Chakra of the Month: Heart Chakra

The fourth chakra is the heart chakra, located Close to the physical heart at the center of the chest. The sanskrit name is Anahata, which can be translated to unhurt or unstuck, implying that beneath any pain or stagnation there is an endless flow of joy, love and compassion. 

The three lower chakras are considered to be more physical and the fifth, sixth and seventh chakra more spiritual. The heart chakra, which is the center of the seven chakras therefore becomes a bridge between the physical world and the spiritual dimension, connecting the lower chakras to the higher ones. This makes the heart chakra important in spiritual development or healing.   

Balanced & Open Heart Chakra: 

Kind, caring and outgoing. Able to forgive others and yourself, open to love and compassion. Feeling complete and accepting yourself. Accepting others, circumstances, thoughts and feelings as they are. Strong immune system, connected to the present moment.

Buddhists call an open heart chakra Mahakaruna, meaning it is an open channel for universal love and compassion. For this flow of universal love to flow freely through us and our heart we must first love ourselves before we can truly love others. 

Imbalanced & Closed Heart Chakra may occur as:

Fear of betrayal and feeling hatred towards others and yourself. Feeling lonely, searching for others approval and having a tendency to rush into relationships. Easily lost in emotions such as sadness, grief, anger or jealousy and inability to express feelings in a healthy way. Having a negative outlook on life and victimizing oneself. Trust issues, scared of intimacy and of getting hurt. Fast and irregular heart beat, chest pain, poor circulation, high/low blood pressure, shallow breathing and/or  asthma.

How to balance Anahata: 

- Spend time with and give love to friends and family
- Practice gratitude, daily! Also express gratitude towards people in your Life
- Eat green (the color of the heart chakra) Foods and wear green clothing

- Forgive others and yourself

- Follow your dreams and desires

- Spend time in nature, especially when windy (air is the element of the heart chakra)
- Listen and speak to others from an open heart

- Smile towards others and practice random acts of kindness

- Practice acceptance of emotions, circumstances, others and things you can't Control

Yoga sequences, meditations, affirmations and more practical tips to strengthen the Heart Chakra coming up this month :) Namaste