One of the main aims of crystal healing is to keep your energy flow, or chi, in balance. Each of the chakras has its own distinct functions, and a blockage manifests in various ways. The root chakra is also known as the base chakra, and is located at the base of your spine. It's also called the base chakra and it is what connects our souls to the earth. Think of the Root Chakra as having an invisible cord, securing us here like a string attached to a helium balloon. Blockages in the root chakra can leave you feeling drained, hopeless, distrustful, and anxious. Here’s how to cleanse and clear this negative energy with special root chakra stones.

What is the root chakra?

The root chakra, also known as the base chakra or Muladhara, is located at the base of the spine, and it is represented by the colour red. It is responsible for you feeling grounded, withstanding challenges, and trust. Your natural fight or flight response is administered largely by your root chakra as it's your body's centre of security.

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Signs of a balanced root chakra

A person with a balanced root chakra generally exudes a grounded energy:

• They have a very in-the-moment sort of presence about them.
• They're confident, but without showing off or seeming like they're trying to prove a point to anyone.
• They are passionate about their heart’s desires without being ruled by their emotions.
• They have a healthy outlook on life.
• They have the faith that regardless of what happens in their life, they're going to be okay.

Signs of a blocked root chakra

When an energy centre is blocked, the flow is suppressed, meaning that the client is experiencing less of what the energy centre would provide in its optimally balanced state. A blocked root chakra manifests in the following ways:

• They have a sense that something or someone is out to get them.
• They may be overly humble and apologetic.
• They feel they experience bad luck and repeated loss, and sometimes feel like constant victims.
• They have feelings of unworthiness, and have limited hope for the future.
• They feel drained and trapped in their circumstances.
• They have an overall sense of mistrust and lack of confidence.
• They are anxious, worried, and tend to overthink things.
• They may have a low libido or other sexual dysfunction.
• In severe cases, they may be completely hopeless and feel like there is no future.

RELATED READING: 11 Healing Crystals for Anxiety

How does a root chakra get blocked?

The root chakra usually becomes blacked in one of three ways:

• A series of traumatic events: Over time, traumatic events lead the person to believe that they have no power. Over time this can become a core belief, in turn attracting more negative experiences through the law of attraction. Childhood bullying is almost always present in one form or another in the event of a blocked root chakra.
• An isolated traumatic event: This can cause a blocked root chakra, especially if the person didn’t receive any support. At some point, they accepted that nobody was going to come and save them, which initiated the belief that people cannot be trusted. An example would be sexual abuse during childhood. They would have felt like the people who were meant to keep them safe had failed to do so, and this can set the scene for a lack of trust. Note that when processing trauma it is a good idea to also seek out the help of a medical professional such as a therapist or psychiatrist.
• Learnt behaviour: If you were raised in a household of extreme pessimism or high levels of anxiety, you may have learnt that behaviour as the accepted norm for everyday living. In cases like this, breaking free from the cycle of the blocked Root Chakra may be incredibly challenging.

Overactive root chakra

While a blocked root chakra has its own difficulties, an overactive root chakra can also have negative impacts on someone’s life. A person with an overactive root chakra may be fidgety, irritable and defensive. They might quibble about unimportant things, gossip, and lie. An overactive root chakra practically always has a core initiator, usually in some form of abandonment. Examples of abandonment could include a parent walking out when you were a child, or a marriage or a relationship coming to an end.

Best root chakra healing stones

There are three root chakra balancing crystals that can help restore balance: red jasper, lava or basalt, and smoky quartz.

Red Jasper

Red Jasper is commonly referred to as the Nurturer’s Stone or the Supreme Nurturer. It is often overlooked because it is relatively plain-looking compared to brighter, more colourful crystals, but it's a very valuable crystal to have in your crystal healing toolkit.

Red Jasper is an excellent grounding stone, and it has the following effects:

• It immediately lowers stress levels and anxiety and brings about a sense of calm.
• It can help to build confidence, endurance, patience and understanding to better cope with facing a particularly challenging period.
• Red jasper helps to build a sense of belief in yourself.
• It helps in overcoming deep-seated challenges and making peace with the past.
• It helps to resolve a low libido (a common symptom of a blocked Root Chakra), and is excellent in the support of sexual abuse, body shame, and sexual dysfunction.
• The stone is particularly ideal for aura cleansing and stabilising.
• It alleviates body circulatory concerns.
• It can help when working through destructive patterns such as drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and unhealthy relationships with sex.

How to use red jasper to unblock the root chakra

There are a few ways you can use red jasper:

• Placing a stone in each hand to enter a peaceful, calm state.
• Lie down and place a stone over the root chakra.lie still for about 5-10 minutes.
• Place a piece of red jasper in between your feet to centre your energy.
• If you have a red jasper orb, rest your palms on top of it to help ground you.

Red jasper’s zodiac association

The zodiac associations for red jasper are aries – the sign that's all about resilience and new beginnings – and the deeply emotional water sign, Scorpio, known for bringing to light that which is dark.

Red jasper mohs hardness

The mohs hardness for Red Jasper is seven, which makes it quite a strong stone.

Red jasper’s planetary association

Ray Jasper is associated with Mars, the planet of desire, energy, war, assertion, action, anger, and passion. There are a lot of intense emotions associated with red jasper, which is what makes it the perfect choice for releasing deeply rooted emotions such as hurt, pain, hatred, and fear.

Smokey Quartz

Smokey Quartz has amazing healing and cleansing properties, and is an excellent choice for a number of reasons:

• It's an amazing grounding stone.
• It’s a fantastic choice for releasing negative energy from your auric field.
• It's great for releasing bodily congestion in the lower parts of the anatomy and excellent at alleviating physical discomfort, especially in the hands and in the feet.
• You can use it to restore energy levels after recuperating from illness, or when undergoing energy sapping radiation therapy like chemotherapy.
• It can help you recuperate from a traumatic event by clearing and rebalancing energy flow.
• This stone is also excellent for releasing negative energy, including painful, heavy emotions such as grief, anger, fear, and jealousy.

How to use smoky quartz to balance the root chakra

• Place a pointed piece of smoky quartz between the feet directed away from the body to clear negative energy.
• Smoky quartz is a fantastic meditation aid that helps you into a blissful state. You can either hold a piece of smoky quartz or wear a bracelet or necklace made of the crystal.
• Place a stone directly over the root chakra while you lie down for 10-15 minutes.

Lava

Lava is a really popular stone for many different reasons, but it's especially helpful for clearing blockages in the root chakra and grounding you. It is also known as lava rock or basalt and it is formed when molten lava solidifies after conditions of intense heat and pressure.

Lava is a wonderfully calming and centering stone, and it has the following effects:

• It immediately grounds you to Mother Earth.
• It alleviates the feeling of jitteriness, vertigo, and confusion.
• It calms the mind.
• It helps you sink into a harmonious sense of Zen.

How to use lava for a blocked root chakra

• Place a piece of Lava on your forehead to calm a busy mind and ease into deep, grounded relaxation.
• Hold a piece of lava in each hand while meditating, to ease down.
• Lie down and place it on the root chakra area, which is the lower abdomen, to instantly calm anxiety.

Lava zodiac association

Lava is associated with the zodiac signs Taurus and Cancer, which is a beautiful fusion of grounding earth energy from Taurus and the emotionally fluid water energy from Cancer.

Mohs hardness of lava

Lava might appear quite brittle, yet it has a Mohs hardness of six.

Numeric association of lava

It vibrates to the energy number of one, which is ultimately peaceful as it brings the beginnings of new energy.

Additional ways to balance the Root Chakra

Diet to balance the root chakra

When it comes to food that stimulates your root chakra, the focus is on root vegetables like beetroot, carrots, onions, garlic, and radishes. Additionally, you can stimulate your Root Chakra by eating foods rich in protein like eggs, peanut butter, beans, tofu, soy products, and lean meat.

Sounds to balance the root chakra

Sound carries frequency, and the human body consists largely of water. Therefore, it is influenced differently by certain sound frequencies as it absorbs them. Tones in 432 hertz stimulate the Root Chakra and bring your entire being into balance. You can find these sounds online for free.

Exercise to balance the root chakra

Fantastic exercise choices for the root chakra are any exercises that balance you. Yoga is excellent for this and so is Tai Chi and meditation.

Root chakra affirmations

The two perfect affirmations for the root chakra rebalancing are:

• ‘I am grounded.’
• ‘I am safe.’

Repeat these affirmations as you go about your day. You can also write these down in strategic places that you notice them.

Want to learn more about crystal healing?

The Upskillist online crystal healing course will provide you with the skills and confidence to provide crystal healing session that covers a vast array of avenues, including chakra balancing, aura cleansing and overcoming emotional trauma, disappointment and hurt. You’ll also learn how to run a successful crystal healing practice to forge a new life using this powerful, ancient energy management skill.