Chakra Anatomy Series - Root

1st Chakra - Root

Western Anatomy:

This chakra is loacted at the base of the spine, consisting mainly of the pelvic floor but extends as far up as the first three vertebrae. It includes the perineum, and extends down to the legs and feet. It's meaning can be translated as "Root-Support". The root chakra corresponds to our sense of smell. Smells, entering the nostrils, are directed to the olfactory bulb, the region of the brain that both analyzes smell AND handles memory and emotion. There is even a connection between the olfactory nerves and the amygdala, the "ancient" part of the brain that encases our most primal instincts of fear, survival and security.

Eastern Energetics:

This chakra governs our rootedness to mother Earth energetically holding us to the ground. This chakra encases our most primal instincts of fear, survival, security and belonging and develops in infancy and childhood. How safe you felt as a child directly impacts the functioning of this chakra. Our ability to accept abundance is directly affected by clearing the blockages within this chakra. "I have the right to exist simply because I was born."

East meets West:

The connection of smell to the root chakra brings everything into one flowing system: the root chakra--> smell--> memory/emotion--> primal instincts. The perineum physiologically houses the rectum and urethra, the orifices of elimination. Energetically, the root chakra serves the same function, allowing for the shedding of toxic energies.