by Silvia Mordini: Explore your heart chakra — the center of love, forgiveness, and passion…
The chakras are the seven main energy centers in the body where we receive, absorb and distribute life energies. They are located along the spine, starting at the base and running upwards to the crown of the head. The chakras are described as “whirling wheels of light” and each chakra radiates a specific color and energy. Each chakra relates to specific spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical issues. Balancing these energy centers leads to our well-being.
These seven chakras can become blocked through external situations and internal habits such as long-held tension in the body or staying stuck in our thoughts about things past or constant worry about the future. As a result, a chakra can become either deficient or excessive. Therefore this chakra is imbalanced. Practicing mantras that correspond to each chakra can release these blocks and clear the path to more joyful living. Love yourself, love your day, love your life!
Anahata, The Heart Chakra
About the Heart Chakra:
The Anahata (heart) chakra, represents unconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. The heart chakra influences your right to love and be loved, in other words, your ability to connect with oneself and other people.
This chakra promotes balance and integration as it is the middle of the seven with, three lower chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus) and three upper chakras (throat, third eye, crown). A healthy heart chakra is demonstrated by maintaining healthy boundaries.
Anahata chakra helps us to see the world through the eyes of our heart. We see through a prism of love and aren’t afraid to express our emotions.
Tomorrow when you wake in the morning, fall in love with yourself all over again say to yourself: “Today help me to keep love and peace in my heart. And to make that love a way of life, that I may live in love the rest of my life.”
Name: Anahata is Sanskrit name of heart Chakra, “unstruck” or “that which cannot be destroyed”
Location: at the heart (center of the chest)/ base of sternum
Intention: Adoration
Your Rights: Your Right to Love and Be Loved
Self-work: Self-love
Identity: Social Identity
Mantra: I am love
Color: Green
Element: Air
Sense: Touch
Healing Stones: Emerald, tourmaline, aventurine, malachite, rose quartz, rhodonite,
Bija Seed Sound: Yam
Vowel Sound: Ay (as in play)
Psychology:
Basic Issues: Love, devotion, ability to connect with others, openness, compassion, balance, self-acceptance, self-confidence, to be in good relationship, place where dharma resides, forgiveness
Characteristics When Out of Balance: Grief, emotional outbursts, insecurity, nervousness, anxiety, anger, impatience, fanaticism, overly critical, withdrawn, inability to have deep relationships, inability to express emotion, codependency, poor boundaries, possessiveness, Jealousy, addictions to tobacco, sugar, marijuana
Excessive: Codependency, demanding, clinging, jealousy, overly sacrificing
Deficient: Antisocial, withdrawn, cold, judgemental, loneliness, isolation, depression, fear of intimacy, lack of empathy, narcissism
Healing: Breathing exercises, journaling, psychotherapy
Fourth Chakra Mantras:
- I am loving of myself and others.
- There is an infinite supply of love.
- I live in balance with others.
- May I be at home in my heart.
- May I be free to feel my true feelings, desires, passions .
- I am worthy of love.
Journaling: Take 10 minutes to journal about what this poem means to you:
“Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion – towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life. Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.
Let us plead with ourselves to live in a way which will not deprive other beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live. With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
