4th Chakra: Heart Chakra
Center of Compassion
The Heart Chakra, located in
the center of the chest, is the gateway to the higher states of
consciousness. It links the lower
chakras and the upper chakras and is the portal through which we radiate the
power of unconditional love and gratitude and how we receive it from the
universe.
While the balanced energy of
the Heart Center radiates love, compassion, and forgiveness…the dysfunctional
energy of this chakra is a heart full of rage, hate, and cruelty. Often, when a thirst for power takes
control of a person’s life…the lower three chakras pool with excessive
energy. The result is that when
that energy reaches the heart chakra, it is dark and heavy. This creates the kind of outward
expression that we see in most people who hoard material power…unable to trust
or even truly love others, they only look out for what they assume is in their
best interests. This Scrooge-like
demeanor hardens the heart over time and creates a blockage in this
chakra. With no way for the energy
to go up through the upper chakras, such people are unable to even recognize a
higher state of consciousness.
This is the chakra of caring
and compassion. When the heart is
open and you have self-love, your relationships with others will be healthy and
balanced. Awakening the heart chakra is one of the most important steps that we
can take on our spiritual journey through life. True healing of old emotional wounds comes from here. With strong heart energy, we stop
clinging to old hurts and pain.
Instead, we feel forgiveness toward ourselves and others and we heal
with love. Resentments and
refusing to forgive are the most common sources of Heart Chakra blockages. By forgiving, you unlock the door to
healing.
To balance this chakra, give
service freely to others (though not in excess). Watch movies that make you feel, listen to soothing music,
play with children or animals. Focusing
on the color green (or pink or gold, whichever you most align with) will allow
your heart energy to unfold, strengthen and spread out (much like wings). Keep feelings and thoughts of thankfulness
in everything you experience daily.
Feel with compassion and patience.
Most importantly, love and forgive yourself and others. In the information below, you can find
crystals and other healing techniques associated with the sense of touch (the sense
connected to the heart center) that can aid you in your healing of this chakra.
Balanced heart energy:
Compassionate, empathetic, humanitarian, sees the
good in everyone, desire to nurture others, friendly, outgoing, in touch with
feelings, can surrender and merge in a love relationship, can wait for the
right partner. When in balance you begin to express and receive abundant love. You find out what you love to do and
then you do it. Your life purpose
becomes clear as you express the energy of love. You love what you do and it
shows. You are able to accept those you meet and accept them for who they are
without being drawn into their drama.
You begin to give of yourself freely and openly
without looking or expecting anything in return. Love is the natural state for the mind and body, exampled by
the love for a child or an animal. You give love without expecting anything in return – you love
for the sheer joy of loving.
Excessive heart energy:
Demanding, overly critical, overly sensitive, overly
reactive, overly helpful, over-nurturing, over-protective, possessive, moody,
melodramatic, manic-depressive, co-dependent, inability to let go of a
relationship, feels overwhelmed, manipulative, uses money or sex to control
people, martyr, a master of conditional love: "I love you if",
withholds love to get the desired behavior: "You wouldn't do that if you
really loved me."
Deficient heart energy:
Relationship issues, commitment issues, emotional
unavailability, emotional insecurities, hides emotions, erratic emotions,
resistance, jealousy, possessiveness, paranoia, feeling sorry for yourself, self-neglect,
indecisive, aloofness, overly private, bitterness, worries a lot, afraid of
letting go and being free, non-nurturing, non-supportive, low milk flow for
nursing mothers, sexual energy feels unworthy love, can't reach out, terrified
of rejection, needs constant reassurance.
Illnesses associated with
the heart chakra:
Heart pain, heart attack, high or low blood pressure,
asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, COPD, negativity, poor circulation, fatigue,
difficulty breathing, tension, insomnia, anger, paranoia, fibromyalgia, cysts
and breast cancer.
Glands/organs/body parts
associated with the heart chakra:
Heart, lungs, immune system, thymus gland, lymph
glands.
Stones/crystals/minerals to
aid the healing of the heart chakra:
Emerald, green or pink tourmaline, watermelon
tourmaline, malachite, green jade, green aventurine, rose quartz, rhodonite,
red calcite, ruby.
Healing the heart chakra
with touch:
Touch is the first intimacy
that we know as infants and remains our most powerful, unspoken means of
communication throughout our lives.
It is in our heart center that we learn about touch and how we, in turn,
wish to touch others. One of the most heart opening feelings is when you are
holding and stroking a baby. If you know a Reiki practitioner, these
healers are skilled at healing with touch as well. The best, most immediate, way to heal yourself and others
with the sense of touch is to hug someone…hug everyone. It’s not just for ‘hippies’
anymore. ;) Hugging heightens the energy shared between
heart chakras of individuals.
Petting animals, especially cats, is another way to open the heart
center. When a cat purrs, they do
so during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and
frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz.
Studies have shown that sound frequencies in this range can improve muscle
growth/repair, tendon repair, mobility of joints, bone density and promote pain
relief, swelling reduction, wound healing and overall healing.
As the heart chakra is also
connected with the energy of the hands, mudras (special hand positions) are
beneficial for opening the heart and send more energy to it. To open the heart chakra, sit
cross-legged. Let the tips of your
index finger and thumb touch on both hands. Put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand in
front of the lower part of your breast bone (a bit above the solar
plexus). Concentrate on the heart
chakra and chant the sound ‘YAM’ (YAHMNG). The sound, from Sanskrit letters, causes a resonation in
your body that you can feel in your Heart Center. Do this meditation for 7-10 deep breaths. Chant the sound three times each
breath.
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