“He tina ki runga, he tamore ki raro. In order to flourish above, one must be firmly rooted below.” ~Maori proverb

To be “rooted”, is to tap into the energy of the first chakra, Muladhara, meaning “base support”. Muladhara energy represents the support system of all the other chakras and the energy that anchors us to this world. This energy is stable and grounding. Muladhara is the ground we stand on, it is what we call home and how we feel safe, connected and nurtured. This is the energy that gives us roots to form the strong relationship that defines our sense of Self and our ability to feel we have and are enough.

Rooted Yoga is built on the foundation of embracing that energy, like a bulb that is planted, giving our practice a space that allows energetic nourishment to move through your being so that you may be anchored, connected and completely fed mentally, physically and spriritually.

Affirmations for this energy: “I have enough” “My needs are met” “I am enough”

Postures to tap into this energy: Malasana (yogi squat), letting the tailbone be heavy. Ananda Balasans (happy baby), finding length and perhaps rocking to massage the first chakra energy. Balasana (child’s pose), sense of being held by the earth, feeling loved and needs being met as you are held here.

Our first chakra, Muladhara, our energy of being rooted, is the polar opposite of the crown chakra, Sahasrara. In Taoist tradition this is the link between yin and yang, feminine and masculine, night and day, receiving and giving. The root system of this energy center sits at the base of the spine, and this center that runs up from here, our central channel, called Sushumna, floods our being with electrical energy, fluid and nutrients, along the length of the spine, and into the brain and organs. Think of this as the ultimate way of feeling rooted in your being and fed by that energetically.

Finding our roots firmly below so that we may flourish above.