The 1st Chakra, Tribal Energy and What It Means for Health
Hello, I am Julie Donaldson and I am a clinical nutritionist with functional health training. I specialize in restoring balance in complex, chronic and acute health conditions. I welcome you to peruse other articles that may be of interest to you in your health investigation!
“I’m not going to lie! I was terrified to challenge the status quo of my own “tribe”. In the end, it was one of the most freeing things I’ve done in my whole life. Julie was right, and others began their own journeys alongside me. I eat and socialize with no anxiety, I speak what I need to speak, and because I do it respectfully, others follow suit. Bam!”
We’re going on a bit of a journey across the lines of energy, intrapersonal choice and health. Everything we do in life, including everything we feel and think (or don’t) affects our health. In talking about the 1st chakra, we are also talking about being part of a tribe. Most of us agree to tribal commands without much challenge or choice. When the family and community say “it’s this way”, that’s what we do. That often brings comfort in the knowledge that we will be accepted and kept safe by doing so. But I’m here to pose the question…is agreement with tribal energy really what’s best for us? Can our definition of “tribe” change to broaden across unfamiliar lines? What could this mean for having brilliant health?
Root/1st chakra
What is the 1st chakra?
“Chakra” is a Sanskrit word, which means “disk” or “wheel” and refers to the energy centers in your body. These wheels or disks of spinning energy each correspond to certain nerve bundles, organs and glands. In many traditions, the energies of the chakras are also aligned with spirituality. Here, we will focus primarily on the physical and mental/emotional expressions of the 1st chakra, which is also referred to as the root chakra.
The root chakra is the first of the seven chakras in the body. Located at the base of the spine, it is associated with the element of Earth and represents the foundation of our being. This chakra is responsible for grounding and stability, and it is the source of our physical energy and vitality.
It is closely related to our sense of safety and security, especially in relationship to our “tribe”. When it is balanced, we feel grounded and connected to the world around us. When it is blocked or imbalanced, we may feel anxious, fearful, and disconnected.
Physically, the 1st chakra is associated with the adrenal glands which produce adrenaline and cortisol, hormones that help us respond to stress. When the energy of the chakra is flowing properly, we are able to handle stress and challenges with greater ease. However, when this chakra is blocked, we may feel overwhelmed and unable to cope.
Why talk about chakras and energy?
Here, we are committed to all things health-related. The energies of your physical and mental/emotional/spiritual body are never separate, but always in unity. The understanding of our energies as a system, rooted like a tree and reaching up through base, trunk, branches, leaves and surrounding air contributes to supporting ourselves in a similar, refined progression of whole health. Chakral energy writings date back to between 1500 and 500 B.C.E. In ancient traditions and studies (like many things ancient), the quiet and slower pace of life allowed careful reflection and proof over time of discoveries quite profound for human knowledge. Think about some of the other ancient discoveries that have shaped life as we know it…paper, writing, concrete, and the concept of zero. (Chocolate is a fun one! It was cultivated by the ancients of Mesoamerica over 3,000 years ago)
And why talk specifically about the 1st chakra?
Well, they all matter. But here at True Nature, there is a big focus on foundation…without it, healing falters. This applies to energies as it applies to nutrition. We must secure ourselves from the bottom up, and many signs are pointing toward a loss of strength and security in our roots - we’ll cover much more of this ahead.
The 1st chakra also includes the legs and feet. These parts of our bodies are crucial to “grounding”, and the grounding of the feet and legs helps give energetic grounding to our psyches as well. When there is pain in the body, a smart therapist will begin at the feet, being sure all the tiny muscles are working in tandem, allowing the feet to contact the ground in a balanced fashion which allows natural, balanced rocking motion in the feet. This then translates up through the legs, hips, torso and shoulders. The frequent small-twitch activity of the leg muscles (in a moving body) feeds the rest of the body, including the heart, circulation and delivery of key nutrients (including cholesterol) throughout. This is all vital energy.
Let’s entertain more about the 1st chakra and tribal energy.
We’ll begin on a health-based topic. Do you know that a national nursing agency tracks the most-asked health questions by State?…how interesting is this? Look at the chart below.
Most popular health questions by State
This is simply fascinating. Health conditions don’t isolate in certain States, but questions about them do. All of these conditions exist everywhere in the United States. So, what drives this? It is postulated that conversation amongst communities is what drives it. That is tribal energy.
At our core, we humans are tribal. Our subconscious minds are bombarded with cues that identify who is “us” and “them.” Perceived similarities of status and values make it much more likely that we will connect and form lasting bonds with our fellows. Of course, these bonds have many positive aspects. They give us “assurance” of food, shelter and acceptance. (Assurance is in quotes because sometimes this is an illusion or something that can be taken away by life circumstances or unhealthy guardians.)
There is survival value in tribal bonding, ranging from groups in hunter-gatherer societies to modern day business organizations. Without organizing ourselves, it would be very difficult to adequately meet the constant challenges of life.
Other forms of experiencing “us” are ceremonies, music and sporting events, celebrations, school, work collaboration, religious gatherings, and yes, gossip. All of these can contribute to a person’s tribal energy. Researchers have observed that many people have shared muscle movements and facial expressions in these experiences that contribute to their sense of belonging.
But when does this very strong patterning go awry, becoming detrimental vs. supportive? The answer is, when an individual is constrained to think/feel/act in a personal way that benefits their individual well-being.
The negative effects of constrained tribal energy
Let’s talk about some of the most common forms of repression and constraint that occur in communities around 1st chakra energy.
Perhaps the 2 top most pervasive ones are food and emotions. I know you know exactly what I’m speaking of. I hear it constantly when a client is learning what they need to eat to heal health issues…”But what am I going to do around my family and friends??”. Of course the simple answer is “You’re going to do what you need to do and claim it with confidence and self-love”…but the reality is, the tribe is going to react. You’re not eating gluten? (you’re one of those), you’re not drinking? (you’re one of those), you have to have your meat? (you’re one of those), you won’t have any dessert? (you’re one of those) etc. Food is addictive to most people, and it is absolutely cultural…in the family culture, the friend culture, the national culture, etc. The rules are made early on and social gatherings always silently (or otherwise) imply that the rules will be followed.
Last week, I was in the sauna at my gym and a rather stressed out-looking woman came in to sit and began to chat with everyone…somehow the conversation turned to food and drink. She spoke of running “yoga and writing” retreats in Mexico and having just gotten back from one so stressed out because participants were asking about their food…”do your farmers use pesticides on the tomatoes”? (Mexico is known for pervasive pesticide use.) She called these people “food evalgelists”/”they drive me insane”, saying “they should just stay home” if they can’t eat the food they are provided. I could not believe my ears…this is supposed to be a retreat led by someone encouraging awareness and self exploration?! Just imagine the energy this was creating in front of her participants. Perhaps they can just have the right not to eat the tomatoes if they like?? This is just all too common, even in families.
On the topic of emotions, if you were raised in an environment where your feelings were accepted and listened to, you are most certainly unique and even more fortunate. Most families have strict guidelines around what emotions and words are allowed, and those guidelines are made very clear to us when we are very young. Certain ones (especially the “positive” ones), make for family identity & establish family credos. “In this family, we don’t use anger”, “In this family, we don’t talk about that”, etc. There is also ancestral energy that is often passed down, and often done so with secrecy and shame of what happened in those lives. This can be a very powerful force of negativity if not brought into awareness and given meaning that is useful. The family agreement to keep quiet about such things is tribal. These types of patterns lead to child repression, often producing kids who are ashamed of most of their experiences and may be inclined to withhold information about bullying, abuse or mental health stresses as a result.
Another very prevalent topic where tribal energies are extraordinarily strong is politics. We have become a culture of people dividing ourselves along this line - and if you are not in the right “camp”, you are not welcome in the tribe. I have just finished reading David Brooks’ book “How to Know a Person”. David is a career political analyst, and not one of a certain “camp”. He surveys and analyzes political behaviors and trends and his own personal politics cross all lines.
Politics, like religion, is an arena where people strive to “connect” and share tribal energy. Brooks has some profound things to say about where we are with all of this:
"The politics of recognition doesn't actually give you community and connection. People join partisan tribes, but they are not in fact meeting together, serving one another, befriending one another. Politics don't make you a better person; it's about outer agitation, not inner formation. Politics don't humanize...You may try to escape a world of isolation and moral meaninglessness, only to find yourself in the pulverizing destructiveness of the culture wars."
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"The politics of recognition doesn't actually give you community and connection. People join partisan tribes, but they are not in fact meeting together, serving one another, befriending one another. Politics don't make you a better person; it's about outer agitation, not inner formation. Politics don't humanize...You may try to escape a world of isolation and moral meaninglessness, only to find yourself in the pulverizing destructiveness of the culture wars." 〰️
These are such incredibly true words, and they describe the downfall of tribal expressions both for those seeking to hide in them and for those who are displaced to the outside of them.
Here is another discussion on how overdoing tribal conformity has a sigificant downside. Bill Bishop’s 2008 book, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart provides a data-rich analysis of how the drastic increase in high homophily (definition: “love of the same”) communities and social networks since the 1970’s are making it less and less likely that we’ll encounter, much less consider views that are different from our own. One of Bishop’s more sobering chapters, “The Psychology of the Tribe,” shows that when we are surrounded by people who agree with us, our views grow more unshakable and extreme. We tend to de-legitimize those who are different, eliminating troubling cognitive dissonance without considering the possible validity of competing ideas. Such groupthink is powerful for rallying action around a single idea, but it is terrible when we need to brainstorm novel solutions. That, of course, is the challenge of every business today. I posit it is also the challenge of every individual today. We are experiencing the death of “normal” and we are challenged to both define our beliefs and needs as well to respect others as they do the same.
The real focus of David Brooks’ book is that of listening and learning how to know who and where a person is. I love this statement from him: “Every person is a mystery.. And when you are surrounded by mysteries, as the saying goes, it’s best to live life in the form of a question.” Brooks has also stated “An insecure, self-protective world is a world with fewer questions”.
Let’s move into an associated negative impact of the tribal energy, and that is how it can set people up for the #1 most negative core belief. Again, here at True Nature, focus on our core beliefs and how they drive our thoughts, feelings and actions is key. Without attention to this, whole health can suffer. People spend copious amounts of time trying to “manage” what they can feel are negative thought patterns. But thoughts rarely change without a good, strong, foundational core belief to drive the change.
The core belief wheel
The #1 negative core belief held by many, many people is “I’m not good enough”. And if the tribe - whether it’s familial or cultural - is feeding back judgment and information that affirms this belief…it will be perpetually supported. The experience of having feelings shut down/denied is one way in which this is affirmed. Refusing to question and listen to another on their opinions and approaches to life is another.
Here is where health can be negatively impacted. Everything we experience mentally and emotionally is connected to our health. Your biography becomes your biology. This occurs when there is shaming or shutdown as well as when the tribe instructs you on how you should eat and what your lifestyle should be.
So, what are the solutions when we need both safety and freedom?
The answer to this question is literally “rooted” in a paradigm shift! When we begin to shift the narrative to one that allows questioning and mindfulness, we are on the road to bolstering awareness, curiosity, possibility and acceptance of ourselves as well as others.
What are the steps to create such a shift?
Be okay to be alone, first and foremost. If the tribe is triggering a lack of acceptance of any kind, your own empowered, safe space is best for you. To do this, you must question what “safety” is. It is not dependent upon others but rather upon ourselves and our connections with a force greater than ourselves. If you are bumping into challenges with your tribal definition and/or finding yourself more alone than connected, I recommend picking up the book “Belonging: Returning Ourselves Home” by Toko-Pa Turner. It is a brilliant and supportive book for turning “exile” of any kind (health or personal) into power and connection.
Observe your own mindlessness and shift into mindfulness. This involves “panning out”, if you will, taking steps back from whatever issue is at hand and looking at it with “witnessing” eyes rather than as if you are fully enmeshed in a problem. From here, begin to ask questions! - especially “what if”? and “how do I actually feel about this”? This is intrapersonal choice.
From Ellen Langer, PhD, a psychologist who studies and teaches mindful thinking, comes this statement:
“According to Quine, the greatest problem between people is the uncritical assumption of mutual understanding. I concur, and believe that this popular misunderstanding is largely a function of the mindless use of language. Casual communications tend to be perspective-free and value-hidden. We typically speak from a single perspective without cognizance of alternative perspectives, ignoring the richness of our language.”
Be aware of where “safety” lies for you. It is not dependent upon others or circumstances, but rather comes from within and from the unending powers of life and love.
Be aware of the need to honor others’ differences of perspective and opinion equally. If you would have it such that yours are honored, energy requires this be given back as well!
As you work with the last 2 points, you are developing skill to utilize the “both/and” approach. This is vs. the child-like approaches of “either/or” we were taught as children (and frequently continue to utilize throughout life). Therein lies the ability to be yourself and allow others to do the same, all the while you continue to perceive connection to your tribe.
Be sure to fine-tune your core belief about yourself in the world.
Utilize some or all of the following 8 statements to remind your energy system where it is rooted: (NOTE: #1 is particularly key, and is juxtaposed to the “fixed” energy of tribal programming which projects into both the past and the future)
I am rooted in the present moment
I am safe in my body
I am unique and independent
I am exactly where I am meant to be
I am anchored with my breath and self-knowing every morning when I wake
I am dynamic
I am loved and protected by life
I am grounded and whole
(A wonderful practice with utilizing these is to sit comfortably, close your eyes, tune into the very bottom of your spine, legs and feet, breathe deeply and give intention to the energies.)
All health, nutrition and lifestyle choices are yours to make for the benefit of your well-being. Seating yourself firmly in your choices becomes natural in due time and as you feel the effects of them. You might just also inspire someone else to do the same and help contribute to a world in which questions, self-empowerment, acceptance and individuality become the new norm of tribal communications!
For personal support and/or investigations, please write to me at Julie@truenaturehealthconsulting.com. We provide holistic telehealth services.