our heart chakra is located in the middle of our chest, at our heart’s center; is associated with the color green and is related to our ability to love (ourselves & others), develop relationships & feel compassion. developed during the age of 4 to 7 years, it is the first chakra to be associated with an invisible element: air (includes prana). it is the most complex of the chakras, linking our physical & spiritual realms. it transforms higher energy from the upper chakras so it can be physically manifested in the lower chakras; it converts the solid energy from the lower chakras so these energies can move up & appear as ideas, thoughts & inspirations.

balanced

with free-flowing anahata energy, we feel grounded through our lower chakras, but light as air & “free as a bird”. we are self-accepting, compassionate, forgiving, filled with hope & emotionally empowered. the sense of touch is associated with anahata, so you are able to literally reach out to other people & allow others & experiences to “touch” you as well.

imbalanced

if our heart is too open, our energy can become too “airy” & scattered. finding it difficult to ground ourselves, we become lonely, isolated, vulnerable & have a fear of being hurt. conversely, if our energies are blocked or under-active, we may feel that our heart is “heavy”, we lack joy, or become possessive, jealous, clinging or selfish. we may feel emotionally unfulfilled, self-conscious or anti-social.

physical ailments include upper back/shoulder pain, asthma & other illnesses of the lungs, possibly even lung & breast cancer. a “broken heart” means your heart chakra has shut down in order to protect itself from unendurable pain, and has cut itself off from connecting with our other chakras. divorce, abuse, abandonment, death or betrayal can all cause this emotional numbness.

healing

mudras

hand gestures that can help with the flow of energy & can be used during meditation:
• prana mudra – lightening, if you’re feeling heavy & burdened: both hands with palms up, tips of pinky & ring fingers touch tip of thumb)

• jnana mudra – grounding, if you’re feeling “airy”: both wrists on knees, palms down, tip of thumb touches tip of index finger, other fingers point down

affirmations

these mantras can be silently repeated to yourself while adopting one of the mudras listed above:
“i forgive myself & release the need for feelings of guilt & hurt”
“i forgive [name of another person] & am grateful for the lesson they have taught me”
“my heart is weightless & free of burden”
“my feet are firmly rooted into the earth, and my endless spirit soars through the universe”

yoga asanas

any pose that expands our chest can also open our heart chakra:
dhanurasana (bow pose); ustrasana (camel pose)