Instruction how to use this page:
Read the text and memorize the foot sole photo
at the end of the text there is a video of the guided meditation, use this the first couple of times until you have mastered the meditation and are able to do the full exercise in a minute or two
(if you rather watch a video instead of reading the text, scroll to the bottom and see the video)
Grounding the Root (Muladhara) Chakra is an essential meditation, for the body and mind.
Like a tree that is rooted in soil, we also need to connect with the Earth.
Grounding can be done energetically, by touching trees, walking barefoot, or doing meditation or yoga asanas.
I will share with you a grounding exercise that you will perform on your subtle (energy) body. Doing the exercise on a daily base will help you to prevent restlessness, feelings of insecurity, living in fear, and being short-tempered or reactive. Since I arrived first time on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, in April 2016 I walk around barefoot. In early 2021, I found myself experiencing more and more injuries and pain around my feet and legs. I was wondering and asking myself ‘why is this happening, what is the reason for this?’.
In June of 2021, I joined a Vipassana Meditation retreat, I started again experiencing problems with my legs and feet and then a feeling arose I should be doing grounding exercises, and that even tho knowing I walk barefoot, touch and hug trees, and still have problems until I got an insight during the retreat on how to ground myself better as I am now.
I got an insight - to a grounding exercise that would help me with grounding the subtle body in order to have benefits on the physical body. This would help me heal my feet, legs, knees, and kidneys. It would bring me more safety, security, and rest.
And so I did, I started getting information on how to do that.
Grounding the Muladhara chakra energetically will have an effect on the physical body.
The subtle body is where the chakras are located.
Like a tree
Your physical body is similar to a tree. Your legs are like the roots, your hips and core like the trunk, and your arms and head like the branches.
When tree roots are weak, the tree is weak. And everything above the roots is affected. When the roots are strong and firm, then everything above is aligned and healthy.
When we are properly grounded – standing strong, firm, and connected to the earth like a tree – it is much more difficult to lose our sense of security and balance. When others project their fears or insecurities onto us, we are less likely to become ungrounded or uprooted because we are more connected to our sense of self (our core), which empowers and gives us strength to trust in ourselves, our beliefs, our needs, etc.
The wind can blow as hard as it wants, when we are firmly rooted it has no effect. The same goes for us humans when it comes to projections from others. These projections are sure to blow our way, day in and day out, but, as long as we remain grounded, they cannot sway our personal balance or sense of self-assurance.
To make yourself stronger than you are now, ground yourself daily! Shoot energetical roots out from under your feet, down into the ground. As you become more attuned with your connection to the earth, you will notice yourself standing more firmly on the ground, and projections from outside yourself will have less of an effect on how you feel within.
It’s not possible to be completely immune to feeling triggered or affected by the outside world. If and when something does get to you within, try using the mindfulness technique while meditating. This will help you to make note of what is happening within you so that you can simply make note of it, acknowledge it and let it pass away.
The Exercise
You can do this exercise from anywhere. You don’t need to be directly connected to the earth itself. This can be done indoors (at home, in an apartment, in a skyscraper tower, or even while you are on a flight) or outside in the garden, at a park, on the beach, etc. When you visualize roots going through everything below you, into the ground, then you become energetically connected to the ground beneath you.
You can do the meditation seated or standing. I personally prefer to be seated when I take 15 minutes for it, when I am in a rush and experience that I go faster as I would like to then I will stop and do it while standing in a minute or so.
The more you practice the easier it will go and you will be able to do the short version while standing.
After taking off your shoes, place your feet apart.
Stamp 2-3 times firmly on the surface so that you can feel the ground underneath you.
Bring your thoughts and attention to both of your feet at the same time. If you can’t concentrate on both, start with one foot and then the other.
For this exercise, we divide the sole of your foot into 4 points (see photo).
We connect points 1,2 and 3 to the ground.
Then we connect 1,2,3 with point 4.
After this, we connect point 4 to the perineum.
The perineum is the area between the genitals and the anus.
This is where the Muladhara chakra is located.
After you have stamped your feet, bring your thoughts to the left foot in point 1.
You should feel a sensation as you concentrate on this area in your thoughts.
The sensation can be heat or maybe tingling. When you feel a sensation now visualize that you have a root coming out of point 1 down in the ground, how deep? Endless.
Now you proceed to point 2 and repeat the steps from point 1.
After point 2, you go to point 3 and repeat the steps.
Once you have rooted points 1, 2, and 3 in the ground. Now bring your awareness to point 4. Feel as what you did in the previous points, you have a sensation?
Now connect points 1 to 4, 2 to 4, and 3 to 4. You can do this by pulling strings from these points to the 4.
Now bring your mind to your perineum, which is the little part of skin we have between the genitals and anus. When you feel an arousing of energy in the perineum, now you connect point 4 to here.
You can make the connection by visualizing that there is a string going from point 4 to the perineum. It might happen that you will see color, that is good. If you don't see a color, don't be hard on yourself, keep practicing and it will happen. (If you see something that makes you uncomfortable, please share it with me, it would be my pleasure to guide you through it)
After you’ve done your left leg, repeat the exercise with your right leg. If you are able to do both feet at the same time, please do so.
Try doing this exercise daily, when you have mastered it and you are able to do both feet at same time within a minute or so. Than it will fulfill to do it daily short. When you want to experience the meditation to the fullest, I'd suggest to do the full meditation.
Do this exercise every morning before you leave your house and ready to go out in the public, you’ll notice yourself becoming more rested, you’ll have fewer problems with your legs and feet, and your kidneys will also feel less tension which positively affects your ability to manage feelings of insecurity and fear.
After you have done this exercise for at least 3 weeks and are able to speed up the process, you can do the follow-up exercise.
If you find yourself struggling to experience sensations in the body, or if you’re not able to bring your awareness to each point, try the Body Scan meditation first. This might give you more clarity and understanding of how sensations can be felt in the body.
Follow Up Exercise
After you have the grounding exercise under control and are able to shoot roots in the ground from all six points as soon as you think of them, all while connecting the four points to the perineum, then you might be ready to continue on to this follow-up exercise.
Place your mind, your focus, on your adrenal glands. They are located on your kidneys. Then connect the adrenal gland to the perineum. If you are able to do both at the same time, please do so. If not, first connect the one and then the other.
After doing this, remain focused on this connection for some time: the 6 points in the ground, the 6 connected to point 4, point 4 connected to the perineum, and the adrenals connected to the perineum.
Now bring your awareness to the perineum and visualize one large root growing out into the ground.
Keep standing in this position for as long as it feels comfortable for you.
2. Guided Meditation
3. Watch video instead reading text