Kaisa Kapanen: Anahata chakra, the Heart Chakra, is located at heart level in your chest…

It is a green colored chakra, represented by a lotus with 12 petals. The Sanskrit word of Anahata means unbeaten  or unstruck, and this chakra is the centre of love, compassion, joy and generosity in life. It is an important chakra because it unites the lower three, more earthy chakras with the higher three, more spiritual chakras, creating a balance for the body and the spirit.

The Anahata chakra teaches us to love and accept ourselves and accept those around us as well. It encourages us to follow our heart, and to find our highest, truest self.

When the Anahata chakra is balanced, it’s easy for us to be kind and open towards all beings. We feel loving and compassionate towards ourselves, and others find it easy to be in our accepting presence. We don’t hold grudges and find it easy to forgive others with an open heart.

When the Anahata chakra is imbalanced

If we have been hurt in life, and if our hearts have been broken, we tend to protect this area and shield it off from the world. We may find it hard to trust others, and we are not willing to let other people close to us. Negative feelings, such as hate, jealousy, fear and anger can come forth and take over.

An overactive Anahata chakra makes it difficult for us to control our feelings. We may go from one extreme to another without control. We may feel insecure, and cling on to others for love and approval. If the Heart chakra is deficient, we may want to keep ourselves away from others, closing ourselves off with the result of becoming very lonely and isolated.

On the physical body the imbalances in the Anahata chakra can manifest as issues in the chest, heart and lungs, and disturbances in the blood pressure. When we protect the sensitive heart, we hunch our shoulders and round off the upper back.

How to balance the Anahata chakra

Try to open yourself to love. Ask yourself if it is easy for you to accept yourself, since only after we can fully accept ourselves, can we love and accept others.

The element of Anahata chakra is air. When you are outside, feel the air around you. It’s endless, much like love. As you breathe in fresh air, you breathe in love and acceptance, and fill your heart with it. The color green found in nature can aid in balancing this chakra, so enjoy these two elements as often as possible.

Helpful Yoga poses for the Anahata chakra are those that are opening the chest and the heart space. Try gentle back bends and other heart opening poses, and observe how it feels to make yourself more open and vulnerable towards life and love. You can also meditate picturing this chakra, a beautiful green lotus in your chest, and try to open it day by day a little more.

The Anahata chakra teaches us to reach out beyond ourselves, to focus on others, to focus on love, giving, forgiveness and compassion. Sometimes the best thing to do is to forget yourself and reach out to others. Stay open, and remind yourself – I am love.