The Heart Chakra
Table of Contents
Quick Correspondants
Sanskrit Name: Anahata
Meaning: Unstruck
Body Location: Heart
Glands: Thymus
Element: Air
Function: Love
Seed Sound: Lam
Mantra: I love
Incense: Lavender, Jasmine
Minerals: Rose Quartz, Emerald, Jade
Deities: Vishnu, Aphrodite, Krishna
Archangel: Raphael
Our Heart
Our Heart Chakra is the center of our chakra system, it is the middle point between the lower and upper three energy centers. This idea is represented in the geometry of the six-pointed star, with one triangle pointed upwards and the other down, the heart is the median between our earthly three dimensional needs and those of divine consciousness. This is our spiritual center uniting the “as above so below” and the “as within so without” ideation. Here we integrate and balance as we move from the microcosm into the macro. This also encourages balance within in regards to our feminine and masculine energy. If we reside too heavily in one or the other our expression of giving and receiving love can move into a hyperized polarity that we will discuss in the Love section of this piece. First, it is important to see our major Heart Chakra in relation to its minor chakras in our hands. Our hands and arms are extensions of the Heart Chakra as the energy rides the meridian lines out through them. Our hands and arms are expressions of love, choosing to hold things close, share touch, and even in creation. When we make things with our hands we are using the energy of our hearts, which makes it more understandable why we label handmade gifts as ‘heartfelt’. We also use our hands to express love to ourselves in the way we hold our body, massage it, cleanse it, etc. In understanding the emotions of our heart we must be in a conscious relationship with the action of our hands.
Love
The main function of the Heart Chakra is love. A word that holds infinite meaning and power, a word so expansive that many languages have multiple words to describe its many facets. This center is the chapel of many divine marriages like that between spirit and matter, Shiva and Shakti, the inner world and the outer world. Love is a unifying force that draws things together, breaking separateness and isolation. Yet it is important to differentiate the love of the Heart Chakra from other. The sexual, lustful, or power-driven love we experience in the lower chakras is fleeting and surface level, but the love of the Heart Chakra is unconditional, abundant, and infinite. True love for self and others comes from here, and any block will hinder this flow. In order to truly love others, we must also share this love with ourselves. Once we master radical self-love we will invite others to love us the same way. This means that in order to encourage others to love us, we must too. To invite others we must also invite ourselves to love us. If we rely on love from other people to fuel our Heart Chakras it will not reach their fullest capacity. In order to fill our loving container, the energy needs to come from within and without.
The cycle of love exists in giving and receiving with the willingness to extend our love to others, but also accept the love others wish to give us. In a feminine-masculine polarity, we connect to the giver-receiver polarity. To truly master this chakra we must sit in the middle of both of these relationships. A block in this center tends to reside in the receiving end, for many people don’t allow themselves to receive due to feeling undeserving or even selfish. The lesson is that we must be an open vessel, if we close off our hearts from receiving it will be more difficult to give. The receptor of our love could become confused at their inability to give the same love back and eventually mirror our block.
Healing and Breathing
The element of the Heart Chakra is air, which is the least dense of the physical elements. Air represents a sense of freedom, of weightlessness, of softness. Air disperses itself evenly in the space it occupies teaching us equilibrium and calmness. Air also represents breath, the force by which we are living. Every breath we take is immediately integrated into our body, feeding our system. We inhale 18,000 to 20,000 times a day on average, and many tend to pay no attention to this function. In focusing on the Heart Chakra we must focus on breathing deeply, feeling the oxygen fill our chests and ripple into our entire vessel. By consciously controlling our breath our body and mind can exist in a more meditative state all day. Finding this calm center aids in our healing. When we heal ourselves we learn new forms of love and compassion that we can then share with others. We are our own greatest teacher, and the heart holds many lessons. By exploring the wisdom of our heart space we can better understand the things we need to have in life which can essentially boil down to one idea: LOVE. Once this heart healing and learning occurs and our Heart Chakra is open our simple presence radiates our love.
Heart Chakra Mantras
- I love
- I love unconditionally
- I have an infinite supply of love
- I am balanced and centered
- I am worthy of love
- I am open to give and receive love
- I choose to unite with all things
Yoga Postures
Chest Opener
Standing, put your arms behind your back and clasp your hands together, rotating your arms so that your elbows lock. This should push your chest forward and shoulders back. Once you are comfortable throw your head back and use your arms to rotate your torso, loosening any tightness.
The Cobra
Lie flat on your stomach with
The fish
