Fourth of the chakras, in sanskrit, Anahata means unhurt, unstruck and unbeaten. This chakra serves as our center of love for ourselves and others. For compassion, empathy and forgiveness. 

Tell me about the Heart Chakra?

Anahata is associated with unconditional love, compassion, and joy. It is the bridge between the lower and upper chakras integrating the earthly with the spiritual. Anahata is associated with air. Working with the other chakras, you can support heart chakra work. The first chakra is earth, grounded and steady; the second chakra, water brings creativity; the third chakra is the “fire in the belly” required to transform your creative spark into positive action. The air element associated with the heart chakra integrates compassion and connection.

Those with an open, well-balanced heart chakra are full of love, forgiveness, and compassion. But if this chakra is blocked, anger, grief, hatred, and jealousy can manifest.

The heart chakra is related to transformation and change. This chakra also enables you to grieve.

Where is the Heart Chakra?

The heart chakra affects the heart, lungs, chest, arms, and hands. When misaligned, poor circulation, high or low blood pressure, and other heart and lung conditions can result.

If the Heart Chakra is out of balance

This chakra also enables you to grieve. It helps us attain tranquility and inner peace amid conflict.

An imbalance of the heart chakra can be experienced as

• loneliness and separation

• feeling like you don’t belong or fit in

• feeling disconnected

A blocked heart chakra can show up as

• co-dependence

• manipulative behavior

• feelings of unworthiness

• inability to trust yourself or others

Physical symptoms of imbalance

• poor circulation

• high or low blood pressure

• heart and lung conditions

What to do for imbalance

1. Breath work

The fourth chakra element is air so breath work is a gateway to opening your heart chakra.

Since heart chakra represents the balance between two seemingly opposite energies, one of the best breath work techniques is nadhi sodhana or alternate nostril beathing. This balances your right and left brain hemispheres and also opens your heart.

How to do alternate nostril breathing

• Start by taking a full inhalation followed by a slow exhalation. Do this several times.

• Using your right hand. Fold the tips of the index and middle fingers inward until they touch the palm at the base of the right thumb, this is Vishnu mudra. You will alternately use the right thumb to close the right nostril and the right ring and pinky fingers (together) to close the left nostril.

• Inhale through the left nostril. Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. Inhale through the left nostril and deep into the belly. As you inhale, allow the breath to travel upward along the left side of the body. Pause briefly at the crown of the head.

• Exhale through the right nostril. Use the ring and pinky fingers of the right hand to close the left nostril and simultaneously release the right nostril. Exhale through the right nostril down the right side of the body. Pause at the bottom of the exhalation.

• Inhale through the right nostril. Keeping the left nostril closed, inhale through the right nostril, allowing the breath to travel up the right side of the body.

• Exhale through the left nostril. Use the right thumb to close the right nostril. Exhale through the left nostril.

• Repeat the sequence for several rounds of breath.

2. Yoga

Camel Pose

Half Camel Pose is a deep backbend for your upper back, and literally and metaphorically opens up your heart space.

• Kneel with your shoulders stacked over your hips and your hips stacked over your knees

• Bring your palms, fingers facing down, onto your glutes. Like putting your hands in your back pockets

• Start to press your hips forward as you arch your back

• For more advanced yogis bring one hand to your Heart Chakra, and grab your heel with your other hand

• To come out, activate your core and slowly re-stack your shoulders and hips

Bridge Pose

Bridge Pose is a gentler variation of Wheel Pose and it begins to create flexibility and strength in your spine. This pose also lifts and opens your heart towards the sky.

• Start on your back with your feet on your mat and knees to the sky

• Bring your arms by your sides with your palms face-down by your hips

• On an inhale, press into your feet to lift your hips toward the sky

• Try to evenly distribute weight between your feet and the base of your shoulders, without putting too much pressure on your head and neck

• For more intensity, interlace your fingers under you and squeeze your shoulder blades together

• To come out, slowly lower your spine on an exhale

A gentle way to practice is to do a supported bridge. Place a yoga block under your sacrum for support.

Warrior 1 Pose With Heart Opening Backbend

Warrior 1 Pose strengthens your quads while creating flexibility in your hips. Adding a backbend to this pose opens the Heart Chakra.

• Find a Warrior 1 stance with your front knee stacked over your front ankle and your back foot planted firmly down at about a 90-degree angle

• Bring your one or both hands to your low back, and slowly start to inch them down your back leg

• As you do this, keep your hips moving forward as you allow your chest to lift up

Upward Facing Dog Pose

Upward Facing Dog strengthens and tones your arms while creating flexibility in your spine. It’s a great, gentle pose to practice if you spend a lot of time on a computer.

Reverse Plank Pose

Reverse Plank Pose strengthens your arms, legs, back, and core while opening your heart

• Begin seated on your mat with your legs extended

• Bring your palms by your hips, fingertips facing your toes

• Inhale to press into your hands and feet and lift your hips toward the sky

• Option to bring your gaze behind you, opening your throat, for more intensity

3. Chanting

The mantra for the anahata is YAM.

A special mantra to help expand love and compassion is OM MANI PADME HUM.

“Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.” 

4. Positive Affirmations

Find an affirmation that resonates and repeat while meditating and say throughout the day

“I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

• “I am wanted and loved.”

• “My heart is open to love.”

• “I forgive myself.”

• “I live in a state of grace and gratefulness.”

5. Enriching Exercises

Empathy and compassion create openness

When you encounter hurt feelings from your past or present, you can choose to feel them fully and let them go or hold onto them. By letting them go, you’re able to open your heart to new people and new experiences with compassion, love, and understanding.

Give love to receive love

The best way to receive love is to give it.

• Smile at everyone you see daily

• Forgive and move on

• Give friends, family and co-workers positive affirmations and feedback

• Go one day without criticising anyone or anything, including yoursel