The Pandemic's Effects on the Root Chakra

For the first time in over a year, I am alone in my house. Our mackerel tabby cat is fast asleep on our couch. I can look out the window at my garden boxes without interruption and enjoy the deep green tips of my garlic plants. How is this possible? Since the pandemic began in March of 2020, either my two teenagers or my husband have been home with me. This week, the children went back to in-person school.

The silence is a treasure. With it comes the unwinding of tension from my emotional body. Although I have loved and would not give back that precious time of connection with my family, I crave solitude. It recharges my batteries. These windows (fenestrae!) of time help me process what I am experiencing. If you are an introvert also, you might recognize this need in yourself.

As April arrives with her bright sunshine here in the Pacific Northwest and the lockdown eases, we are called out to reconnect with the world. With more and more people receiving the vaccine, we have more freedom. One small thing I really appreciate is not having to follow the traffic arrows in the grocery store anymore. It's so nice to wander around the store as I please.

However, there remains an unwinding process of trauma as a result of this pandemic. Specifically, the pandemic has affected the root chakra. In my practice, I am seeing many people begin to release blocks held in the root chakra now that they have a chance to breathe.

The root chakra sits at the base of our tailbone. It is a ruby red color. If you could see it, it has four vortices that are often depicted as four flower petals. The root chakra supports the following physical structures of the body: spine, rectum, legs, bones, feet, and immune system. When the root chakra is healthy and balanced, we feel grounded, stable, abundant, safe, trusting, healthy, and balanced.

I'd like to highlight some of the major ways the pandemic has affected some of the issues governed by our root chakra.

Tribal belonging and sense of community. Through the root chakra, we develop a sense of belonging to our tribe and our community. This happens through experiences in our early childhood. The extreme sense of isolation many of us have felt due to social distancing, the loss of social activities, and time with friends and family has caused us to feel disconnected from our support systems. We may feel adrift at sea without our regular social touchstones.

Finances. Some of us have lost our jobs or wondered if our jobs will still be available. Fear that our basic needs of food and shelter may not be met can be terrifying.

Physical health. The root chakra supports all of the physical structures of our body—our bones, organs, nerves, skin, etc. In fact, the root chakra supports the bone marrow, which creates the white blood cells needed for a healthy immune system.

Addictions and compulsions. When the root chakra is compromised, the energy body looks for another way to ground and soothe itself. It can reach for drugs, unhealthy substances, and use maladaptive behaviors like gambling or overeating to cope. Usually, I see the third chakra trying to compensate for the grounding of the root chakra by cording to unhealthy substances and processes. This unhealthy compensation of the third chakra often causes digestive problems, like constipation.

Being organized. With the constant daily onslaught of changes throughout the pandemic, you may have felt unnerved and frustrated by the chaos surrounding you. Having to recalibrate and adjust so often and for such a long period of time is exhausting. A balanced root chakra helps create a balanced and organized life. During the pandemic, likely you've had to throw this idea out the window and focus on how you can simply make it through the next hour.

The fear spikes have been high and intense in 2020. The first chakra protects itself by closing up. Thus its healthy psychological functions are compromised. Over a long period of time, if the parts of the physical body governed by the root chakra do not receive the energy they need (spine, rectum, legs, bones, feet, and immune system), illness develops. Energy healing is wonderful preventive medicine. In addition, it can help you uncover and consciously change how you run negative patterns of energy in your body.

If you would like support for root chakra issues as you emerge and engage more in the world, consider booking an in-person or distance session with me: https://www.fenestraenergyhealing.com/book-online

Thanks for reading and I wish you a joyful April.

Many blessings,

Tuan Anh