The Muladhara chakra is our foundation chakra. We often go through our ‘yogic’ life, do our yoga and our meditation, but without conscious effort and directed intention, so our chakras and their imbalances can remain largely unchanged. It is also said to be a centre of rhythm - so things like walking and drumming are said to be very good to establishing balance and regulation in this centre.

In life, our foundations are our core principles, our moral values. They are your feeling of security in yourself and the material world around you, which leads to a sense of deep trust that everything is OK (regardless of circumstances). In essence this chakra is about your security - including money, abundance, shelter, food and your trust in the world and people around you.

Foundations, by their very nature need to be strong, secure, balanced and stable. This is what we are aiming to generate by working with the base centre. When working with the chakras it pays to be honest with yourself. Our top tip for working with the chakras is to keep a journal for the next few months to chart your journey through your chakras.

Muladhara Chakra - Annie Jones
Join Annie as she takes you through a simple series of movements which are aimed at creating a sense of connectedness with the earth.

In addition to this short video, here are some other yoga and meditation techniques which will support the base centre:

• Earth meditation by Andrew Wells
• Locust pose - from Easing Back Pain, class 3 
• Bridge pose
• Simple runner (illiopsoas stretch)
• Butterfly (adductor stretch)

Muladhara - base centre

1. Mula = root and adhara  = support. This means this chakra is the root from which we take our energetic and spiritual nourishment as well as therefore being the support upon which the chakra system is based.
2. The colour of the chakra is said to be a ruby red. Symbolically it also has an associated colour and shape; a yellow square.
3. Connected with the earth element - therefore ‘mother earth’ the one who provides us with energy and food.
4. It is said to represent our unconscious mind.
5. It is associated with the sense of smell.
6. The guardian is Ganesh (the elephant headed god who is said to remove our obstacles).
7. Mantra or seed sound is ‘LAM’.
8. Positive and balanced qualities include: innate joy, simplicity, purity, integrity, vitality, vigour, growth, security, trust, connected to friends and family.
9. Unbalanced qualities: greed, self-centredness, laziness, inertia, domination of physical desires, negativity, insecurity, fear, paranoia, issues with food intake and diet.