Chakra Yoga Series Part 1: Root Chakra

Returning to the Root: Exploring Grounded Presence in This Week’s Yoga Classes

This week in class, we slowed down.

Not because we were tired, not because we needed less, but to explore the root chakra, to reconnect to the earth and explore the power of this chakra in helping us step away from our thoughts, our to-do lists, and the constant forward pull of life.

We came back to the ground.

We explored the root chakra — Muladhara — the energetic centre associated with safety, stability and belonging. Located at the base of the spine and connected to the element of earth, it governs our sense of being supported, physically, emotionally and energetically. It’s associated with the colour red and is represented by a lotus flour with four petals.

And perhaps more importantly, it influences how safe our nervous system feels in the present moment.

Ground Before You Grow

There’s a quiet wisdom in starting at the root.

In yoga, we often speak of expansion — opening the heart, awakening insight, rising into expression. But growth without grounding can feel unsteady.

This week, we prioritised steadiness. We started at the pelvis, connecting to our root chakra with our pranayama (breath) our minds through visualization's and physical through our movement. In standing we pressed firmly through the feet, allowing the upper body to be soft and flowing, whilst the lower body was string and connected.

Simple things. Foundational things.

And yet they shift so much.

Safety Is a Felt Sense

When we focus on grounding practices, we are sending subtle cues of safety to the body.

The nervous system responds to rhythm, pressure, containment and connection to the earth. Longer exhales gently stimulate the parasympathetic response. Strong, steady postures build a quiet resilience.

In a world that constantly pulls our attention upward and outward, rooting down allows us to reconnect to what matters.

Working with the Earth Through Aroma

Alongside the physical practice, we also worked subtly with scent in my Tuesday Morning Ditchling class and post Wednesday evenings flow yoga.

Earthy essential oils can deepen the experience of grounding, offering an anchor through the breath. This week we explored vetiver and patchouli — both traditionally associated with root energy.

Vetiver has a deep, smoky, almost ancient aroma. It settles quickly in the body, centres and connects us to mother earth — calming, nourishing, relaxing the body and mind. Many people describe it as feeling like a weighted blanket for the nervous system, it’s also known as the King of Sleep!

Patchouli carries a warm, earthy scent that brings awareness back to the physical body. It can be especially supportive when we feel scattered or disconnected, gently grounding and stabalising the mind when overthinking and worry develop.

Used lightly and intentionally, scent becomes another pathway back to presence — not overpowering, simply supportive.

A Small Grounding Ritual You Can Try

If you’d like to work with root energy at home, try this:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Soften your knees slightly.

Scrunch and release your toes three times.
Imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet into the earth beneath you.

Take five slow breaths.
Let your exhale be longer than your inhale.

If you have vetiver or patchouli to hand, place a drop on a cotton pad or in a diffuser and allow the aroma to accompany your breath.

Notice what shifts.

Building Upwards: Next Week’s Theme

Having established steadiness at the root, next week we gently begin to move upward.

We’ll explore the sacral chakra — Svadhisthana — the centre of fluidity, creativity and emotional expression.

If the root asks, “Am I safe?”
The sacral chakra asks, “Can I feel?”

Our practice will soften, spiral and flow a little more. We’ll work with the element of water, inviting mobility into the hips and space into the lower belly. Where this week was about steadiness and containment, next week will be about permission — to move, to feel, to explore.

If you’ve been feeling unsteady, overwhelmed or disconnected from your body, this kind of themed, intentional practice can be profoundly regulating.

You don’t need to understand chakras to benefit. You simply need a willingness to arrive as you are and take from each practice what works for you.

And you are always welcome.

I run yoga classes and retreats across Sussex and Kent, blending my passion for yoga and aromatherapy to support you through life.