The root is about safety and survival, which is essential for any healthy, thriving life. Therefore, we must create stability in the root before we can express ourselves through the other chakras in an aligned and authentic way. Exploring the root chakra in my practice helps many of my clients understand why they are prone to specific health issues. Physical conditions associated with the root usually result from confusion about what is safe and what is not. For example, when someone is complaining of anxiety with no identifiable source, their body is giving them physiological cues that they are not safe, an indication that there is work to be done in the root. The immune system is one of the physical body’s best means of protection, so imbalances in the root chakra can also contribute to a dysfunctional immune system. Allergies and autoimmune conditions are physiological expressions of an immune system that is confused about what is harmful and what is not. Rather than limiting its efforts to attacking foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses inside the body, the immune system reacts to the environment—or in the case of autoimmune conditions, the body itself. While all of these health issues can be improved with lifestyle changes, nutrient supplementation, and medications, exploring and supporting the root chakra is integral to sustainable healing. For example, an authentic desire for a toddler may be the preference for apple juice over orange. One morning, the coffee shop is sold out of apple juice, so the parent gives them orange. When the toddler throws a tantrum among a crowd full of people to express their unmet desire, the parent becomes embarrassed and frustrated. During this early phase of life, children are highly sensitive to the feelings and energy of others, so the toddler may feel the parents frustration and respond by suppressing their desire in service of secure attachment. Some version of this has happened to all of us as young children and we learned to compromise our less critical (yet authentic) needs or desires to secure attachment and survive. The misunderstanding that it is not safe to express oneself authentically is the foundation for dis-ease of the physical and subtle bodies. Eastern philosophy threads through all of Matluck’s work. Combining over a decade of experience working in conventional and alternative medicine, she brings a truly holistic lens to medicine, addressing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual obstacles to health. Prior to opening a private practice in New York City, Matluck spent eight years at One Medical Group and has delivered onsite wellness workshops at countless prominent companies. She is also the founder of Seven Senses, where she leads transformational wellness experiences throughout the world.
