Balancing the Heart Chakra
What is the Heart Chakra?
The heart chakra, also known as anahata, is the fourth of the body’s energy centers. (Check out this post for info on the first chakra and how to balance it.) When it’s balanced, we love freely and have compassion for ourselves and those around us. It also makes us generous and helps us have successful relationships.
This chakra is located within the heart area and is represented by the color green. The energy it brings leads to it being associated with air. The heart chakra is also linked to the heart, circulatory system, lungs, and immune system.
How to Tell if Your Heart Chakra is Unbalanced
If you’re not sure if your heart chakra is balanced, try asking yourself these questions:
- Do I struggle with relationships?
- Do I feel jealous or insecure?
- Do I dislike being around others?
- Can I hold a grudge?
- Am I judgemental of others?
- Do I feel lonely?
- Do I sacrifice my needs to make others happy?
- Do I love myself?
- Do I have empathy for others?
If you answered yes to any of the first seven questions or no to the last two, your heart chakra might be unbalanced.
An unbalanced heart chakra has also been associated with certain health conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis, lung issues, heart issues, pneumonia, shoulder injuries, upper back pain, and chest tightness.
How do I fix it?
If you’ve read this far and decided that you seem to be in pretty good shape, that’s great! Consider reading the rest of this article anyway for tips on staying in balance.
However, if you’re relating to this article a little too much and think you might have an unbalanced chakra, don’t fret! A few small lifestyle changes are enough to bring you into balance again.
Diet
Don’t worry! This diet doesn’t involve cutting out carbs or counting calories. Instead, this change is so simple that it almost sounds a little silly.
Are you ready?
The color green represents the heart chakra, so to balance it, you need to consume more green foods. This includes leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula, and collard greens; green beans; broccoli; brussels sprouts; peas; leeks; green peppers; jalapenos; and cabbage. It also includes limes, avocados, kiwis, honeydew melons, and green apples. Drinking green tea will also help balance the heart chakra and keep you hydrated.
Exercise
While I personally enjoy high-intensity forms of exercise, the best form of exercise for balancing chakras is yoga. For the heart chakra specifically, you’ll want to focus on poses that open the heart and chest area. Try incorporating some of the following into your practice:
If you don’t currently have a practice, you might consider taking an online class. I’m also currently working on a series of yoga flows to balance the entire chakra system, so check back soon for the heart chakra flow.
Affirmations
Affirmations are great for healing all sorts of issues whether they are physical, mental, or spiritual. You can use them as a focus during meditation or yoga. Writing them in a gratitude journal also works well. For love and compassion, try one of these:
- I give and receive love easily.
- My heart is full of unconditional love.
- I choose kindness over hate.
- My heart is filled with joy every day.
- I feel gratitude for all the blessings in my life.
- All of my relationships are positive and thriving.
- I am worthy of receiving love.
- I am unconditionally compassionate towards others.
- I forgive myself easily.
Did you try any of these ideas? If you did, or if you have any tips I should try, drop them in the comments below!
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