might be like without experiencing the fears that hold you back, you can go a long way toward beginning to identify and eliminate those fears.

Should You Expect to Completely Rid Yourself of Your Fears?

While you can certainly expect to dramatically reduce the amount of fear that you feel or even the frequency with which these feelings occur, you really shouldn’t expect to completely and permanently rid yourself of anything that makes you uncomfortable. The truth is, fear isn’t always a bad thing. It’s really more about the way that you deal with it. When you are in a situation that makes you somewhat fearful, such as when you’re trying something new that takes you outside of your comfort zone, it helps you grow. You end up being a stronger person for having accomplished it when it is all said and done. Sitting around and allowing your mind to race with one fear after another, without any basis in reality is another thing entirely. These are the types of fears that you need to eliminate because they serve no purpose other than to make your life miserable. By opening up your root chakra and ensuring that you keep it balanced, you can make these types of fears a thing of the past. By the way, it will also help you better handle the type of fear that comes with being outside of your comfort zone when you decide to break from your routine.

Muladhara root chakra symbols and meanings

How Will You Know When Your Root Chakra Starts Opening?

Remember, you have a tendency to feel more fear when your root chakra is blocked. Therefore, it only makes sense that you would also feel the exact opposite when it starts to open. As a result, you are likely to feel an overwhelming sense of courage. You might even start to feel bold enough to do things that you wouldn’t have likely done in the past. It’s also common for you to feel more secure as far as your safety and basic needs are concerned. Therefore, you might start to look for enlightenment on a higher level by pursuing things that help you grow emotionally and spiritually as opposed to worrying about the most basic of things on a daily basis.

Is It Possible to Heal Your Root Chakra?

As a matter of fact, it is possible to heal your root chakra and every other chakra in your body. It doesn’t typically happen in a single day, nor is it always easy. It requires effort and dedication on your part. If your root chakra isn’t open, it can cause a lot of discord in your life that manifests itself in different ways. Therefore, it’s vitally important to make sure that your root chakra is open and that you keep it that way. When your root chakra is open, you might feel a great deal of energy in the area near your tailbone. It’s also worth noting that you might feel this same sense of tingling or heat in your feet whenever your root chakra is opening. When you consider the fact that this is the chakra that keeps you grounded, it only makes sense that this would occur. Don’t be surprised if it tingles or if you experience a feeling of gentle heat in the area. That experience, coupled with newfound security and courage, is usually a good indication that your root chakra is finally open. Rest assured, if it closes in the future, it is possible to heal it and open it back up. You can refer back to the techniques that have already been discussed in order to accomplish that goal.

Choosing the Right Color Matters

If you need to heal your root chakra, you might try incorporating its color in conjunction with the techniques that have already been discussed in order to speed things along. As a result, it may be a good idea to wear a piece of jewelry that is red in color. You can also choose red clothing or place something red in a room. When you are visualizing yourself without your fears, you can even visualize the color red coming to sweep all of those fears away and make you strong enough and powerful enough to handle whatever life throws at you. It’s an effective technique because it allows you to visualize yourself in the environment you want to be in. Eventually, you create a muscle memory that changes the way that you think. This in turn changes the energy that you send out into the universe, thereby changing the type of energy that you’re also receiving.

Can an Open Root Chakra Give You More Self-Confidence?

There is no doubt that an open root chakra can help you feel more self-confidence and a greater sense of self-esteem. Unfortunately, people that don’t have a great deal of self-esteem usually find that their root chakra is blocked. The same is true of someone who suffers from a diminished sense of self-worth. This person may struggle to get along with others because they walk into a room immediately assuming that they won’t fit in to begin with. If you find yourself in a similar situation, work on the techniques that have been discussed herein. Doing so can help you open your root chakra. As previously mentioned, it’s also a good idea to wear something that is red in color or surround yourself with something red, as this can empower you to better connect with your root chakra. This in turn makes it easier to heal it and keep it open.

Final Thoughts on the Root Chakra

At the end of the day, it is important to remember that everyone experiences certain challenges when it comes to keeping all of their chakras open, including the root chakra. Even the most grounded individual is likely to experience times when it simply isn’t as open as it is at other times. By the same token, stressful situations that you have absolutely no control over can also affect your root chakra. If you’ve been through something that is extremely stressful, you might not be feeling as sure of yourself as you were before. This is especially true if the event you had no control over was life-changing. Even if you have always prided yourself on keeping your root chakra open, this is a time when it would be a good idea to practice exercises specifically designed to heal it and ensure that it is completely open. Otherwise, you could end up finding that it closes off a little more each day until you have to put in additional time and effort in order to get things back on track. Regardless of the situation, incorporating the color red into your routine can help keep things balanced.

If you want to learn more about chakra colors, here’s our complete guide on the seven chakras and their meanings.

Overview of the seven chakras and their meanings