This month let’s learn about our Heart Chakra. The mantra for this chakra is, “I love.” It is here that we learn acceptance, love, compassion and sincerity.

This is your fourth chakra. It is located near your heart, in the center of your chest. It comes as no surprise that the heart chakra is all about our ability to love and show compassion. It is the bridge between the lower and upper chakras, balancing the material and spiritual worlds and facilitating our emotional and physical well-being. Pure love opens the fourth chakra, allowing us to receive and give love unconditionally.

The Sanskrit name is Anāhata. In Sanskrit, Anāhata means “unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten.” It also can “sound that is made without any two things striking”. This describes a state where we are no longer fighting or confronting what we love but moving with it in graceful harmony. The fight of the third chakra gives way to graceful acceptance in the fourth.

The sense that goes along with the fourth chakra is that of touch/feeling. The color is green.

When the heart chakra is blocked or imbalanced, you may experience a lowered immune system (colds, flus, infections), heart and lung issues (heart palpitations common), poor circulation, high/low blood pressure, and/or respiratory and breathing difficulties. These are all symptoms of Anāhata chakra imbalance.

An imbalance in the heart chakra may mean it is overactive or underactive. In the case of an underactive heart chakra, the energy flow is blocked or stagnant and we may find our hearts are almost closed off or that we are emotionally closed or numb. We may struggle with giving or receiving love or we may find it difficult to forgive others and get past pain. We may be self-isolating, lack empathy or compassion, and feel disconnected from others. We may grapple with self-love and be unduly critical of ourselves and others.

With an overactive heart chakra, there may be too much energy flowing, which means we overly connect to others. This can lead to misjudgment, giving too much, or codependency in relationships. We may appear loving to others, but the motivation comes from not feeling complete within ourselves. We may neglect our own emotions and fail to love ourselves; we may lack boundaries with others and say yes, even when it is detrimental to us. This can lead to all kinds of imbalances in our lives and can have a negative impact on our overall well-being. Other symptoms of an overactive heart chakra may be fear of abandonment, rejection, jealousy, possessiveness, and emotional dependence.

LOVE BLOCKS (or closed heart chakra) Include:

  • Feeling unlovable (use self-love affirmations to unblock).
  • Believing you don’t deserve Love (build self-worth and establish healthy
    boundaries).
  • Being afraid of getting hurt again (Challenge your assumptions and reframe your
    thoughts).
  • Fear of being vulnerable (practice GRADUALLY sharing deeper parts of yourself without oversharing).
  • Abandonment Issues (learn to embrace the impermanence of everything).
  • Codependency or believing you need someone else to be happy (embrace solitude and time alone – and practicing good self-care).

If this chakra is imbalanced, you may experience one or more of the following:

  • Chest Pain and Heart Disease
  • Respiratory Issues, including Asthma
  • Restlessness, including Palpitations
  • Shortness of Breath
  • Panic Attacks
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Lack of Energy
  • Immune System Deficiencies
  • Shoulder and Upper Back Pain

Emotionally and mentally, you might experience symptoms such as:

  • Codependency
  • Manipulative Behaviors
  • Feelings of Unworthiness
  • Inability to Trust Yourself or Others
  • Feelings of Jealousy
  • Holding Grudges
  • Fear of Intimacy
  • Feeling Overly Defensive
  • Placing Yourself in the Role of Rescuer or Victim
  • Feeling Socially Anxious or Shy
  • Being Fearful in Relationships

Here are some journal prompts to help you open and balance your Heart Chakra.

  1. Do you love yourself and others?
  2. Can you forgive yourself and others?
  3. Do you love life? What does “loving life” mean to you?
  4. Do you feel at peace?
  5. Do you believe that we are all connected?
  6. Can you see the connection between yourself and others?
  7. How do you experience joy in your life, and what would you like to do to cultivate more joy?
  8. How has your definition of love changed over the past few years or months, if at all?

Learning more about the Hear Chakra is a great way to heal and balance its energy. This is the first of your upper chakras. There are numerous ways to balance and maintain each chakra. Working with coach, meditating, sound healing, yoga, affirmations, the foods you eat, crystals aligned to the energetic frequency of each chakra, herbs, essential oils, and more!

This month, focus on this ever-so-powerful energy center and see if you notice any shifts or
changes in your perceptions. It’s a journey of healing and it doesn’t happen overnight. But daily focus can change the trajectory of your life in ways you never imagined!