Where it is: Mid-Spine, Heart, Thymus Gland, Lungs, Arms
Colour: Green
Element: Air
Mantra: Yam
Qualities: Love, Compassion, Giving and Receiving, Understanding, Forgiveness
This is the fourth chakra. It is centred around the heart and surrounds the mid-spine, lungs, arms, and thymus gland. This is our heart centre, where we love from. This chakra is all about compassion and understanding. When we feel supported and open in our heart, free to love, open to understanding ourselves and others, open to express joy, and open to giving and receiving, it indicates a balanced Anahata chakra.
Physically, this chakra is associated with our heart, lungs, breath, and thymus. You may have noticed that each chakra is associated with a particular gland. It can be argued that the whole chakra system is lined up with the glands. The thymus gland, the centre of the heart chakra, is what regulates the immune system. It’s located just behind the sternum, between the lungs, and it creates disease-fighting T cells. Even though the heart space is energetically considered a soft, compassionate centre, it is physically a centre of strength as it is the area of the heart, breath, and immunity.
Emotionally, the heart centre is connected to compassion, unconditional love, generosity, and our ability to understand. When we exercise compassion and understanding, we are nourishing the heart chakra. When someone has a closed-off heart centre, it can create unnecessary stress through paranoia, distrust, and feelings of resentment. This stress directly affects our immunity and our thymus gland by causing it to not function properly. When we learn to understand one another and we feel safe and open, our stress levels dramatically decrease and our immune system gets stronger. Living with an open heart has a direct physical effect on our ability to ward off disease in that it supports a balanced thymus.
Energetically, this is the point of balance in the energy body. It is where the world of matter and the world of the spirit meet. The Muladhara, Svadhisthana, and Manipura (the lower chakras) are all associated with matter, ego and basic needs. The Vishuddha, Ajna, and Sahasrara (the higher chakras) are all associated with spirit and energy. The heart is where they connect as matter rises into spirit and spirit descends into manifestation.
A balanced Anahata chakra will have these qualities: Loving Freely and Unconditionally, Expressing Joy, Showing Compassion, Tolerance, Patience, Forgiveness, Acceptance, Steady Breath
An unbalanced Anahata chakra will have these qualities: Paranoia, Overly Critical, Demanding, Feeling Victimised, Manic Depression
Ways to connect with and balance your Anahata chakra:
Yoga Practice: Metta Bhavana, Deep Breathing with Hands Over Heart, Nadi Shodana, Cobra, Camel, Wild Thing, Wheel, High Lunge, Reclined Relaxation with Block Under Shoulder Blades
Affirmations: I love myself. I love the people in my life. I love freely and unconditionally. I feel connected to my heart and treat it with respect. I trust myself. I give. I express joy in all that I do. I accept. I show compassion and understanding for others. I love.
