In Sanskrit, “Anahata” means unharmed, whole, and undefeated. It is the fourth primary chakra, located in the spinal center at the heart level. It serves as the center of love for yourself and others, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness and is better known as the Heart chakra.
This chakra controls the senses of trust, peace, courage, generosity, connection, gratitude, change & transformation, emotional control, and healthy boundaries. It is the origin of extensive and heartfelt truths that cannot be expressed in words. Anahata is a bridge between the chakra below and above that links the physical with the spiritual, explains yoga teacher Stephanie Snyder.
The Heart chakra is feminine energy and is represented by a six-pointed green star on a 12-petal flower. Anahata is affiliated with the element of air, says Snyder.
-The first chakra (the Root) is the “earth, “…stable and deeply rooted.
-The second chakra (the Sacral) is “water,”…brings fertile creativity.
-The third chakra (Solar Plexus) is the “fire in the womb” needed to transform this deeply rooted creativity into positive action.
Anahata chakra is specifically outstanding because it is the fourth of the seven chakras, making it a veracious center of the system and a form of harmony of the physical and spiritual chakras.
The air strews and contains the spiritual comprehension of love, compassion, and seamless connection to everything you come across.
Air is like love, within and around us. We can incarnate this element by keeping our heart center open and letting our love flow freely. The Heart chakra functions as a link connecting the physical and the spirit.
PROPERTIES OF THE HEART CHAKRA
The Heart chakra is the energy source of the subtle body. It is the focal point or bridge that connects the three chakras below it, which are connected to the outside world:
❖ The Root
❖ The Sacral
❖ The Solar Plexus
And the three chakras above, are connected to intuition and spirituality:
❖ The Throat
❖ The Third Eye
❖ The Crown
As we have learned, the heart is the intermediary between body and mind and precisely determines its strength and health.
The Heart Chakra Is Love
Anahata chakras are concerned with emotional power and unconditional love. Basically, this chakra is emotional and drives us to improve our emotional development. The heart embodies a kind of “sweet wisdom” that teaches us the ways of love and compassion. In this fourth chakra, we begin to realize that the most powerful energy on earth is love.
The Elixir Of Life In The Air
The element of Anahata chakra or Heart chakra is air or vayu. The air symbolizes the freedom of expansion and spaciousness. A heart that is wholly ready and willing to give without restrictions will do so. Vayu is physically related to the sensation of touch and emotional feelings. When the Heart chakra is open, a person feels optimistic, kind, and motivated to believe in themselves. Establishing fulfilling relationships gets easier when the Heart chakra is balanced, and we become compassionate and understanding of others.
The Refreshing Element Of The Color Green
The green color of the Anahata chakra represents healthy and renewed growth and relationships. Green is associated with nature, freshness, and delicacy. It is a calming color to the human eye and suggests stability and strength. Serenity, calmness, compassion, and balance for yourself and others are the concerns of the Heart chakra. The Anahata chakra resonates with our emotional perception of the world.
The Heart Chakra Resonates Innocence
This chakra is the center of childhood innocence and joy. As children, we respond to circumstances with different emotions: trust, compassion, love, hope, despair, and fear. But as an adult, it can be extremely difficult to generate and express feelings. Anahata reminds us of our propensity to love and let go. To accept our emotional trial and surrender to a divine plan.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A BLOCKED HEART CHAKRA?
“A blocked Heart chakra can cause energy to deplete or drain from our chest, along the spine and have different effects on the body and mind”, says yoga doctor Diane Malaspina, PhD.
So if you’ve been feeling lethargic, tired, or just drained recently, there may be a chakra imbalance behind this. You need to keep in mind that, by definition, your chakras, as energy fields, are constantly changing.
This means that a blocked chakra or an imbalance in one of the seven main chakras can easily be changed at any time. Dr. Malaspina says, “your high-energy chakras can be overactive or underactive.”
“When a chakra is overactive, the qualities are a dominant force in the person’s personality/life. This can have both physical and emotional effects.”
For example, the first chakra is about survival, security, and the foundation of our life. If it’s underactive, Malaspina said, “it can show up as depression and insecurity. If there is too much energy, it can show up as fearlessness without precaution or hoarding because you need more to feel secure.”
SIGNS OF AN OVERACTIVE HEART CHAKRA
When your Heart chakra is overactive, you can experience:
❖ Love obsessions
❖ Deficiency or attachment
❖ Codependency
❖ Jealousy
❖ Mistrust
❖ Heart problems
❖ Very empathetic
❖ Very worried
❖ Poor limits
❖ Tendency to remain in abusive relationships.
❖ To sacrifice excessively
SIGNS OF AN UNDERACTIVE HEART CHAKRA
When your Heart chakra is underactive, you can experience:
❖ Isolation
❖ Social isolation
❖ Relationship breakdown
❖ Sadness
❖ Tired
❖ Heart problems
❖ Feelings of shyness
❖ Fear of getting hurt
❖ Feelings of loneliness and not being loved
❖ Suspicion
❖ Antisocial
❖ Judgey
❖ Fear of relationships
WHY SHOULD THE HEART CHAKRA BE ALIGNED?
When there is love, there is no fear or hate. When fear exists, love is absent. Only one of the three emotions is always the focus, while the other two remain in the background. It’s not that they go away completely. People who are afraid also have love. When love prevails, there is no fear or hate. When hate takes control, love and fear are left behind. That’s how it is for people. When they are so full of hate, they have no fear or love.
Subtle (emotional) energies flow through our veins. Therefore, when you let pain and bitterness overwhelm you, these negative emotional energies will flow through your body. As a result, it can harm your entire body and mind. But if you can forgive and let go, registering all the things you love in every breath and in every cell, then you will live with a happy heart.
We all live within the biological consequences of our organic choices, so we fundamentally choose to cultivate a bitter or loving heart.
We are in a culture that has not yet healed the “wounded child” inside of us. Painful memories and negative attitudes still haunt us, creating a dysfunctional image of ourselves, resulting in us living in the past. We literally have to stop this shit! All of this emotional baggage needs to be filtered from the heart and removed through the Root chakra.
HOW DO YOU HEAL A BLOCKED HEART CHAKRA?
Heart blockages and broken hearts happen to everyone. Anyone who has loved and lost can tell you; It can almost be said that a true and complete life puts its heart on the line every day! – Fortunately, there are as many ways to balance and heal your 4th chakra as there are ways to hurt yourself! But how do you start to heal the wounded Heart chakra and open yourself to unconditional love, compassion, and joy?
The answer? Focus on healing and activities or people that evoke the energy of love in you.
Love is so important to us humans. Life without love makes it very difficult to live. Having a closed heart isn’t great, but you can also be afraid of living with an open heart. The good news is that love doesn’t have to come as a couple. Even if you are single or heartbroken, you can still work with this powerful energy.
So what can you do?
Focus on what you love. Love is love, not that one love is better than the other. Perhaps you have unconditional love for your children, friends, or even a beloved pet. So if your cute niece’s face makes your heart overflow, then open your heart to that adorable baby. If you have a guru or deity that you love, a friend, a pet, your work, whatever, just put the energy of love into action in your life.
Here are some best practices to try to increase your fluency, creativity, inspiration, and enjoyment of the process:
Burn Incense and Use Essential Oils
Aromatherapy has powerful healing properties that can evoke feelings of love and forgiveness. To open the Heart chakra, you can burn essential oils. They all work so well, unless you’re pregnant….see why here!
When you need to focus your energies, try spraying yourself with Valiant Heart Aura Mist….a hydrosol and essential oil blend made from Frankincense, Litsea Cubeba, Bergamot, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Clove to promote courage and also repel bugs (BONUS!).
Essential Oils For The Heart Chakra:
❖ Eucalyptus – Opens the chest area and lets energy flow through the Heart chakra.
❖ Rose – The highest spiritual frequency of all essential oils and lets you feel unconditional love.
❖ Jasmine – Opens the Heart chakra to receive more love and compassion.
Stone Healing
Chakra stones are very easy to use. Sometimes you just need to carry them with you (on a keychain, necklace, or earrings, for example). You should also consider holding one in hand during Heart chakra meditation.
The Heart chakra color test shows that green is the color most commonly associated with this chakra.
Therefore, many of the following healing heart stones are green:
❖ Jade – This precious stone of the Heart chakra is associated with emotional balance and healing. You can benefit from focusing on this stone when faced with emotional loss or injury.
❖ Green Calcite – Traditionally used to absorb negativity, this is an excellent option if you have a hard time feeling empathy. This stone can help you focus on recovering from compassion fatigue.
❖ Green Aventurine – This stone has energy, vitality, and inspiration. It is designed to calm difficult emotions and help you recover from emotional blocks.
❖ Rose quartz – Heart chakra crystals are not always green. Pink stones are sometimes called the “heart stone” and are designed to help you regain your balance.
Repeat Positive Affirmations About Love
The free flow of love can be prevented by negative thought patterns. Positive affirmation sets intentions that destroy old habits and develop new ones. Repeat affirmations that invite love and compassion to open the Heart chakra, such as:
❖ “I am worthy of love”
❖ “I live in balance with others”
❖ “I live in a balanced state of gracefulness and gratitude”
❖ “I greet love with an open heart”
❖ “My heart is free from all the pains of the past”
❖ “I forgive others, and I forgive myself”
❖ “I am open to love, and I get more love every day”
❖ “I naturally attract love wherever I go”
❖ “I build supportive and loving relationships that are good for me”
Music
To stimulate your Heart and other chakras:
1. Listen to fantastic, positive, uplifting music that will keep you energized.
2. Sing loudly and let the feeling of your breath on your chest turn you on.
Whenever your Heart chakra feels blocked again, immerse yourself in joyous and uplifting music that flows through your whole body.
It is a quick way to restore energy movement in the upper and lower chakras.
Choose A Pose
You got it! – Yoga! Holistic yoga practice, consisting of yoga asana poses, pranayama breathing techniques, and meditation shifts the energy upwards and thus brings your chakras into balance. Certain yoga poses are ideal for evoking the expansive and open qualities of the Heart chakra. Back push-ups and poses that open the chest and energize the Heart chakra will help.
Some good Heart chakra opening poses are:
❖ The Puppy Pose | (Anahatasana) – From the child’s pose or tabletop, bring your knees together. Walk your fingertips forward and bring your chest down to the mat. Move your hips to lift high up toward the ceiling, opening up the chest and bending the back. Hold for a few breaths before moving on to the next pose.
❖ The Camel Pose | (Ustrasana) – Stand on your knees at the front of the mat. Ensure your knees are hip-width apart in a kneeling position with the tops of your feet on the mat. Place your fingertips at the spine’s base. Look up and back, slowly leaning backward. Reach for your heels. Lift, then pull up. Breathe in and out slowly for 5 breaths. Then, exit the pose. (Do not attempt if you have back, neck, or blood pressure issues).
❖ The Wheel Pose | (Chakrasana) – Start by lying on your back. Bend your knees with your feet flat on the mat and separate your feet and legs hip-width apart. As you inhale, lift your pelvis toward the ceiling. Roll your upper arms underneath you, and either interlace your fingers or grab the outer edges of your mat. Stay for at least 5 slow breaths.
❖ The Upward Dog Pose | (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) – Lie on your yoga mat in the prone position. Lie facedown on your stomach with your feet about a hip-width apart. Adjust your hands. Inhale and push up. Engage the legs. Distribute your weight. Push your sternum forward and activate your arm muscles. Bend the elbows. Hold for 5 slow breaths, then release, and rest. Also works for the Throat, Heart, Solar Plexus, Sacral, and Root chakras as well.
❖ Cobra Pose | (Bhujangasana) – Lie face down on your mat with your entire body extended. Bring your hands underneath the shoulder blades. Begin to lift your upper body. Use lower back muscles to lift up higher. Look slightly forward and up. Hold for 5 slow breaths, then lower down gently. Rest, then transition to the next posture.
Many yoga practices focus almost exclusively on postures. So if you are looking for a method that includes breathing and meditation techniques, you will appreciate Sri Sri Yoga. Created by Gurudev and incorporating ancient teachings in a way compatible with modern life, Sri Sri Yoga will teach you the well-known asanas and the techniques of breathing (pranayama) and meditation.
Self-Love
Your love should include you too! Maybe you can even be your first love. Positive, loving affirmations, as well as the time to appreciate yourself (your resilience, your generosity, your sense of humor, your kindness), can help build a loving relationship between you and yourself.
Giving Love To Recieve Love
To give love is the best way to receive love. What can you do every day to show love to those around you? Try to smile at those you see. Forgive old grudges and put aside the grievances of the past. Avoid criticizing yourself and others. Praise people you know for their strengths and accomplishments. Doing your best to be kind to others will help balance your Heart chakra. Making others feel good about themselves makes you feel good too. That good feeling that rushes through your body when being kind to others and yourself is your Heart chakra opening. Enjoy it!
Dedication
One of the ways people can evoke the feeling of a deep and unconditional state of love, or even divine love, is through devotion, or as it is called in Sanskrit, Bhakti.
In fact, Bhakti Yoga is one of the main paths of yoga. If there is a guru or deity that you resonate with, you can put photos of them in your home, or if you enjoy singing, you may enjoy kirtan and chanting. Kirtan involves repeating a mantra, which can be an incredibly scary and heart-opening activity.
GREEN NUTRITION FOR THE ENERGY BALANCE
The predominant color of the Anahata chakra is green. Eating food that is the same color as the chakra you are trying to heal can balance that area’s energy flow.
Foods that help restore balance include:
❖ Spinach
❖ Kale
❖ Broccoli
❖ Matcha
❖ Green Apples
❖ Green Tea
❖ Cucumber, etc.
Green vegetables are also recommended by all nutritionists for a healthy mind and body.
SEED MANTRA MEDITATION
Meditation can help restore the correct flow of energy to the Heart chakra. Meditation is a deeply personal experience that paves the way to inner peace. Release the various anxious thoughts that are driving the imbalance.
“YAM” (pronounced like “YARM”) is the mantra associated with the Anahata chakra. It is considered the heart’s seed or beej, which is represented with the symbolism of the Heart chakra. The process of chanting this mantra heals and purifies both the physical and spiritual heart centers. It also makes a person more open to the experience of unconditional love and compassion. Sit cross-legged and take a deep breath. Focus on the Heart chakra and start chanting the “YAM” mantra. Imagine opening the chakra with energy flowing through your body. The vibrations of YAM’s chanting create a flood of positive emotions.
PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
Making an effort to practice forgiveness can be a challenging task. When we experience loss and isolation, it can make us critical and jealous. Not being able to let go of resentment and anger from the past only prevents us from moving closer to future happiness. Talking to a close friend or meeting with a professional counselor clears your mind and leads you to inner growth and peace.
THE HEART CHAKRA AT A GLANCE
★ Sanskrit Name: Anahata means unplayed sound; it can also be translated as “pure” or “intact.”
★ Position: Center of the chest
★ Subtle Body: Astral body
★ Color: Green
★ Element: Air
★ Connection to: Unconditional love
★ Gland: Thymus
★ Sense: Touch
★ Crystals: Rose Quartz, Green Aventurine, Jade, Green Calcite
★ Essential Oils: Rose, Neroli, and Melissa (unless you’re pregnant)
★ Yoga Poses: Cobra pose, Wheel pose, Puppy pose, Camel pose, and Forward bend
★ Signs of Balance: The ability to genuinely love and forgive yourself and others.
★ Signs of Imbalance: Selfishness, hatred, jealousy, fear of betrayal, unresolved childhood traumas.
★ Personality Traits: Nature-loving and romantic
★ Qualities: Unconditional love and compassion, trust, fearlessness
★ Key Themes: Passion, tenderness, peace, generosity, gratitude, and connectedness
★ Mantra/Sound: “YAM” (pronounced like “YARM”)
CONCLUSION
Everything in our life is driven by the intentions of the heart.
It is part of the souls’ journey to experience what breaks our hearts, not in half, but quite openly! The energy that manifests in the Heart chakra has a profound influence on our personality. A meaningful and balanced life can be achieved when our Heart chakra is in balance.
The lesson here is: what are you going to do with your pain? Are you going to use that as an excuse, or are you going to transcend and forgive? The heart is the path of divine love and spiritual awareness. Are you ready to go that route?
Maintaining a balanced Heart chakra brings about self-esteem, which helps cultivate strong relationships with ourselves and others.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Now that you understand your Heart chakra a little better, the next chakra to explore is your Throat chakra!
