Q. What is the Root Chakra?

A. The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine (remember: the Chakras go up along the spine along what is known as the cerebrospinal complex, and the Root Chakra is located at its base). The Root Chakra is the first of the seven Chakras to develop, and is therefore connected to our feelings of foundation and security. It is also about our sense of trust and faith, both in people and in and our environment. In the first seven years of our life we are dependent on the people who are our caretakers. If we are well-supported during that time of our life, our foundation develops strongly too; our connection to the larger world comes from a space of strength and from a sense of trust. It is like building a house: if the foundation isn’t firm or strong, whatever edifice you build on it will never be steady or secure. It will never be a home you will be happy to live in.

Q. What does someone with a balanced Root Chakra look like?

A. A balanced or aligned Root Chakra will reflect a person who has a strong sense of self. Someone with a strong foundation has a good and easy relationship with the people around them because they are strong within themselves and they know who they are – they are on solid ground. Conversely, someone who doesn’t have those traits will reflect the lack of a strong or balanced Root Chakra. Perhaps they are not sure of themselves, or feel constantly insecure or shaky – their very foundations aren’t strong. When our insecurities are influenced or set off easily, it suggests an imbalanced Root Chakra.

Q. I would like to balance my Root Chakra. How do I know which piece of Chakra by Piya jewellery to choose?

A. Within Chakra by Piya’s jewellery there are four specific collections that can help us balance the Root Chakra. So one thing we can do is to look at what the Root Chakra is showing to us when we try and connect to it. Where is the imbalance coming from? Is it a lack of assurance about ourselves, our environment, or other things? That is where we can concentrate on and then choose the right collection that can help with what we have discovered. For example, if it is about outward expression one could choose the Naadi collection. And if it is about inner balance, one could choose the Mantra collection. By investigating what is specifically causing the imbalance and then choosing the appropriate collection, one can also take personal responsibility, which helps us feel secure and lets us bridge what is ailing us. We can discover this either by using meditations provided by Chakra by Piya (coming soon!) or through our own gradual recognition of our sense of self. But all of this change requires effort, and Chakra by Piya’s pieces help facilitate whichever path is chosen by helping balance the energy of our Root Chakra.

Q. What else can I do to balance or strengthen my Root Chakra?

A. Going to a park is an excellent way to help balance the Root Chakra, because it is all about grounding. Walking barefoot on the grass, or at the beach, helps ground us. Being around nature in general always helps, because it is about our connection to the larger world in its truer form. So being around nature is a form of grounding and connecting to the earth, and is a great way to help strengthen the Root Chakra.

Q. Does an unbalanced Root Chakra affect my stress and anxiety?

A. Absolutely! An imbalanced Root Chakra definitely can create a lot of stress and anxiety within a person. When we don’t feel sure about who we are, or about our place, or about our connection with other people and the world at large, we tend to want to be in control so we can feel safe. Rather than knowing that we are safe, we exert control, which creates a lot of anxiety. It also creates a lot of mental and emotional energy where there is agitation, blame, judgment, guilt – and all of these things affect the Root Chakra.

Q. Does the Root Chakra also affect our ability to trust?

A. Absolutely. The Root Chakra is part of where we get our sense of security from, and whether we feel we are safe. As I mentioned earlier, the first seven years of our lives is when our Root Chakra develops. Those years consist almost exclusively of your parents and your immediate family. How you feel about them, and your sense of self in relation to them, affects who you are both on a ‘personality’ level and a spiritual level. That is where the trust comes in: if in that period of time we feel secure and safe, we carry it with us throughout our life, because then it is well-developed and our foundation is strong.

Q. What does it mean when to know when I am safe? How does that work?

A. It’s like a child jumping off a sofa because he knows his father is going to catch him. A child can do that because their Root Chakra is developing during the first seven years of their life, so there is a certain level of trust by default. But it might get either compromised or strengthened in time. When we can take that leap of faith in any situation in life – in other words, when we are willing to take risks and you are willing to trust – that is when we know our Root Chakra is strong.

Q. How can I be that way as an adult, though?

A. The first step would be to start trusting ourselves. To know and remember that there is an energy that supports the whole universe – because we live in a cosmos, not in chaos – and everything is interconnected and supported. When we know that there is an underlying divinity or sacredness to every aspect – even if it is an intellectual understanding – we can start having faith in ourselves. We have to start trusting ourselves knowing that we are always supported, taken care of, and not alone; to remember that we are being guided and possess intuition. As adults we sometimes don’t have the guidance we need. The Chakra by Piya jewellery will help us anchor that energy and allow us to open up to being guided.

Dhiraj Nainani is a writer currently pursuing his PhD. His present Chakra Focus is the Mantra Throat Chakra. For him, the journey has been all about letting go of fears and having lots of fun. In doing so, he is learning to speak his truth in all its authenticity.