The Anahata Chakra - Feel the Love!
The Heart chakra.
We are working ourselves slowly up the chakra ladder.
From the depth of the Mooladhara chakra at the very base of our spine, concerning our physical life, maintaining it and getting a sense of safety.
To the Swadhisthana chakra, the sacral centre, in the muddy waters of the mid pelvis, governing and dealing with our emotional life and happiness.
Further on to the Manipura chakra, the city of jewels, our transformative powerhouse, transforming gross matter, like food and subtle ones, like thoughts, into nourishment for the body and the mind.
We develop slowly from gross, our physical body to subtle, from all about us to allowing attention away towards loving and caring about others at the Anahata chakra level.
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What is the Anahata Chakra?
The Anahata chakra is located at the heart level.
Anahata translates into – unstruck, unbeaten, immaculate.
Unstruck and unbeaten here refers to the unstruck or unbeaten sound of the celestial realm. It is supposed to be heard when the Kundalini shakti, the primordial power that lays dormant in our pelvis at the Mooladhara chakra level, when this power rises up the spine through the chakras and reaches the Anahata chakra, ten sounds are heard. Not just any old sounds but the sounds of higher consciousness. That's quite out there, right?
This chakra is bound to the physical and spiritual hearts, which connects us to this higher level of consciousness.
The chakra is shaped like a wave. It is located in the centre of two overlapping triangles, one pointing up and the other down. It is of greenish colour, framed by 12 green petals carrying the sounds kaṁ, khaṁ, gaṁ, ghaṁ, ṅaṁ, caṁ, chaṁ, jaṁ, jhaṁ, ñaṁ, ṭaṁ, ṭhaṁ.
The air element governs the Anahata chakra and is associated with the sense of touch.
The bija mantra of the Anahata chakra is YAM.
What is the Significance of the Heart Chakra?
Our heart is vital for our survival on all levels. If the heart stops beating, we die; it is as simple as that.
This super-strong muscle is just working away without any rest at all. Throughout our entire life, everything depends on it.
At the same time, our heart is fragile and vulnerable; others can break it.
It is, after all, the centre that we attribute to love. It is here where we feel the love for someone else, someone special, the love of our life, our loved ones, our children, but also nature or even divinity.
We want to be with people we love, surrounded by our loved ones.
When we love someone, our heart opens and becomes bigger; we can deal with anything. We feel strong and generous; we are not bogged down by petty issues. If the washing up isn't done, we do it, no problem. If somebody needs help, we have time, not biggy, right? We all know this feeling. When our heart is open, full, overflowing with love for ourselves and others.
But one harsh word, one insult, can bring this seemingly unstoppable love train to an abrupt halt. Feelings of compassion and empathy are equally a quality of our hearts. They help us to keep our hearts open and nourish acceptance.
If our hearts are closed because we feel hurt and sad, we tend to isolate ourselves; we might feel lonely or jealous, hold grudges, and find it difficult to trust others.
How can we open the Heart Centre again?
There are several ways to work with the Anahata chakra. Here are a few tips:
Journaling helps process the events of the day and externalise them.
Being grateful for what we already have.
Ayurvedic treatments such as warm oil massages and heart basti nourish the heart tissue. These treatments help balance sadhaka pitta, which is located in the brain and the heart and is responsible for digesting emotions and thoughts and life itself.
Use of rose oil or rose water; the fragrance of roses is said to open the heart.
Eat warm and nourishing food; prefer food items that taste sweet. Drink warm drinks, such as herbal teas and milk with cinnamon or hot spiced cocoa.
Helping others.
Affirmations such as:
My heart is open.
My heart is like a flower meadow in the warm summer breeze.
My heart is strong. / I am strong.
I love myself.
I am loved.
I am one with all beings and nature.
I trust.
Yoga for the Heart Chakra
Chakras can offer an excellent focus for our Yoga practice. In return, we influence the chakras with Yoga asanas (postures), breathing, mudras and meditation.
Here are a few asanas which help to open the heart area:
All back bending poses, such as the above Anjaneyasana, Chakrasana or reclining butterfly are excellent to open the chest area and entire front of the body, allowing us to breathe deeper and freer again. But other back bends like camel pose or bridge pose, which is easy accessible to all are wonderful to integrate into your daily practice, along side supine twist.
Here are some ideas on integrating the breath into the heart centre.
The breath plays an important role in keeping Anahata chakra balanced. All kinds of stress, which will impact on the heart centre, can be managed with our breath. Deep abdominal breathing certainly will re-engage the rest and digest mode of the parasympathetic nervous system.
When I just started practising Yoga, back in Germany, my then teacher taught me the ‘heart breathing’. The breathing helps you to focus on the chest area only, providing it with plenty of nourishing pranic energy. Try it out.
Sit tall, lift your arms out to the side to shoulder level. Soften your elbows, your palms face upward, make soft fists.
Lengthen through the spine.
Inhale open your right palm, imagine you breathe in through your palm, the arm to your heart. Close your right palm.
Open your left palm, exhale through the arm and the palm.
Inhale through the left palm, through your arm to the heart. Close the palm.
Exhale through the right arm and palm. Continue in this rhythm.
Mudras
Mudras are hand gestures which keep the pranic energy in a particular loop. Here are two for you to experiment with:
Hridaya Mudra
Padma or Lotus Mudra
As the heart centre is connected to the air element, sounds and vibrations are an excellent way to get in touch with this chakra. Chanting of Aum Yam is very powerful. Try it. Sit tall, breathe in deeply and with the outbreath sound AUM YAM. Keep repeating it.
True love is unconditional. If we truly love somebody, we want the very best for this person, independent of what this means for us.
Final Thoughts
In our journey through the chakras, we ascended to the Anahata chakra, a pivotal point in our spiritual and physical existence. Located at the heart, the Anahata is our gateway to deeper understanding, empathy, and love. It embodies the pristine, unstruck sound of the universe, connecting us to a higher state of consciousness. Our exploration of the Anahata chakra reveals its profound significance in our lives - it's not just the physical heart that keeps us alive but also the spiritual heart that governs our emotions, our capacity for love, and our connection with others and the universe.
Understanding the Anahata chakra is more than an intellectual exercise; it's about integrating this knowledge into our daily practices. Yoga, with its asanas and mudras, opens up this heart centre, allowing us to fully experience love and compassion. Techniques like heart breathing, journaling, and affirmations remind us of the importance of nurturing our emotional well-being. In recognising the Anahata's central role, we find keys to unlocking a more profound sense of connection and love in our lives.
As we conclude, remember that the journey through the chakras, especially the Anahata, is not just about individual transformation. It's about expanding our capacity to love and connect with the world around us. Opening our heart chakra enriches our yoga practice and lives, fostering a spirit of unconditional love and deep, resonant connection with all that is.
Have you learned something new? Can you relate to it? Let me know. You can leave a message below, on Instagram, Facebook or even good old email.
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
P.S. Did you know that healthy eating habits also support the chakras as they connect to the organs located in the areas of the individual chakras?
