Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra), Chakras Contd...

Anahata or heart chakra is the fourth primary chakra, (according to Hindu Yogic, Shakta and Buddhist Tantric traditions) In Sanskrit, anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten".  It is here where love resides. Love which is all encompassing and liberating.  Anahata Nada refers to the Vedic concept of unstruck sound (the sound of the celestial realm). Anahata is associated with balance, calmness, and serenity. The chakra is located in the central channel of the spine at the heart. It is represented by a lotus flower with twelve petals. Inside there is a smoke-coloured region made from the intersection of two triangles, creating a shatkona. The shatkona is a symbol used in Hindu Yantra, representing the union of masculine and feminine. Specifically, it is meant to represent Purusha (the Supreme Being) and Prakriti (Mother Nature) and is often represented by Shiva and Shakti. Deity is Vayu (air god)/Isha/kakini. The vrittis which arise here are indecision, repentance, hope, anxiety, longing, impartiality, arrogance, competence, discrimination and defiance. Anahata is said to be near the heart. Because of its connection to touch it is associated with the skin, and because of its connection to actions of the hands it is associated with the hands. In the endocrine system, Anahata is said to be associated with the thymus. Beeja mantra of this chakra is “YAM”. It’s colours are green and pink.

Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions outside the realm of karma. In Manipura and below, man is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one makes decisions ("follows one's heart") based on one's higher self, not the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others and psychic healing. Meditation on this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis: he/she becomes a lord of speech, he/she is dear to women, his/her presence controls the senses of others, and he/she can leave and enter the body at will. This chakra is said to be purified by the bhakti (total devotion). A supreme embodiment of total devotion can be no other than our Hanumantha. His devotion to lord Rama was and still is to this day incomparable. Many great souls have found their enlightenment through this way. Love which arises from raising awareness to this chakra in incomparable to any love that we experience with any relationships we have. The ability to love and feel fulfilled from it is due to this chakra. The love in this chakra is liberating, uplifting, unconfined and just beyond the words beautiful. We all in our lives would have experienced this love at least in a burst. For example, when you see a picturesque scene, the way your heart fills up and sometimes, the way eyes tear up to take in all that beauty is the LOVE in this chakra. It is completely unattached but deeply feeling. You just enjoy the scene as long as you can and you move on (when you enjoy anything very deeply, believe me, you will forget to take a photograph or a selfie). You do not say you will own that scene, no, you live in that moment completely take in all the beauty , appreciate it in its totality and let go of it and continue with your life. There may be moments that you may recall that beauty and feel joyful all over again, but you won’t attach yourself to it to feel greedy or anything else. It is said that this beauty in this chakra may cause a person seeking realization and cause hindrance in his path to enlightenment. The challenge of this chakra is attachment and a sadhaka should learn to detach.

With a balanced Anahata chakra, person will feel a great compassion for all living creatures, and will recognize their amazing intelligence! He/she will be kind, caring, understand, joyous and outgoing, feeling completely at ease with himself/herself and the people in their life. They will understand others and accept them for who they are; they will not judge or be critical of their actions. Spending time alone is something she/he do not mind, and he/she is not rushing into one relationship after another, infact, He/she would rather wait for the “right” one to come to him/her – because he/she knows it will come to you when the time is right. If Anahata is Over-active he/she will be ruled by emotions; sadness, anger, grief, despair, greediness and happiness will come over you with no or little control. He/she may be manipulative, over critical, and judgmental of self and others. His/her love may have conditions and would more likely than not a “people pleaser”, afraid that he/she will not be liked or accepted by others around you. He/she may find themselves in a relationship with a partner where he/she is always giving but not receiving, always forgiving, and “cleaning up” after them, whether it be emotionally, or physically. Co-dependency can result from this, and he/she may find it hard to let go of any relationship that no longer serves his/her highest Good. When Anahata is under-active he/she will probably be very negative in thinking and may find it very difficult to keep a positive out-look in life. He/she may feel unloved, unworthy and unappreciated, and this will manifest in the world around them only confirming these “beliefs” about themselves. He/she have a hard time trusting others, and may have a difficult time “letting” them in by keeping themselves at a distance. If you have an imbalanced heart chakra you may experience the following symptoms that have manifested in your body: Heart Palpitations, chest pain, poor circulation, high/low blood pressure, and in more serious cases, heart attack.

To Balance Anahata Chakra Energy healing like Reiki and IET are very helpful and maintenance can be done through yoga practice with pranayama Kapalabhati and asanas like Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and Utrasana (Camel Pose).Doctors permission must be availed before starting any yoga practice if one has any health issues. Meditating on the Beeja mantra “YAM” by chanting it loud or in the mind can also clear and balance the chakra. Or meditating on colour green and/or pink along with the beeja mantra is also very helpful. Crystals Aventurine, emerald, green calcite, green tourmaline, heliotrope, jade, rose quartz.

Do not attempt to awaken any chakra without proper guidance from a guru who has already achieved its awareness. Going about it alone may cause serious hospitalization. Without a guru, your intent must be only to clear and balance the chakra.

Try the meditation below and see if it helps you.

Sources: Wikipedia, oneworldhealing.com, Video: Youtube.com and , sunnyray.org