There are 7 major chakras of the body’s energy system, each one associated with several attributes. These include colors, crystals or stones, sound, elements, and body senses. Concentrating on each area through touch, breath, or meditation, allows to balance the physical and emotional functions of each chakra.
In the Heart of the Matter
The heart chakra, known as Anahata in Sanskrit, is most commonly referred to as the chakra of love, passion, and devotion. This makes the heart itself revered as the organ of love. We can experience love in a romantic relationship, towards friends and family members, towards ourselves and to the Universe, which is known as spiritual love.
Love is a vibration, in fact, all thoughts and emotions emit forms of vibration. The heart chakra is the 4th chakra, which is located at your heart’s center and is the center of the whole chakra system. The energy not only flows anteriorly, meaning in front, but also wraps around like an auric field. This energy of love is all-encompassing, however if there is an imbalance then the energy field may not be fully supported, and certain dysfunctions may manifest.
Heart Chakra Functions and Dys-functions
The main function of this chakra is to feel love, acceptance, and compassion. When the heart chakra is balanced the feelings associated with it include empathy, serenity, tolerance, trust, and joy.
When the heart chakra is imbalanced, we may feel cold, critical, jealous, and even lonely. These types of feelings can bring about dysfunction to the physical body and mind. The mental health problems that come from being in these negative emotions include depression, anxiety, sadness, bitterness, and lack of motivation.
Common physical health problems will also manifest, such as cardiovascular disease, inflammation, chronic pain in the rhomboids, chest and/or middle of the spine, poor blood circulation, high blood pressure, and anemia.
These can all occur because our mental thought patterns form our experiences. Our emotions, when unsupervised, can take a real toll on the body and mind. Being mindful of our thoughts will allow us to remain calm and to respond, rather than react. This simple pause can indeed have a profound effect on the chakras and in our daily lives.
Healing Therapies for the Heart Chakra
The chakras can regain balance and remain centered through a wide range of natural therapies. They can be utilized at home or with a professional, in either case, look for the ones that speak to you.
Which ones do you like? Which ones will help you reduce stress and promote love into your heart?
Color Therapy: Colors associated with the 4th chakra are green and/or pink. Try wearing any of these colors or meditating upon them for visual stimulation. A powerful way to support the heart chakra includes eating foods of this color! Dark leafy greens, broccoli, peas, kiwi, herbs, green tea, green olives, pumpkin seeds, and so much more. If we look at some foods that are pink, they include salmon, trout, shrimp, pink Himalayan salt, beets, and watermelon!
Healing Crystals/Stones: These crystals can be scattered around your home or kept in your pocket for support, depending on how close you need to work with them. They include malachite, peridot, aventurine, jade, emerald, amazonite, fuschite, unakite, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, and rose quartz.
Sound: Play a frequency of 639Hz, sing in the F key, or use the word “Yam” for chanting.
Element: If you’re feeling down, go outside, as the heart chakra lightens with the element of air/wind. Take a walk of minimum 30-50 minutes and breathe well into the chest throughout the walk.
Sense: The heart is associated with touch! The power of touch is remarkable when it comes to regulating dys-functions. You may place your hands on your heart and concentrate on how the energy feels. Remain calm, breathe, and wait for a state of relaxation arise. Furthermore, you can try seeing a professional for touch therapy. The power of massage therapy and Reiki are proven to reduce stress, regulate emotions, balance hormones, boost endorphins, and promote mindfulness.
Touch is the first sense we experience in life! “Touch comes before sight, before speech. It is the first language, and the last, and it always tells the truth.” -Magaret Atwood
Meditation for Love
Let us conclude with a meditation using mantras to promote love. Before we begin, sit back, relax, and get comfortable. You may even close your eyes before reading the mantras and take 3 deep breaths, allowing your inhales to be long and slow…
Once your eyes are open and you feel calm, begin to recite these words out-loud or to yourself:
I breathe in peace.
I breathe out tension.
I am grateful for this moment to myself.
I am here now.
I respect my body.
I calm my mind.
I accept things as they are.
I allow love to fill me up with joy.
I feel love vibrating in every cell of my body.
I trust this feeling will last.
I live consciously in harmony and balance.
I am compassionate and empathic to others.
I share my love to others.
I trust in love.
I love myself.
Love is my light.
I hope your heart feels open and filled with love. Keep this feeling with you, let your chest shine proudly and direct the frequency of love towards others and yourself. Mindfully choose love and you will know peace. Namaste.