If you read my previous blog posts on Muladhara, Svadhistana, and Manipura then get ready to love this one! The fourth chakra: Anahata, in English it’s called the Heart Chakra.
####Anahata, the middle of all chakras, is the place where your opposites of yin and yang unify. Here you harmonize your rational and directional masculine energy with your soft and gentle feminine energy. This equilibrium helps honour the right timing of your doing with your being.
That is right, Anahata represents a place where you find BALANCE.
As the element of this chakra is air, it elevates self-love and kindness in your life. It warmly allows you to:
Forgive: bravely heading out and seeking peace to begin anew. Connect: deepening your self-love to build intimacy without using others to complete you. Balance: guiding your masculine doing, with your feminine being to experience an exquisite feeling of wholeness.
When your Anahata is in healthy alignment, you feel warmth and empathy for something or someone. Your chest and the region of your lungs open wide and expand.
Yet, loving yourself can feel like a task, especially when it means genuinely forgiving all flaws, imperfections, and mistakes to grow and move forward.
Letting go of the fantasy of what might have been is a start but a huge weight can be lifted when you clean up all the energy you spend defending, hiding, and making excuses.
Slowing down with restorative or yin yoga is a beautiful way to teach yourself how to soak your heart in the energy of FORGIVENESS. While in Supta Baddha Konasana, blocks and bolsters can support the back of your heart, a place where your past is held, whereas the front of your heart represents your future.
This quote by Oprah Winfrey accentuates this idea:
“*Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different, it's accepting the past for what it was, and using this moment and this time to help yourself move forward.*” - Oprah Winfrey.
Get spacious inside by breathing evenly down both arms and hands. Feel your hands take on a generous quality. This loving awareness in your upper chest balances your unconditional love.
The deeper your self-love grows, the clearer your relationships become. Relationships are the companions through which you learn to know and love yourself. Their energy reflects your heart's stories, revealing deeper patterns around how you were taught to love and be loved.
But what if you have strong defence mechanisms that project rejection or betrayal making it even harder to CONNECT and surrender?
Remember that even when you are lashing out, you are truly crying to be loved and hugged. The reason you are fighting is because you long for closeness, yet ironically, your beliefs tell you intimacy is not deserved.
Come back to the essentials of FORGIVENESS. Open your journal and take your time with these questions. Your relationships restore themselves when you make an effort to recognize your heart’s needs.
What do you need to feel loved? What do you need to feel worthy of love? How is this causing you drama? Can you replace the drama with empathy? What would that look like?
Observe the beating of your thoughts.
When your relationships are anything other than connected or loving, inquire into what is going on. Time and time again, the assistance you need is there.
Did I catch your interest? Do you struggle with self-love and need more assistance?
To find this balance in Anahata, refer to my latest book, ANGELUS, an experiential chakra workbook and start practising from home today. This 7 chakra, 7 chapter book includes 21 yoga sequences, with 3 specifically for your heart; a yin practice called Forgive, a journalling meditation to CONNECT, and a vinyasa practice for BALANCE. The creativity found in this book is an excellent reminder to look at yourself and your surroundings through the eyes of wonder and love.
Xo,
Erica
Images from Angelus: experiential chakra workbook Art direction by Roos van der Kamp Photo by Sanja Maruisc