“Give yourself permission to let it hurt but also allow yourself the permission to let it heal.” ― Nikki Rowe
The heart chakra, in Sanskrit, Ahahata is translated as “unstruck” “unhurt” or “unbeaten”. More specifically, the heart chakra is all about giving and receiving love, and many see it as glowing a deep emerald green (although some can read the energetic center as a completely different color). This chakra can fill the entire chest and often expands out of the body, especially if you are an empath (the ability to feel other people’s feelings). It governs the circulatory system, lymphatic system, immune system, thymus gland, and hands.
Brit playing in the snow and demonstrating reclined bound angle (supta baddha konasana) with her arms open and palms facing the sky— an excellent heart and hip opening posture.
Chakras are major energy centers in the body and translate to “wheels of light.” According to the lineage that I have learned from, there are 7 main chakras in the body and the heart chakra is the 4th. It is really important to have these energetic centers flowing correctly and smoothly for optimal health and vitality.
The heart is the core of our spirit. Have you experienced a great loss? We all have. If you haven’t yet in your lifetime, you will, so it is essential to know how to help keep energy flowing through your body so that you can heal. Love is a form of energy and circulates all around us. The loss you feel can be reborn in the form of new love if you allow yourself time to heal. Let the pain flow through and out of you. When you feel an emotion, allow yourself to feel it, acknowledge it, and let it flow through your body perhaps by crying or a different form of release. This is a gateway to your higher self. The heart Chakra is flowing with energy when you love yourself, nature, and others without conditions or restrictions. Unconditional love and forgiveness are vital for your heart energy, and also the ability to receive love.
How can you tell if your heart chakra is balanced? When the heart chakra is in balance we are able to give and receive love, we are content, joyful and able to express our love fully. When the chakra is out of balance, we are unable to give or receive unconditional love, we tend to be selfish, jealous, closed-off, hateful, afraid of intimacy, we are grief stricken, experience excessive loneliness and even depression.
Having all of our chakras flowing and perfectly balanced all of the time isn’t practical, but if we can understand when they are out of balance, we can try to bring them back into harmony. Personally, I have experienced great loss in my life and have witnessed a lot in my 32 years on this planet. My life has been extremely stressful at times, and my heart has been broken. I am highly empathetic, so it has taken some practice for me to distinguish what my emotions are and what I may be absorbing from others.
Here are some tips for nurturing your energetic heart:
- Movement can really help to keep all of your energetic centers flowing, and that is what many of the yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breath work) are intended to do. Any heart opener [backbend], forward fold or reclined bound angle pose (see photo above of me doing reclined bound angle) will energize the fourth Chakra. Remember, the heart isn’t just in the front of the chest—it is the full circumference of the chest & ribcage so don’t forget some side bending, too. Place your arms stretched out with your palms facing the sky to allow love to flow in. It’s all about helping to create self-love as you will release unnecessary protection or habitual holding, both physical and emotional. *Please consult a physician before partaking in any new form of exercise.*
Click here to practice a heart-focused yoga session with me!
2. If you have a habit of walking around closed-off with your arms crossed and shoulders slouched, try to keep your posture lifted and your heart open. Closing ourselves off does not open us up receive love.
3. Take in positive affirmations and compliments from others—that is life-force energy. Affirmations for the heart chakra:
“I am open to love.”
“All love resides within my heart.”
“ I am completely lovable.”
“I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
4. Use essential oils. Oils for the heart include: rose, Melissa, or jasmine. You can apply them topically over the heart center and breathe them deeply while you speak your affirmations aloud. If you’d like to experience Young Living’s 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils, click here. Use caution when using essential oils. They are pure plant extracts and are potent. You can mix them with a carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond to dilute a bit.
5. Balancing with vocal sound, also called toning. The sound of the heart chakra is YAHM (“yyyyyyaaaahhhhmmmmm). You would practice this in a similar way to making the sound of OM. YAHM is long and drawn out so, inhale deeply and make that sound until you need to inhale again, and repeat 3 times with the duration of 3 breaths.
6. When you are experiencing an emotion, really feel into it. Identify what the specific feeling is, give yourself time to acknowledge it, take some quiet time & solitude when the opportunity arises, and process it. Unprocessed emotions stagnate in the body, so identify what it is you are feeling and allow it to flow through you. If necessary, seek therapy to speak with a professional about tools on how to process through difficult emotions.
7. See an energy worker. We are trained professionals to help people to balance their energetic centers. I have been training with a mentor, Elise Moore for about 2 years and seeing her personally for about 3. She has helped me transform my life and learn to balance my own system and assist others in balancing theirs. I would be happy to work with you directly to get your chakras flowing with a 1:1 energy session. Click here to book a session with me!
Special thanks to The Zen Spot Institute, Sage Yoga and Wellness, my mentor Elise Moore, the Chakra Bible, https://www.chakra-anatomy.com/heart-chakra.html
Thank you for reading.
Until next time,
I love you.
Brit and Jonah during the B Zen Wellness Winter Wonderland Retreat near Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs, CO.
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