4th Chakra, Heart Chakra
New Age Concepts
Modern Anahata At a Glance
In the new age chakra system, Anahata, or Heart Chakra’s petals represent the Divine qualities of the heart:
Joy, Peace, Love, Compassion, Kindness, Forgiveness, Patience, Harmony, Understanding, Clarity, Purity & Bliss.
The green colour of the heart chakra reflects the green of nature, associated with renewal, balance, and the connection between the physical and spiritual realms.
New age practices focus on balancing or unblocking the chakras. A balanced heart chakra leads to improved emotional well-being, healthier relationships, and a deeper sense of empathy and self-love. Positive energy will flow through your body and you will be able to forgive and let go of negative emotions. A balanced heart chakra allows unconditional love, healthy relationships, a feeling of inner peace and emotional stability,
Symptoms of a heart chakra that is imbalanced or blocked are
- loneliness,
- jealousy,
- distrust,
- unable to forgive or release past pain,
- being cold, distant, and unable or unwilling to open up to others,
- difficulty forming healthy relationships or being clingy.
- lacking a sense of self,
- lacking boundaries and letting everyone in,
- saying ‘yes’ when you really mean ‘no’.
- Physical symptoms may be tightness in the chest or high blood pressure.
Anahata Chakra gives the gift of expressing our thoughts and feelings in touching words, pictures or melodies. When we are in the Anahata Chakra our perceptions become finer and artistic talents and creative abilities are awakened within us.
Heart Chakra Healing Tips:
- Meditation is a powerful tool for heart chakra healing, especially loving kindness meditation.
- Feel gratitude. Think of three things every day that you feel grateful for.
- Forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and others. This is the first step to unblocking your Heart Chakra. If you are imbalanced in this area, you almost certainly have some forgiveness work to do. Remember, this isn’t for or about whoever hurt you. It is about releasing stored energy that is blocking your flow and keeping love out of your life.
- Give more. Push yourself to give to others. Give your time, your money, understanding, an ear to listen, and anything else you have to contribute to this world. Doing so will open your heart full-force.
- Go green. Wear green, eat green foods, and use green crystals to assist the journey to being open to love and light.
Crystals for the heart chakra include: rose quartz, green aventurine, jade, green aventurine, green calcite, rhodochrosite, amazonite, malachite
Use positive affirmations like ‘I am open to love’ and ‘I forgive myself and others’.
Essential oils such as rose, lavender, and bergamot are known for their calming and heart-opening properties.
The Path of Heart-Centering: Forgiveness as Self-Liberation
“Forgiveness—of yourself and of others—is the essential first step in unblocking the Anahata. If you feel a constriction in your heart, there is almost certainly forgiveness work waiting for you.”
It is vital to remember: This is not a gift for the person who hurt you. In many modern healing circles, forgiveness is misunderstood as an act of charity toward the offender—which can feel impossible or even unfair. But true forgiveness is about reclaiming your own energy. You are not excusing their actions, nor are you required to welcome them back into your life.
🔑 The Key to Heart-Flow: > Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the “Armour” we built. We don’t turn the key to let the other person in; we turn it to let ourselves out of the cage of the past.
By releasing the stored energy of the hurt, you aren’t saying what happened was “okay.” You are simply choosing to stop carrying the weight of their choices. You are clearing the debris to make room for your own flow, ensuring that past pain no longer has the power to keep future love out of your life.
Yoga Sequence: Breaking the Heart’s Armour
“We build armour around our heart to shield us from pain and hurt. Backbends break open the armour, allowing the light of the Jivatma to shine through.” – Sahasra
I. The Softening (Warm-Up)
Before we break the armour, we must first warm the “metal” of the spine.
- Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow): Rhythmic movement to sync breath with the heart space.
- Uttana Shishosana (Puppy Pose): Melting the chest toward the Earth to begin the opening of the upper back.
- Parsva Sukhasana (Seated Side Bends): Creating space in the intercostal muscles (the ribs) for the lungs to expand.
II. The Opening (The Backbend Journey)
These are the poses that actively dissolve the shield around the Anahata.
- Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): A gentle peel away from the floor, drawing the shoulder blades together.
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog): A more powerful lift, pushing the ground away to broaden the collarbones.
- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose): Using the strength of the legs to lift the heart toward the chin.
- Chakrasana (Wheel Pose): The peak of the practice; a full, circular expansion of the entire front body.
- Matsyasana (Fish Pose): Often done after inversions, this lifts the chest into a high arch, exposing the throat and heart.
- Kamatkarasana (Wild Thing): A joyful, asymmetric opening that lets the heart “flip” toward the sky.
- Dhanurasana (Bow Pose): Using the tension of the legs and arms to create a deep, supported arch.
- Ustrasana (Camel Pose): A vulnerable and deep kneeling backbend that offers the heart directly forward.
III. The Unwinding (Cool-Down)
Integrating the expansion and returning to center.
- Balasana (Child’s Pose): A gentle rounding of the spine to neutralize the deep backbends.
- Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Twist): Rinsing out the spine to release any lingering tension.
- Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby): Grounding the sacrum and finding a sense of playful ease.
IV. The Great Stillness (Integration)
- Savasana (Corpse Pose): Total surrender. Notice the “new space” created where the armour once lived.
🗣️ Rising from Heart to Throat
Once the heart is balanced, the energy rises to the Vishuddha for purification and true expression. Continue your journey upward.