What Is The Heart Chakra?
The heart chakra is the fourth chakra we focus out of the seven main chakras. Its Sanskrit name is Anahata. It's colour is green, and is represented by the symbol below.
Don't worry if when you are meditating with it you can't visualise the symbol itself; the colour green will be enough.
The heart chakra is the fourth chakra we focus out of the seven main chakras. Its Sanskrit name is Anahata. It's colour is green, and is represented by the symbol below.
Don't worry if when you are meditating with it you can't visualise the symbol itself; the colour green will be enough.
The Heart Chakras Associations:
The Heart Chakra is located in the centre of the chest.
As you may expect, the Heart Chakra focuses on emotions such as compassion, forgiveness, and overcoming grief. It can help us feel love for ourselves, and also love for others, and develop deeper and more meaningful relationships.
It can teach us compassion and empathy for others and the world around us. It can help us to forgive, to accept and move on as we heal. However, balancing this chakra can also help us to still view situations and people objectively and with clarity, just with more compassion in general.
When we reach the Heart Chakra, we begin to transcend personal identity and the limitations of the ego, and start to see the beauty in all things.
The Heart Chakra also governs transformation and change. Often change can be unwelcome and unwanted. This chakra will help you come to terms with, and deal with, significant change, whether that change comes externally or from within.
The Heart Chakra is also a good chakra to focus on for those who are grieving. It can help us accept what has been lost, but to still look on at it fondly, and find peace within ourselves.
It has been referred to as our ‘center of awareness’, and helps us better recognise, read, and use our insights.
If This Chakra Is Blocked:
When this chakra becomes blocked, we can experience a range of negative emotions, such as defensiveness and anger. We can start to develop a ‘victim complex’, or at the opposite end of the scale, a ‘saviour complex’.
We could also experience the need for codependency, caring too much what others think of us. Again, on the opposite end of the scale, it could force us to become too isolated and unwilling or unwanting to socialise or get close to others.
Finally, a blockage in this chakra can manifest in holding onto grudges, and being able to let go or move on from negative moments in your life.
Stimulating and Opening the Heart Chakra:
Any green crystals are suitable for helping to cleanse and open this chakra. Good crystals to try include:
- Bloodstone
- Emerald
- Green Aventurine
- Rose Quartz
- Malachite
Oils and scents you could use include:
- Rose
- Lavender
- Jasmine
- Orange
- Geranium
There are many different ways to help open and stimulate the heart chakra. Several are included below. You may want to combine some of them; for example, meditating with a mudra and chanting, or using a crystal and a chant.
- Lying down and placing one of the above crystals on your heart chakra area, and visualising the energy of the crystal cleansing and strengthening your chakra.
- Anointing the heart chakra area with one of the above oils and visualising it cleansing and strengthening your chakra (remember; always dilute oils, never apply them neat).
- Chant mantras design to help stimulate and strengthen your heart chakra. Examples of these are:
“I accept love into my heart, and I give love freely”
“May my eyes see the beauty of the world around me, and my heart be open to the love in this world around me”
“My heart is open and beats with compassion, for we are all connected as one upon this Earth”
“I release all negativity that holds me back and let go of that which does not serve me any longer. I am at peace”
“I acknowledge my [insert specific feeling here, such as anger. jealousy , grief, etc.]. I accept it and move on from it. It leaves me now”
- Visualise your chakra as a green, glowing ball of light, and ‘feed’ that ball energy. You can do this by redirecting energy from other parts of your body into the heart chakra. There are many different flows through the body, all moving in different directions (which we will cover in more detail later on), but for now focus on this energy flowing round your body and into this chakra.
- With the heart chakra being the seat of love and compassion, you can use affirmative actions to help open this chakra. Set yourself the intention to perform one small, random act of kindness today, and dedicate it to your heart chakra, to help raise its vibration.
- Ritual baths are a great way to help open and soothe the heart chakra. Using some of the crystals/herbs/scents mentioned above, allow yourself to soak in these and visualise your heart chakra opening, at peace.
Each chakra also has a sound associated with it. You can help to open the chakras by chanting their sound out loud, focusing on the vibrations of the sound raising the chakra’s energy levels. The sound for the heart chakra is ‘YAM’. You will notice as we go through the chakras that they all have very similar sounds ‘LAM’, ‘VAM’, YAM’, so try to put some emphasis on the ‘Y’ as you sound it out.
How will I know if my chakra is blocked?
If your chakra is blocked, you may experience any of the feelings or sensations listed above. Additionally, when working to activate your chakra it may just feel sluggish and slow; it may be a darker green than usual, or you may see black ‘spots’ in the energy.
How do I cleanse my chakra?
Stimulating your chakra as listed above will help to cleanse them as you strengthen them. You can also focus specifically on cleansing it as you stimulate it. To do this, you want to imagine any energy you are directing to that energy - whether that is using crystals, oils, or visualising the energy from the earth or your own body travelling to that area - as pure, white, cleansing energy. When it reaches your chakra see it combining with your chakras energy, invigorating it and raising its vibration. See it glowing brighter, wiping out all of the black spots and strengthening your whole chakra.
Closing Your Chakra:
It is important to make sure that you close your chakra after working with it. If you leave it open, it will be more susceptible to negative energies. Closing it doesn’t mean it will stop working, you are just protecting it.
I find that the easiest way to close my chakras is to imagine zipping them up, like you would purse or a backpack. See a zip running up the centre of the chakra, the zips itself at the bottom, then mentally zip it up. See the chakra closing, but know that beneath this protective covering, the chakra is still active and working.