What is the heart chakra (Anahata chakra)?

What are the seven chakras and what is the heart chakra? The Anahata chakra is the fourth chakra in your chakra system. Its element is air and is associated with feminine energy. It is the mid-point in the chakra system, connecting the upper three chakras (the crown chakra, the third-eye chakra, and the throat chakra) which are the chakras that connect you to spirit, with the lower three chakras (the root chakra, sacral chakra, and the solar plexus chakra) which are the chakras that ground you to earth or the physical word. It is the bridge that connects your physical body to your spirit or subtle body. Throat chakra healing along with each other chakra is integral to feeling balanced in this world.

Heart chakra meaning defined

The 4th or heart chakra is traditionally called Anahata, which is a Sanskrit word that can directly translate to “unstuck” or “unbeaten”, which makes total sense if you remember the love chakra embodies unconditional love and empathy. 

Heart chakra location

If you have ever wondered where is the heart chakra, you will find it in the center of the chest, behind the rib cage of any human being. This is exactly why it is known as the heart chakra.

What is the heart chakra responsible for?

The heart chakra, otherwise known as the chest chakra, governs our ability to forgive. It is the chakra of unconditional love for ourselves, our loved ones, and even strangers. A balanced heart chakra facilitates compassion, empathy, and a strong connection to the world around you.

Blocked heart chakra symptoms

If you are afflicted with a blocked heart chakra, you will find an array of heart chakra blockage symptoms that will affect your life whether it is apparent, or not. In order to understand how to unblock heart chakra, you must first identify the symptoms. Below we have listed a few examples for your benefit.

Holding a Grudge

This is not a reference to those who have been seriously hurt emotionally and hold a grudge for a bit, it is natural to do this – you are only human. The problem comes when your heart chakra is blocked, you start to hold a grudge for so long it becomes a habit that is unhealthy and difficult to overcome.

Avoid Love

If your heart chakra is blocked, your love energy cannot flow. This may lead you to feel overwhelmed by the idea of love and you might start rejecting offers for dates as a defense mechanism.

Push People Away

This is a subconscious reaction that some people with a blocked heart chakra. It stems from the fear of being let down and manifests by them pushing you away, or you pushing them away before they do not live up to your expectations.

Lack of Trust

This is one of the major symptoms caused by an unbalanced heart chakra. It is also a repercussion of being let down by others, usually because you have high expectations of others who do not live up to them. A blocked heart chakra might dampen your ability to trust.

Bottling Feelings

The heart chakra, when blocked, causes you to bottle up those feelings you otherwise would express. If this is ongoing for a long while, it may cause anxiety or depression. This could also mean you require solar plexus healing.

Commitment Problems

A commitment to love is not possible f your heart chakra is blocked. You might start to doubt all the reasons you ever wanted to be with your partner in the first place.

Lack of Empathy

Because the fourth chakra, is the chakra energy of love and empathy, if It is blocked with negative energies, you will struggle to empathize with those around you. You may also want to check if you require any throat chakra healing.

How to open the heart chakra

A closed heart chakra is not a happy heart chakra. In order to change this, you can attempt any of these heart chakra opening techniques. Heart chakra opening symptoms might include an intense and beautiful sensation of insecurity or even heartbreak. This is normal to feel and be assured it is only the blockages leaving your system.

Affirmations

What does heart chakra opening feel like, you might wonder… Well, to understand this you must first try to open it. The following affirmations are great examples to use when trying to open your heart chakra. These can be USD during meditation, or every morning when you wake up.

• “I am worthy and deserving of love
• “I am open to giving and receiving love”
• “There is an infinite supply of love“
• “I forgive myself, I forgive others”

Incense and Essential Oils

Aromatherapy works wonders for bringing balance to your heart chakra. This can be used whilst you are meditating by burning incense or rubbing oils on your wrists and over your chest. Heart Chakra opening scents include neroli, lavender, rose, sandalwood, and jasmine.

Meditation

Meditations are a beautiful way to open up your heart chakra. To start a heart chakra meditation you must be in a quiet and peaceful place. Sit in Asana position and visualize yourself surrounded by white light. You can then go on to change the color you are visualizing to green and imagine it running in and out of that energy center freely.

How to balance the heart chakra

Brief intro here. Use the phrases “heart chakra crystals”, “balancing heart chakra”, “heart chakra imbalance symptoms” somewhere in this section (including under the H3s below) once.

Crystal Healing

Crystals have amazing abilities to heal all sorts of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual factors in our lives. You can use heart chakra stones in meditations or bring them along to your reiki healing session. Some heart chakra healing crystals are rose quartz (unsurprisingly), ruby, malachite, green aventurine, green fluorite, emerald, and rhodonite.

Reiki

If you are struggling with a blocked heart chakra that is unbalanced and out of harmony, you might want to contact your reiki healer for some energetic healing. If you are unsure, you might as well contact them anyway.

Yoga

There are several yoga poses, or asanas, that are useful in balancing heart chakra. These include Ustrasana, or camel pose, Rdhva Muka Svanasana, otherwise known as Upward-Facing Dog, and Chakrasana, also known as Wheel Pose.

Other heart chakra healing methods

There are other methods on how to heal heart chakra that is not as commonly practiced as the previous methods. If you are concerned with clearing the heart chakra of blockages, keep reading.

Visualizing Green

Because the heart chakra embodies the color green, an alternative method for bringing balance and harmony to this chakra would be to visualize gree everywhere. This is best done with your eyes closed in meditation.

Eating the Right Foods

You are what you eat and in the case of your heart chakra imbalance, this is particularly true. These foods include all green vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli. If a beverage is more up your alley, you can try some green teas.

Key takeaways

This chakra is a key component of our well-being. If you feel that you are struggling with your love life, whether is a romantic, friendship, or family-based kind of love, it is important to address this rather than neglect it. If you are still unsure if your heart chakra is blocked or not, you can try our chakra balancing test as a method of confirmation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean if your heart chakra is weak?

Your heart chakra is the energy center of unconditional love, empathy, passion, and the ability to connect with others. If you are struggling with a walk chakra it means that it has been neglected for a long time and you might struggle to empathize with others and you might seem emotionally closed off. Other symptoms include avoiding opportunities for love or pushing your loved ones away.

Can your heart chakra be too open?

On the one side of the coin, you have a blocked chakra which leads to you neglecting this area of your life. On the other side of the coin, your heart chakra can be too open, which is also referred to as overactive. This means that you are pouring too much of your attention into this area leading to you neglecting your other important factors of life.

What number is the heart chakra?

There are seven main chakras in your chakra system. the lower three chakras are the root chakra, the second is sacral, the third is the solar plexus. Then we get the upper three chakras which are the crown chakra, the third-eye chakra, and the throat chakra That makes the heart chakra the fourth chakra, as well as the bridge between the physical word and the spiritual world.

What Colour is the heart chakra?

Many uneducated people will try to tell you that the heart chakra’s color is pink or red, because of the typical association of love to those colors. Surprisingly, the color of the heart chakra is green and its element is air, symbolizing freedom.