By understanding your energy centers you can navigate how you’re feeling physically and emotionally. When you need to gauge your emotional state, your heart chakra is the perfect barometer.
In case you missed my previous blogs on chakras, you can check them out here:
In this post, I’ll be sharing heart chakra insights and different practices such as yoga postures, essential oils, and affirmations you can do to create more balance in the area.
Then practice the 40-minute Heart Chakra Yoga Class with me:
basic principles of heart chakra
Your heart chakra is the fourth of your seven major energy centers that run along your spine from the tailbone to the crown. Located at your chest, it connects to the element air and is associated with unconditional love.
In Sanskrit the heart chakra is known as anahata. Anahata translates loosely to “unstruck,” “unhurt,” or “unbeaten.”
Your fourth chakra also correlates to:
🟢 Color green
🌬 Air element
💚 Love, compassion, joy
👥 Connection to others, expansion
💪 Arms, shoulders, chest, ribs, lungs, heart
The heart chakra is your emotional storehouse, and mediates between your body and spirit, It teaches you to act out of love and compassion because love is the most powerful energy of all.
When your fourth chakra is energetically balanced you feel love and joy. Through your connection with others and the ability to expand, you are generous and altruistic.
Like its healing color of green, the heart chakra can help you heal, cleanse, and begin anew
heart chakra imbalances
Many articles refer to chakras as either being opened or closed, however, I prefer Anodea Judith’s explanation. Your chakra energy is either balanced or blocked, and the blockages result in either the chakra holding too much energy (excessive) or not holding onto enough (deficient).
Two of our kleshas (the five afflictions of the human condition found in the Yoga Sutras) are attachment and avoidance. Now let’s apply those to our chakras.
When you find yourself overly attached, that’s considered excessive. Think of a traffic jam or a cluttered closet. Conversely, when you’re in avoidance that leads to chakra deficiency, an empty, echoing room.
Deficient imbalances in anahata chakra: Might feel like being withdrawn, critical, depressed, or isolated.
Excessive imbalances: Emotionally you might feel demanding, jealous, or clinging.
When there are blockages in your heart chakra this may physically manifest as heart problems, asthma, allergies, lung and breast issues, upper back pain, and breathing issues.
heart chakra balancing postures
Healing strategies for your fourth chakra include reconnecting your mind and body. As with all seven chakras, the best way to integrate is through a yoga practice.
Anahata energy responds well to chest and shoulder openers, backbends as well as arm strengtheners.
👉 Think: bridge, camel, wheel, cobra, updog, bow, prone boat, table, plank, side plank.
A deep breathing practice is also essential for bringing more balance into anahata chakra. You can learn more about the anatomy and mechanics behind basic belly breathing here.
Need some heart chakra balancing? Hit play on the above video and practice with me!
more heart chakra balancing practices
In addition to practicing physical postures you can complement your chakra balancing with corresponding foods, herbal teas, essential oils, crystals and stones, affirmations, and journaling prompts.
#1 Food
Eat foods that are green like avocado, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, celery, and squash. Herbs such as basil, sage, thyme, cilantro, and parsley.
#2 Herbal Tea
Green teas
#3 Essential Oils
Rose (romance), geranium (well-being), eucalyptus (breathing), joy (depression). Dilute in a carrier oil and rub on your chest or upper back.
#4 Crystals and Stones
Green and pink stones like emerald, malachite, jade, peridot, and tourmaline.
#5 Affirmations
- I love myself.
- I forgive myself.
- I am kind and generous.
- I listen to my heart.
- I am joyful.
#6 Journaling Prompts
- What does unconditional love feel like to me?
- How can I practice self-care/self-love?
- How did my family unit contribute to my ability to love?
- Who do I need to forgive in order to move on?
Other activities that provide heart chakra balancing benefits are connecting to the wind, pranayama, and a gratitude practice.
FINAL TIPS FOR YOUR heart chakra
As the bridge between your body (lower three chakras) and your mind (upper three chakras), anahata allows for the transition from doing to being.
Anodea Judith says in Chakra Yoga, “Fourth chakra moves from effort to surrender, from muscular strength to yielding tenderness.”
Balancing your heart chakra requires a softening that, at first, may be uncomfortable, but will yield the greatest and most profound results.
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