The Heart Chakra
THE HEART CHAKRA OR ANAHATA CHAKRA, IS LOCATED AT THE HEART IN THE CHEST, THIS IS THE ENERGY CENTER FOR LOVE, COMPASSION, AND HEALTHY ATTACHMENT.
image @organics.org
Capacity for emotional expression is found in this energy center.
The element of this chakra is air
The color is green.
This Chakra is the energy of love and healthy attachment. **This center is where we have the capacity to feel full, express, and resolve anger, hostility, joy, love, grief, and forgiveness. It is also our capacity to form mutual reciprocal partnerships with the balance of giving, receiving, nurturing of others, and intimacy with others vs. the capacity to be alone (intimacy with self).
When this center is open it releases oxytocin-the love and bonding hormone. This is the hormone commonly released in childbirth, bond with a child or in a romantic relationship. It is also released when women gather in a circle and share and relate with each other and through practices of self-love and self-care (i.e. breast massage and self-pleasure). This hormone is also considered to be the antidote for stress in the body! This means when it’s released it decreases inflammation and calms the body downshifting into a healing state of the nervous system; para-sympathetic state aka rest and digest.
The second (sacral chakra) is connected here with the heart chakra - the uterus or “womb space” is considered to be the lower heart, while the heart center is considered the upper heart. So if one center is closed the other will be as well. This is where is shame around one’s sexuality can prevent one from opening their capacity to fully feel love and healthfully give and receive. It’s the connection with the power in the womb space that allows a woman to be open and vulnerable yet remain intact with her true power and sense of inner trust and security. Having both of these energy centers in balance is what allows us to be in a healthy relationship without co-dependency, the ability to remain connected without fear of “losing” oneself in a relationship.
Possible ways this energy center can become imbalanced or shut down;
1) through conflicting societal beliefs and messages - a woman who is powerful and is not lovable (is a bitch), making it difficult to choose between the two conflicting energies in the body (sacral and heart)
2) through shame and guilt - feeling the need to overgive and care for others above self
3) experiencing heart-break, disappointment, abandonment, and fear in relationships - present as well as past unresolved attachments, this is where forgiveness comes into play - the ability to forgive or let go allows the heart center to open again
4) the inability to process through emotions - so when these uncomfortable emotions arise you shut down and don’t want to look at it or deal with it so you move onto something else, either make yourself busy, numb out with food or tv and stuff it down - these emotions remain present underlying leading to dysfunction if not fully processed
**ORGANS IN THIS CHAKRA;
heart
breasts
ribs
lungs
diaphragm
shoulders
blood vessels
**PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF BLOCKAGES IN THIS CHAKRA;
breasts problems, cysts, pain, inflammation
upper back or shoulder pain
lung issues
chest pain
heart issues - heart attack, chronic issues, heart failure
PHYSICAL PRACTICES TO OPEN THE BLOCKS IN THE 3RD CHAKRA;
Place your hands at your heart and lightly feel with fingertips, breath gently through your nose, eyes closed and feel what you feel - feel what emotions are in there - take as long as you like to be quiet with your heart and if anything would like to process let it out with a cry or writing.
BREAST MASSAGE PRACTICE
Yoga poses for heart opening - camel pose, wheel or backbend, cobra, fish - focus on breathing into opening the heart as you do these.
See practices for SACRAL CHAKRA to open the lower heart space.
MENTAL PRACTICES TO HEAL BLOCKS;
Repeat the mantra “I AM LOVE” or “I AM SAFE TO GIVE AND RECEIVE FULLY” or “I AM SAFE TO FEEL FULLY”
Journal and ask yourself:
was there a time I closed down my heart?
what does being vulnerable mean to me?
do I trust myself?
if you’re in a relationship - is there an equal exchange of giving and receiving? Or do you feel like you are over-giving and drained without receiving it back?
do you believe that you have to give in order to be loved? where has this played out in your life?
Resources:
**From the Book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” by Dr. Christian Northrup
“Kundalini Tantra” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
“Creator, Sustainer, Destroyer” by Psalm Isadora