The base chakra can be found at the very base of your spine, directly between your genitals and anus. This center of power is best visualized as a deep red orb that pulsates stability and steadfastness.

An open, balanced, and strong base chakra will allow you to feel centered in the moment, sure of yourself, grounded in your thoughts and emotions, physically healthy, and easily in touch with bodily bliss. Also this chakra must be healthy in order for the other main chakra points along your spine to experience optimal flow of life force; so the base is like the foundation of your chakra system in many ways.

If your base chakra is weak you may feel unhappy with your body size, often tired, indecisive, helpless, and out of control. On the other hand an overactive base can cause you to be irrationally stubborn and inflexible, and/or you may become enraged at the slightest provocation.

Balance is paramount when working with your chakras. You always the right amount of activity/energy flowing through each center; either too little or too much intensity in any chakra center will cause problems.

When thinking about or visualizing the base chakra, feel into the element of earth. In fact it may help to think of the stability of our planet beneath you. To ground yourself and keep the base chakra optimally open and balanced, use the following simple exercise.

Relax as completely as possible. Sit or stand with your spine completely straight and centered, and allow your body weight to rest perfectly at the base of your spine.

If standing you should feel your upper thighs begin to absorb your weight. If seated you’ll feel the pressure directly on your base chakra as you rest into it.

Once you are relaxed and straight, see your base chakra as a deep red, glowing orb. Breathe in deeply and slowly, imagining the deep red light filing your entire body.

Make no effort to force or rush your breath. Just allow it to enter your body and flow deep into your lungs. When your body is finished pulling air in allow the air to float softly out, making no effort to push it forth.

As you breathe imagine the deep red glow to cover your entire body and mind from the inside out. See the red fill the inside of your eyelids and feel it pulsating through your whole being; rest into the earth-like stability of this red energy.

Continue to breathe deeply and slowly. Think of a circular pattern.

Gently guide your breath in and down the front of your lungs. Then allow it to drift up and out the back of your lungs; so the air will enter and leave your lungs in a long, deep circular motion.

Don’t get hung up on either the color or the shape of your breathing. These visual aids are meant to help and support you, not frustrate or challenge you.

Enjoy this exercise for a few minutes. Then when you feel it is time to stop, do so.

This practice is great for any time you feel off center, angry with your body, out of control, or weak from the inside out. Understand also that you can and should perform this exercise spontaneously, and not just when something needs “fixing”.

But doing this meditation too often is just as bad as never doing it. Always remember to have a relaxed balance when working with your base chakra or any other part of your chakra system.

The base chakra, also called the first chakra, is located at the very bottom of your spine. This center opens downward and is said to connect you with direct earth energy.

Whether you believe in the conncetion to earth or not, just a little meditation and experimentation will reveal the deep connection between the base chakra and physical bliss, sexual impulses, basic security, and groundedness.

This chakra is the beginning of the journey in many ways. An acceptance of the relations here is necessary for a full immersion in the study of subtle energy.

A great way to center and open the base chakra is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands loosely by your sides. Bend your knees slightly and feel your weight sink into your thighs and down into your feet.

Cultivate the feeling of sinking into the earth, and open your self to the sensation of deep, red energy flowing up into and through the point in the base of your spine. Don’t push this, but rather be open to it and allow it to happen.

To learn more about the base chakra and other chakra points visit our complete Website.

Each major chakra has a color associated with it. The minor chakras may also have colors but I can’t say for sure because I don’t know.

It’s also worth pointing out that traditionalists and modernists have different opinions on the exact colors for the seven major chakras. This is perfectly fine, because true spiritual disciplines recognize the paradox of life:

It is entirely possible for two different realities to occupy the same space and time.

So don’t get hung up on descrepancies you might find while studying the chakra system. Just have fun and empower yourself.

Some healers I have spoken with even say you should let colors come to you intuitively and not worry about any color charts. This too makes a lot of sense.

But for purposes of this article, here is the color system I learned and still use with my chakra meditations:

Base Chakra - Red

Sacral Chakra - Orange

Solar Plexus Chakra - Yellow

Heart Chakra - Green

Throat Chakra - Blue

Third Eye Chakra - Indigo (think of a mixture of blue and purple)

Crown Charka - Purple

Note that different writings and teachers assign different values to each color; i.e. deep red, brilliant yellow, grass green, etc.

But you just need a basic color chart to start working. When you are visualizing your chakras or doing specific breathing/yoga exercises, visualize your body being filled with the appropriately colored energy; some students also imagine their breath is the given color and watch it come in and out with their meditation.

As with any subtle energy channeling, the way you respond to this will be an individual experience. And of course to learn more about the chakras visit our complete chakra system Website.