Next up in our Chakra series is the Heart Chakra, or in Sanskrit - the Anahata Chakra. It is appropriately named, as Anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, unbeaten". As the name implies, the Heart Chakra is located at heart level.
Photo by Omer Salom on Unsplash
The Heart Chakra is where one's compassion, love, forgiveness and empathy lie. It also manages our sense of trust, peace and connectedness to others (and ourself!).
A blocked Heart Chakra could present physically as poor circulation, too high/too low blood pressure, bronchitis, and other respiratory or heart conditions.
Mentally and/or emotionally, a blocked Heart Chakra could present as feelings of loneliness, feelings of jealousy, becoming overly defensive, lacking trust in others, co-dependent behaviors, and a victim-mentality.
When putting together a heart-opening practice, add some of (or all of) the following poses:
Cat/Cow
Cobra
Camel
Bridge
Reclined Bound Angle/Butterfly
Sphinx
Locust
Eagle Arms
Dancer
Hold each of these poses for at least 6-8 breaths, or longer, in order to allow for the breath and the pose to have the opening effect. As noted before, however, if holding the pose for that amount of time causes you to become strained or tense, come out of the pose, and utilize blocks, straps, or bolsters to create appropriate accommodations.
Green is the color associated with the Heart Chakra, so some gemstones to utilize during your practice could be emerald, green aventurine, green jade, malachite, moss agate, peridot, and green tourmaline.
Frankincense, Geranium, Neroli, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Cypress, Jasmine and Lavender are options for oils that could be added as an aromatherapy aspect to your Heart Chakra opening practice.
We are over half way there! Next week's post will focus on the Throat Chakra.
-Charlene
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