The Root: Where Philosophy Meets the Body

Over the next seven weeks in class, we are exploring the chakras not as something mystical or abstract, but as a way of understanding the body more clearly.

What fascinates me most is how the themes in yoga philosophy mirror what physically happens in the body.

The root chakra is located at the base of the spine, the part of us that literally supports everything above it. It makes sense that it is associated with safety and stability.

If the base is unstable, everything above it compensates.

You see this physically all the time. When someone does not feel steady through their feet, their shoulders tighten. Their jaw grips. Their breath shortens.

When the foundation feels supported, the rest of the body can soften.

Your feet and your sense of safety are more connected than you might think.

Moving Forward Requires Safety

If I do not feel safe, I hesitate to move forward.

That is true emotionally and it is true physically.

The knees move us forward. The legs step us into the future. If the base feels shaky, the body resists movement.

Root work asks:

Can I trust the ground beneath me?
Can I move forward without bracing?

Letting Go Without Shame

The lower body is also where we eliminate waste.

We let go through the base of the body.

Energetically, the root is connected to our ability to release what we no longer need without shame and without panic.

Release is not collapse.
Release is not failure.

It is a natural human process.

Just like breathing in and breathing out.

Stop Fighting Gravity

If someone fights gravity, they exhaust themselves.

If someone fights reality, they exhaust themselves.

Root work is learning to stop fighting the ground and let it hold you.

In practice this week, we emphasized:

• Slow transitions
• Long holds
• Pressing through the heels
• Grounded warrior shapes
• Squat and forward folds
• Stability before expression

Not to become rigid, but to become supported.

Rigid is fear-based control.
Support is embodied structure.

A Final Reflection

You do not have to adopt any belief system for this to be meaningful.

We are not replacing faith.
We are not asking you to subscribe to anything.

We are simply using these themes as a lens to better understand the body.

When the foundation feels steady, everything else can rise naturally.

And that is where we begin.