By Hanne
The Anahata Chakra is the fourth one of the chakras. It is the middle of the seven Chakras and connects our inner and outer worlds. What is the meaning of the Anahata Chakra, and how do you know when it is imbalanced and how to bring back the balance? And when it comes to matters of heart, is it true that all we need is love? All this will be covered in this post.
The Secret of Anahata Chakra:
All we need is love
As we move from fiery Manipura upwards, we end up into a lighter air element of Anahata Chakra and its loving heart energy. The Anahata, or heart chakra, is located in the middle of the chest behind the sternum. The Sanskrit word Anahata means unstruck, untarnished, unhurt, or unbroken. So it is the part of us that is unharmed.
Physically, the Anahata Chakra connects to the heart, lungs, blood circulation, and hands. And through the heart energy that passes through these, we can give and receive love and live our lives without expectations.
The signs of a balanced Anahata Chakra are compassion, joy, and forgiveness. In the vortex of this energy, we learn to love and accept ourselves. If we face trauma, rejection, or loss, the energy flow of the Anahata Chakra can become blocked. In this case, the energy of the Anahata Chakra becomes fearful, guilty, and unforgiven.
The color of the Anahata Chakra is green, and its mantra is yam.
Imbalanced Anahata Chakra
A feeling of loneliness indicates imbalance in Anahata Chakra, and we may distance ourselves from others to protect ourselves from possible new pains. We behave or experience jealousy and fear of rejection. It can cause us to be codependent, and we cling to people and relationships.
Physical problems typically occur as lung, heart, or upper back problems, all of which are caused by an Anahata blockage. Also, e.g., asthma can be a sign of an imbalanced Anahata. It can also affect the functioning of our immune system.
The imbalance of the Anahata Chakra can manifest the same way as a broken heart; we lose faith, hope, and trust and become apathetic and suspicious.
How to Find Balance?
How to find the balance of the Anahata Chakra and strengthen it so that you can open your heart to love? According to ancient sages, focusing on the area of the heart, imagining the emerald green light around it while repeating the mantra “Yam” is one way toward balance.
The essential oils bring balance, such as pine (the best option), ylang-ylang, rose, and jasmine. You can find help from rose berries. Or herbs, which are suitable to treat cardiovascular diseases, including, e.g., sage, echinacea, pine, and hawthorn. Crystals may also bring balance into your Anahata Chakra. Try, e.g., malachite, emerald, aventurine, jade, watermelon tourmaline, and rose quartz.
It is a good idea to include chest-opening asanas such as a cobra, a bow, or a locust into your yoga asana exercise. You will find the Anahata Chakra-focused yoga practice at the end of this post.
Setting your boundaries is also closely related to the Anahata chakra area. It has to do with the ability to say no without feeling compelled to explain it in any way.
However, when you gain more self-confidence, things and life move in the right direction; it can only be done by listening to your heart.
Heart that is Beating in Harmony
A balanced Anahata accepts everyone as they are. Love toward ourselves and the love we feel for others is also in balance.
In Sanskrit, the language of yoga, there are 54 different ways to say “love.” Each of these words expresses the quality of love, for we love in so many different ways. Love for our parents is different from our love for our partner, child, or friend.
The balanced energy of Anahata makes you stand upright, radiating positive energy and attracting love to your life.
Everything in life is based on intentions that radiate from our hearts. To maintain balance, we choose joy, compassion, and love, learn to love ourselves unconditionally, and give similar love to others. We forgive ourselves and others.
Our life is a journey of the soul. During that journey, we experience our hearts to break and learn through our pains. And finally, our hearts guide us on the path of divine love and consciousness. The question is, are you ready to walk that path?
To love oneself is the beginning of a life long journey.
Yin Yoga for Heart Chakra
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Sources:
Sharon, Shalia, Baginski, Bodo J: The Chakra Handbook
Rohit, Sahu: Chakras for beginners
Kaivalya, Alanna: Chakra Yoga A beginner’s guide to Chakra healing
https://www.chakras.net/energy-centers/anahata
Harries, Gabrielle: The Inspired Yoga Teacher
Harries, Gabrielle: The Language of Yin
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Hanne Nousiainen
Yoga Teacher • Personal Trainer
Hanne Nousiainen
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