Heart Chakra
Twelve-Petaled Lotus
photo from Fitsri
Color: Green
Element: Air
Body: Blood Circulation, Heart & Lungs, Shoulders/Upper Back, Arms & Hands
Crystals: Green Aventurine, Rose Quartz, Malachite, Emerald
Affirmation: I love
Halfway through our chakra system, the Anahata sits right in the middle of our chest. It translates as unbroken, unhurt, or unstruck and is where our love, compassion, forgiveness and empathy flows. As our lower chakras focus on the Self, the Heart chakra is where we transition into focusing our energy outward. Self-love and persona is still the basis of the chakra, but now we can express these emotions externally. Represented by the element of air which, just like love, is within and all around us. It disperses and integrates a spiritual understanding of love, compassion and connection to everything around you. The age of four is typically when we start to grow the Anahata until age seven. We now have access to intimacy, self-love and peace and can create our personal identity.
Each chakra has something called a “demon”, or an emotion that negatively controls the corresponding chakra/counteracts the natural force of the chakra. Root = Fear. Sacral = Guilt. Solar Plexus = Shame. For Heart, it’s grief. Any hurt to the heart can cause it to feel heavy and closed, completely opposite of its essence of lightness and openness. Grief causes the blocks and the over or under activity. When the Anahata is blocked, there is no self-love and visible abuse of the Self and others. There is the thinking that achievements are the only way to feel deserving of love.
Though you may think, “How can there be an excess of love?”, there is a detrimental factor to that. Using love like a drug to fix the “incompleteness” of ourselves, overcompensating for our wounds and applying love for our own needs shows overactivity in the heart chakra. Under activity can come off as cold or withdrawn, avoidant to love or feels unlovable to the core. Susceptibility to depression heightens here, as well as cynicism and loneliness. It’s also natural to feel both ways, as a heart can be so open it feels the need to shut down.
Love is the spirit that heals! All wounds have a universal cry for love. Every healing technique is important, but they are nothing without love. Discovering and accepting the individuality of yourself and others is a great approach. Working with grief and forgiveness assist in opening up the Heart and feeling out the emotions. Tend to your mind, body and soul. Any chest opening yoga poses/backbends and arm balances work with the fourth chakra. Cobra, Camel, Side Plank and Savasana are wonderful poses to explore your Anahata.
A balanced Heart chakra feels… balanced! An equal sense of ecstasy and grounding can be felt. Masculine and feminine energies are balanced, same with mind and matter. You can find peace and stability in the heart with no constrictions. There is a strong impression of self-acceptance with no attachments. Transcending the ego to care more about others causes the social identity to emerge. The difference between the third and fourth chakra is the opposition of doing vs just being. If our Solar Plexus chakra is healthy and does its job, the Heart can let go and just be.
Here are some journal prompts for use to help work with your fourth chakra more closely:
What does unconditional love mean to me?
How do I express love to others?
Do I naturally trust others?
How can I have a more open heart?
How do I balance showing others kindness and generosity while still prioritizing self care?
What are 5 things I love most about myself?
Next Week: Throat Chakra
