THE HEART OR ANAHATA CHAKRA
The heart chakra or “Anahata” in Sanskrit which means “unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten”, is located between your nipples at armpit level.
The heart chakra is extremely important in one’s spiritual growth, as it links one selft to the universal love, compassion, and beauty. It is this beautiful connection with love that gives us our intuition.
The primary meanings or functions associated with the heart chakra are:
· Love for oneself and others
· Relating, relationships
· Compassion, empathy
· Forgiveness, acceptance
· Transformation, change
· Ability to grieve and reach peace
· Compassionate discernment
· Center of awareness, integration of insights
· Experiencing deep and meaningful relationships
Function: Connect to unconditional love.
Basic right: To love
Basic need: To love and be loved
Related Organs: Heart, breasts, lungs, thymus gland, and the cardiovascular blood circulation system.
Color: Green and pink
Sound: YAM
Musical note: F
Frequency: 341 Hz
Element: Air
Energy: Compassion, Love
Animal: Antelope, Wolf, Dove
· Transcending personal identity and limitations of the ego
· Experience of unconditional love and connection with all
· Heart-centered discernment
· Appreciation of beauty in all things
The Anahata chakra governs the communication and feeling toward others. When developed, it allows one to find the courage to think, talk and walk in accordance to his/her highest truth.
The fourth energy center is said to bridge earthly and spiritual aspirations. It connects the lower and upper chakras. In other words, the heart chakra acts as a center of integration of earthly matters and higher aspirations. Far from seeing these energies as separate, the experience of the heart integrates them effortlessly and harmoniously.
The Heart chakra is all about connecting and relating. The emphasis here is on love, giving and receiving, and how open we are in relationships. Love is the energy that helps transfigure emotions and experiences. It’s an essential element in any relationship, whether it’s with others or oneself.
Love experienced through the fourth chakra is not just about romance, but about going beyond the limitations of the ego and personal preoccupations to open more fully to compassion and acceptance of all that is, as it is.
When we live from our heart, we can see clearly and position ourselves in any situation, no matter how challenging it is, with discernment and compassion.
The heart chakra also animates joy, love, and beauty in life.
Seeing the world through the fourth chakra is being in a state of openness and acceptance that brings us in touch with our world and ourselves in profound and fulfilling ways.
Heart Chakra Symbol
A green 12 petals lotus in which is inscribed a downward-pointing triangle interlaced with an upward-pointing triangle, forming a six-pointed star or hexagram.
The intersecting triangles represent the air element and its all-encompassing quality. They also symbolize the union of seemingly opposite principles or types of energies, such as male and female, spirit and matter.
The star that they form evokes the harmonious joining of forces and highlights the function of the heart chakra as a center of integration and connection.
Heart Chakra Mantra
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I am fully open to giving love
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I am fully open to receiving love
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I forgive instantly, completely and unconditionally
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I forgive myself
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I forgive others
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I love myself unconditionally
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I love others unconditionally
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My heart chakra is empowered by love
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My heart is balanced in giving and receiving love
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My open-heart chakra is powerful
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Love is my guiding truth
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I am fulfilling my heart’s desire
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I choose joy
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I am grateful for all my blessings
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I am creating loving and supporting relationships
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It is safe for me to be in a loving relationship
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I have unconditional compassion for myself
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I have unconditional compassion for others
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My heart is free from past hurts
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I give and receive love, forgiveness and compassion to myself and others effortlessly and unconditionally. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude
Symptoms when the Heart chakra is in balance
When the heart chakra is open, you will freely give and receive both romantic and unconditional love. You will easily forgive hurts and extend compassion to all. You will be open and accepting of others without judgment.
Trustworthy and reliable, you will have a deep capacity for commitment.
In the now moment, richly aware of your senses, you will also be in touch with your feelings, both positive and negative.
Relationships will be high priorities for you, and you will have strong connections to family and community.
You will be happy despite the circumstances of your life rather than because of them, laughing frequently and sharing your joy. For you, the glass is half full rather than half empty. You will bring harmony around you as you realized that we are all connected.
You will experience sublime moments of sexual ecstasy with your lover.
Because the thymus gland is critical to immune system function, you will tend to be healthy most of the time, rarely getting sick, or healing rapidly when you do.
Symptoms when the Heart chakra is out of balance
When the Anahata chakra is blocked or closed, you will have great difficulty in relationships, both friendships and romances. To protect yourself from being hurt or wounded, you will remain emotionally closed.
As you shut down your feelings, life may become dull and predictable. You may experience profound alienation from your lover, your children, your friends, your neighbors, and your peers at work because you feel they do not understand you and disapprove of you.
You may be alone or move from one relationship to another as they disappoint you and fail. For you, the glass is half empty rather than half full.
Rather than seeing that the root of your sadness is inside yourself, you blame your unhappiness on circumstances and other people.
Thinking, reason, and intellect are your refuge.
You can lose yourself completely in your work.
Your grief may bring on lung disorders. To the extent that the blockage in this chakra affects your thymus gland, your immune system will not function optimally, and you may find that you get sick easily and often and heal slowly.
Symptoms of excessive energy in the Heart chakra:
You overwhelm people with your affection. You are terrified of being alone. You find it hard to forgive and you hold grudges easily. You always feel a sense of anger towards other people/life. You suffer from social anxiety. You carry a deep sense of fear. You have adopted the role of the victim or martyr. You feel a constant sense of heaviness in your chest.
Symptoms of deficient energy in the Heart chakra:
You feel closed off, cold, and lacking kindness towards yourself and/or others. You feel disconnected withdrawn from the people around you (even those closest to you). You tend to be needy in your relationships. You gain your self-worth from other people. You frequently feel jealous of other people. You tend to have many self-critical thoughts. You are constantly suspicious and mistrusting of other people.
TOOLS TO UNBLOCK AND BALANCE THE HEART ANAHATA CHAKRA
Gems & mineral: Pink tourmaline, mangano calcite, rose quartz, girasol, rhodochrosite, chrysoprase, idocrase.
Herbs: Cayenne, hawthorn berries, jasmine, lavender, marjoram, rose, thyme, cilantro, parsley.
Essential oil: Rose, jasmine, cacao, cardamom, palmarosa, bergamot, black spruce.
Below are some of the healing activities you can perform to heal and activate the Anahata Chakra:
- Work with the breath to balance your energy; observe it, play with it with breathing exercises.
- Cultivate your appreciation for beauty, whether it’s in nature, people or in the arts.
- Focus on receiving if you are naturally inclined to be a giver; and on giving if you’re more inclined to receive all the time.
- Reflect on old wounds inherited from family relationships and come to terms with them compassionately; practice forgiveness deep within your heart.
- Express your gratitude, even if it’s in silence; you can be grateful for the presence of other people in your life or just for good things that make your life easier and happier.
- Go forest bathing. As green is the color of the heart chakra, going out in nature will help your heart to open. “Forest bathing” is a term that originated in Japan known as Shinrin Yoku, and it has many scientifically proven benefits.
- Establish clear personal boundaries. Examine where in your life you are permitting other people to overstep your boundaries. Develop the habit of drawing the line and respectfully letting people know where your limits are. Practice assertiveness and take care of yourself.
- Practice empathy by asking “What if?”. It can be easy for the mind to make rash conclusions about other people. Often these conclusions are judgmental, harsh, and unloving. If you find yourself feeling angry towards another person, ask the question “What if?” For example, if someone is rude to you, ask, “What if that person just lost their job?” Or if you struggle to get along with someone else, ask, “What if that person’s childhood traumatized them so much that they can’t relate to others?” Remember that there is always a story behind the behavior of others.
- Hug more. Human beings are social creatures that require loving physical contact in order to remain healthy. Hugging releases oxytocin which is a chemical that calms down the entire body and is a natural antidepressant.
- Show self-love by giving yourself the permission to feel. One of the most significant forms of violence we show towards ourselves unknowingly is avoiding our emotions. Our emotions are not made to be controlled, repressed or shut out – they are expressions of our humanity that we need to embrace. Give yourself the permission to be unhappy, angry, sad, bored, jealousy, and all emotions which you usually shun. Anchor yourself in your breath and allow these emotions to pass through you.
- Allow yourself to receive love. Often, we tend to ignore or downplay expressions of love from other people out of low self-esteem and fear. Instead of denying affection or compliments, experiment with accepting them graciously.
- Be thankful and show gratitude. It’s unfortunate that we take so much for granted. One of the best heart chakra healing practices out there is merely to acknowledge all the blessings you have. Just sit down and look at, or think of, all the things you love about your life. Silently say “thank you” to each one of them or say a prayer of gratitude if that feels appropriate.
- Forgive yourself and other. Forgiveness is accepting and releasing. By forgiving yourself and others, you release negative energy, giving way to new, feeling, emotions and experiences.
- Let go of the Martyr role. A Martyr role is fueled by low self-esteem, the desire for praise and adoration, and the avoidance of self-responsibility. Martyrs will take care of everyone else but themselves and will often resort to unconsciously manipulating those around them to maintain their role. If you tend to be a Martyr in your relationship, try to find another healthy role to adopt such as the friend, confidant, peacemaker or helper.
- Clear blocks with yoga. Stretch your body and balance your heart chakra energy with poses such as cobra, cat, forward bend, eagle, camel, and fish pose.
- Do one kind thing each day. People with blocked heart chakras have the tendency to be self-absorbed and even emotionally cold. To open your heart, try doing something kind each day and share with others.
Yoga (Asana) Poses
Bring expansiveness to your heart area with backbends such as Bhujangasana (cobra) (Figure 1), Chakrasana (wheel) (Figure 2) and Anahatsana (puppy dog pose) (Figure 3). The element associated with the heart chakra is air, so as you move imagine you are freeing up space in the lungs and between the ribs.
Bhujangasana (cobra)
Chakrasana (wheel)
Anahatsana (puppy dog pose)
First Exercise to balance your Heart chakra
1. With a set of colored pencils, draw a picture that illustrates how your heart is closed, protected, and shielded from negative feelings and emotions. For example, you might draw your heart encased in a block of ice, or barricaded behind a wall of bricks and mortar, or enclosed in a suit of armor, or whatever image comes to mind for you.
2. Lie down on your back with your chest bare.
3. Dilute one drop of rose essential oil in one teaspoon of vegetable oil. Touch the fingertips of your left hand into the mixture and anoint your heart chakra by massaging the oil gently into your skin, circling your fingers in a clockwise direction.
4. Put a piece of green silk on your heart chakra. Place several green stones (for example, jade or emerald) on top of the silk. If you have any rose petals, preferably fresh, place those on the green silk also.
5. Place your left palm covering the objects on your heart chakra, and place the right palm covering the left palm.
6. Softly chant the sound YAM (long vowel aaaaa) as a mantra for four minutes.
7. Repeat this exercise four days in a row. Gently wash the silk by hand after each repetition of the exercise to remove any residual oil it may have absorbed.
8. The drawing of your heart is only done on day one and again on day four. There will likely be a noticeable difference in how you draw your heart on the fourth day, for example, the wall may be crumbling, or the armor may have holes appear in it, or the ice may be melting or completely gone as you begin to open your heart to experience all emotions.
Second Exercise to balance your Heart chakra
Emotional Release
The aim of this conscious, constructive emotional release exercise is to remove any anger, fear, insecurity, frustration that you have trapped in your body (in your tissue and nervous system) and your heart chakra.
Moving your body and making lots of sounds are the simple keys to emotional release. Some of the easiest techniques include yelling, screaming, crying, beating the floor with whackers, laughing, and wild dancing.
1. In a space where you can be very active, put on a blindfold, turn on some loud music, and let go with all you have for a few minutes or a few hours. This practice can be alone or in a group. This is not a process of thought, but a way to get out of your rational mind, into your body, and the feelings locked deep inside.
2. The goal is to allow those feelings to come out.
3. Do emotional release deliberately, on a regular basis, daily or weekly, to regularly blow off the steam that is building up inside your pressure cooker.
4. One dimension of this process is the purging of emotional energy—which can make you physically or mentally ill if you suppress it.
5. Another dimension of the process is that purging of “stuck” energy makes room for light and love to come in.
6. After doing emotional release for just a few minutes, turn off the loud music. Stand up and remain completely quiet and still.
7. Allow your attention to scan your entire body to become aware of how you feel.
8. Conscious emotional release is a wonderful practice for children. It helps them learn to be free with their feelings while not becoming taken over by them.
If you are in a place where you cannot make a lot of noise pounding the floor and yelling, use laughter and wild dancing without sound. Screaming in your car with the windows rolled up works great, too.
Third Exercise to balance your Heart chakra
1. Seat down comfortably, back straight, eyes closes and breathe deeply a few times through the nose. Let go and relax.
2. Concentrate on the Anahata for a minute and then visualize it surrounded by the color green of an absolute purity. Keep this visualization for three minutes. Then, take a deep breath while imagining that energy is penetrating this chakra and breath out while imagining that all the impurities of this chakra are getting out. Repeat this entire process as may time as you feel it’s necessary.
3. Once you feel that you have completed the cleaning process chant the mantra “S” seven times.
4. End the process by offering great gratitude toward this chakra.
EXPLORE THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
Root Chakra
Foundation of stability and security; connects us to the physical world.
Heart Chakra
Nurtures love, compassion, harmony, and emotional balance; connects us to unconditional love and healing.
Sacral Chakra
Emotional center. Enhances intuition, perception, and inner guidance; brings clarity and heightened senses.
Throat Chakra
Communication, self-expression, truth, creativity, and the ability to speak and listen with authenticity.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Empowers personal power, confidence, willpower, and manifestation; ignites inner strength and transformation.
Third Eye Chakra
Intuition, perception, inner wisdom, spiritual awareness, and the ability to see beyond the physical.
Crown Chakra
Divine connection, higher consciousness, spiritual enlightenment, unity, and transcendence of the self.