We love chatting all things Chakras and we know so many of our MerryBods love it too… it’s fun and it also helps you to tune into your body and spirituality in a really doable and easy way.
Before we get into the heart chakra be sure to download our free eBook where we cover all of the chakras! You’ll find so much info in this one eBook.
Ok! Let’s get into this Quick Guide to the Heart Chakra.
What is Anahata Chakra?
Roughly translated, Anahata means “unhurt,” and the heart chakra definitely lives up to the meaning of its name.
The heart chakra acts as your center of empathy, love, compassion, and forgiveness. The heart chakra also rules your senses of fearlessness, peace, gratitude, trust, generosity, and connectedness.
But that is not where the heart chakra’s role stops. Anahata Chakra also rules changes and transformations, the sense of emotional control, setting healthy boundaries in your life, the depth of your relationships with people around you, and the love you have for yourself.
A green six-pointed star nested in a flower with twelve petals symbolizes the heart chakra. Anahata Chakra has a very strong feminine energy, it is elementally associated with air, and its mantra is “I love.” The color of the Anahata Chakra is green, and the animal it is associated with is an antelope.
Where is Anahata Chakra Located?
The heart chakra is located at the center of the spine, and it is precisely at the heart level.
All of the charkas are equally important, and they all have different roles. However, the heart chakra is unique because it is the fourth of the seven chakras, which makes the exact halfway point of the chakra system.
This position also makes Anahata Chakra the unifier of the spiritual and the physical chakras.
The heart chakra acts as the bridge between the earth and spirit by connecting the root, sacral, and solar plexus (which are the lower three chakras) with the throat, third eye, and crown (which are the upper three chakras).
In Yoga, to work with and open the heart chakra you will focus on opening the chest, back, and hips. You’ll do this through stretching, twisting, and compressing these areas of the body.
‘Heart Openers’ is one of the highly requested classes inside MerryBody Online Studio (our Online Yoga, Pilates, and Meditation Studio). Working these areas of the body not only feels good physically, they really do welcome in a loving, calming sensation.
What Happens When The Anahata Chakra Is Properly Aligned And Fully Open?
When your heart chakra is fully open and properly aligned, you are a giving, compassionate person without effort; these two qualities come naturally to you because they come straight from your heart.
A fully open and properly aligned heart chakra makes you feel loving and calm, open to the good in the world, open to help others in need, and open to love and prosper.
However, this does not mean that you focus all your efforts on others and leave yourself and your well-being behind to suffer. Having an aligned heart chakra also helps you realize where you need to draw boundaries in your emotional life and how important self-relevance is in every sense of the word. This includes identifying toxic relationships and removing yourself from them, as well as choosing where you want to spend your energy.
Openness in the heart chakra also allows you to understand yourself and your own feelings much better, by allowing you to experience them fully and see their rational roots.
What Happens When Anahata Chakra Is Blocked or Out of Balance?
Every chakra develops blockages and moves out of alignment at certain times of your life. These blockages can be minor, but they can be major as well. Nevertheless, they will always lead you to feel physically or emotionally off-balance. Some of the most common symptoms of a blocked heart chakra include:
- Irritability and impatience for others and yourself
- Difficulty trusting and understanding others
- Restlessness
- Lack of empathy
Some of the most common physical symptoms of a blocked heart chakra often can include:
- Insomnia
- Increase in blood pressure
- A decrease in immune system function
How can You Start to Awaken, cleanse and Align your Heart Chakra?
See green
The colour for your Heart Chakra is green (sometimes pale pink). You can visualize a bright, glowing green right at the centre of your heart.
Chant Yam
The Bija Mantra (or the seed Mantra, a one-word syllable, and vibration) is Yam (said like Yuuu-uuum). Yes, like yummy. You can chant this mantra out loud or even within your mind. This vibration will awaken your Heart Chakra, try it, you can really feel the vibration in your heart.
Breathe with Mudra
The Mudra (mudra = energy seal or lock created with the body) you can use is Anjali Mudra (where you simply bring your palms to connect at your heart, like a prayer).
Using this Mudras you can begin to breathe in and out through the nose.
Taking the breath all the way into the heart space, feeling Anahata Chakra begin to expand outward. As you exhale feel the energy settle into your heart.
Yoga Poses to Awaken and Align your Heart Chakra
Yoga postures are really commonly used to awaken and open Chakras. This is because Yoga is such a mindful practice it allows space and time to feel into these different energy centers of the body and simply become aware of what feelings may arise. Whether it feels tight, tense, constricted, soft, hard, there is no good nor bad, it simply is.
Some of our favourite Yoga poses to open your heart chakra include:
Low Lunge (Anjaneasana with Cactus Arms)
Like the image below, however, as you inhale the arms go up above the head and as you exhale bend your elbows and draw them down and back by your side. Do this 5 times on each side.
Upward Facing Dog (Urdva Mukha Svanasana)
This is a beautiful heart chakra pose as it opens your heart and also strengthens your back. It’s quite challenging so only try this once you’ve warmed up and it is usually performed as part as a flow vinyasa from Down Dog through to Chaturanga and into Up Dog (if that all sounds like goobly goop… simply sign up for your Free 7-Day MerryBody Trial and press play on the yoga class called I Shine Bright).
Puppy Dog Pose (Anahatasana)
As the name reveals, it really is the ultimate heart-opening posture (one of our faves!). From a table top, all 4s position, start to reach the arms out long, keeping the hips stacked over the knees. Start by resting your forehead on the Earth, if your shoulders are warm and open, you can move to rest your chest and chin on the Earth. Hold for 10 breaths.
The most amazing chest stretch and twist (ever)
Now, this is a more restorative stretch that you could do every morning to awaken your heart chakra. Start by lying on your belly, bring your right arm out long in line with your shoulder and your left hand under your left shoulder. Bend the left knee as you inhale, then as you exhale roll to your right, peeling the left side of your chest off the Earth, keep your head resting. Hold each side for 2 minutes.
This stretch is AMAZING for creating opening and easeful posture.
And these are just 4 of our favourite poses to work your Heart Chakra… really we could share so much more with you!
If you’d like to work more on opening your heart chakra (or any chakra for that matter) the 7 Day Align Your Chakras Course inside MerryBody is our top pick for you!
This is 7 day course will align your chakras. You’ll go from feeling flighty and unstable to grounded, connected, and expansive. Each day you’ll practice a MerryBody Yoga Class followed by a MerryMind Meditation, moving from the Base Chakra all the way through to the Crown Chakra.
Find it in your Programs and Challenge section of the MerryBody App.
As always, if you have any questions, reach out, we are here to help!
Can’t wait to bring you more Chakra guides soon (3 more until we have aligned them all!).
Always merrymaking,
Emma + Carla
P.s here’s a screenshot of where you’ll find the 7 Day Chakra Course inside MerryBody!
