The Heart Chakra - Anahata
GREEN – the colour green is about harmony and nature.
This Chakra is the spiritual centre of the ‘column’ of 7 Chakras, below it the root, sacral and solar plexus Chakras represent the personal and the physical. Above it, the throat, brow and crown Chakras represent the spiritual and universal. The heart Chakra provides the vital link for the whole.
Essentially your heart Chakra is associated with love and compassion, not just love for yourself and others, but a love for the Divine (in whatever guise) and all of creation. The hands, in particular, are closely associated with the heart Chakra, and a kind touch is an outward sign of love, compassion and forgiveness that typify this Chakra when it is in an open and balanced state.
The heart Chakra is also a seat of creativity. A blocked heart Chakra results in creative blocks, while an open one leaves you open to inspiration. However the heart Chakra can be too open. You can pour out so much heart energy in your desire to help others that you can have none left for yourself.
When your heart Chakra is out of balance, you may lack confidence and be unable to let go of your fears. When your heart Chakra is balanced, you feel energised and have the strength to fulfil your hopes and dreams, and to give and receive unconditional love.
The key, as ever, is balance. The heart, in common with all the Chakras, needs to have its own flexibility, the ability to open and close as necessary. This is particularly important in the heart, as it is the Chakra of change, giving us the confidence to fulfil our hopes, make a break with the past and embrace the future.
Opening up the heart Chakra can feel scary at times, as if you are wide open to attack – and indeed you can be – for a little while. But soon you will feel the benefits as you will have all this loving energy that you need to share, care and relate to others, so that you are touching people with your heart, and when you do you’ll notice that people become spontaneously drawn to you – chatting at shops, strangers wanting to talk to you, animals coming over for a stroke.
And while challenges may still present themselves in your life, rather than just reacting, you may now be able to respond by standing back and handling the situation with love so the outcome will be for everyone’s highest good. You will feel more in tune with the other person’s heart and you will know just what to do...and trust in yourself.
The heart Charka does not occupy the same position as the physical heart, it is more central, in your chest cavity. Hormonally, the heart Chakra is associated with the thymus gland, which is part of the lymphatic system, which in turn is central to the immune system. A blocked or poorly functioning heart Chakra can lead to a weakened immune system, stress-related disorders and problems involving the lungs and respiratory system.
To connect more fully with this Chakra, you could practice a heart opening yoga sequence, involving side stretches and backward bending poses. These could include Trikonasana (Triangle pose), Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose), Ustrasana (camel pose), Dhanurasana (bow pose) and Setu Bandasana (Bridge pose).
Make sure that you practice with a place of compassion to the self - there is often a lot of fear in back bending and opening the heart, not least due to concerns about the lower back, but also about literally opening the heart, many people have kept this closed for years and our forward bending sedentary/office/screen time lifestyle does nothing to alleviate this. So be gentle. Slowly, slowly. It really is amazing to open the heart though!
Other ways to energise this energy centre include going for a walk in nature and seeing all the greens, the grass, the trees, the plants, the hills, really “see” nature. Of course you can lie on the grass, grow plants and fresh herbs, wear the colour, and eating greens works too as they resonate at just the right frequency. Invest in some beautiful rose quartz or green aventurine.
