The Heart Chakra is one of the most important energy centre. In this article, we will learn about Heart Chakra meaning and other components.
Introduction
According to ancient Vedic texts, Chakras are energy centres located throughout the human energy body. There are seven main chakras, which run from the spine’s base to the head’s crown. Each chakra is associated with a different area of the physical and mental body and with different colors, energies, and aspects of our lives.
The chakras play an important role in our overall health and well-being. We feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally when we are balanced. However, when one or more of the chakras become imbalanced, it can lead to physical, mental, or emotional problems.
Among the seven chakras, the heart chakra is the fourth primary chakra. This chakra is associated with love, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. The heart chakra is responsible for our ability to give and receive love.
When this chakra is balanced, we feel open, loving, and compassionate. We can give and receive love unconditionally. When the heart chakra is imbalanced, we may feel closed off, resentful, or unloving.
In this article, we will be exploring the meaning, symbol, location, element, and color of the Heart Chakra.
What is the Heart Chakra Meaning ?
The Heart Chakra, or Anahata Chakra in Sanskrit, is among the most important energy centres in the body. It is located in the centre of the chest and governs the heart, lungs, and circulatory systems.
The heart chakra is associated with the element of air. The governing planet is Venus. The physical significance of this chakra is the ability to heal emotional wounds. The emotional significance controls our capacity for love, joy, and happiness.
Anahata Chakra is responsible for our ability to love and be loved. When it is balanced, we feel open to giving and receiving love. We feel compassionate towards others and ourselves. We can forgive and let go of resentments.
When the heart chakra is out of balance, we may experience anger, resentment, jealousy, and fear. We may have difficulty expressing our emotions or feel disconnected from others. Physical symptoms include heart problems, lung issues, and high blood pressure.
Takeaway
The Heart Chakra is the fourth chakra located in the chest’s center. It is associated with the element of air and is represented by the color green. It governs our ability to love ourselves and others and to experience compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.
Anahata Chakra Meaning
The word ‘Anahata’ means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” This chakra is associated with love, compassion, and healing. It is believed that this chakra is where the soul resides. That’s why its location is close to our heart.
The Anahata Chakra is associated with a number of different traditions and beliefs. In the Hindu tradition, it is said to be the chakra of the divine sound, or Nada Brahma. This sound is thought to be the creative force behind the universe.
In Buddhism, the Anahata Chakra is associated with compassion and loving-kindness. It is said that when this chakra is open, one experiences deep love and compassion for all beings.
The Anahata Chakra is believed to be the seat of the soul. An open Heart Chakra enables one to connect with one’s true self and experience inner peace and harmony. It is also said to be the chakra of healing. It also facilitates access to our inner healing power and uses it to heal ourselves and others.
Takeaway
The Anahata Chakra is important for anyone seeking personal growth and spiritual development. This chakra can be opened through meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices. When this chakra is open, one can experience a deep sense of love, compassion, and inner peace.
Main Characteristics of the Heart Chakra
The Heart Chakra is responsible for our ability to give and receive love. When it is balanced, we feel open, loving, and compassionate. We feel connected to others and experience a sense of belonging. We can give and receive love without condition.
When unbalanced, we may feel lonely, isolated, and disconnected from others. We may also feel angry, resentful, and jealous.
Signs of a Balanced Heart Chakra:
- Love: Ability to give and receive love unconditionally.
- Joy: Ability to experience profound joy without relying on favorable external circumstances.
- Happiness: Ability to experience happiness for oneself and others selflessly.
- Compassion: Ability to see and observe oneself and others with equanimity.
- Connection: Ability to form connections without rational calculations of giving and taking.
- Peacefulness: Ability to experience peace and contentment without depending on external validation of socially expected reasons for being in peace.
- Groundedness: Ability to stay grounded and connected due to its deeper connection to the higher self.
- Centredness: Ability to experience being home or having a sense of wholeness within oneself without searching it externally.
Signs of an Unbalanced Heart Chakra:
- Disconnection: Feelings of being disconnected from others and us. We may feel like we’re not good enough or don’t belong.
- Self-Centeredness: Feelings of jealousy, envy, or resentment.
- Physical Ailments: Experiencing physical symptoms such as chest pain, heartburn, or high blood pressure.
- Other Physical Signs: Ailments such as difficulty breathing, insomnia, and a weak immune system.
Physical Responsibilities of Heart Chakra
The Heart Chakra is responsible for our heart, lungs, and blood circulation. It also governs our immune system and provides us with the energy we need to heal ourselves. Imbalances in the Heart Chakra can also lead to physical problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and chest pain.
The Heart Chakra is responsible for a number of physiological functions in the body, including:
- Blood circulation
- Heartbeat regulation
- Lung function
- Immune system response
- Blood flow to the Brain
- Body temperature regulation
- Detoxification
- Cellular regeneration
Each of these functions is essential for life, so when the Heart Chakra is out of balance, it can lead to serious health problems.
Other physical and behavioral symptoms of Heart Chakra Imbalances include:
- Excessive feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, jealousy, resentment, or loneliness
- Feelings of disconnection or isolation
- Heart problems such as arrhythmia, hypertension, and other heart diseases
- Immune system disorders
- Brain disorders, such as migraines or vertigo
- Chronic fatigue or exhaustion
- Cellular degeneration or chronic illness
Takeaway
The Heart Chakra is responsible for our heart. It is also responsible for our blood circulatory system. In addition, it has an important role in regulating our respiratory system and breathing due to its association with the element of air. Lastly, it is responsible for our immune system and helps to keep our bodies healthy.
Heart Chakra Location
The fourth chakra, also known as the Heart Chakra, is located in the centre of the chest. It is responsible for our ability to feel open and connected to others and maintain healthy and supportive relationships with ourselves and others.
The location of this chakra has huge significance since it affects our ability to experience expansion or contraction in our chest or heart when we experience various emotions.
Some instances when we experience a contraction of the Heart Chakra:
- Feeling disconnected from others.
- Feeling unloved or unimportant.
- Feeling guarded or closed off.
- Feeling resentful or jealous.
- Feeling like you are not good enough.
Some Instances when we experience an Expansion of the Heart Chakra:
- State of Pure Love: This could be when we feel love for ourselves, our friends, family, children, animals, or even humanity.
- Meditation: When we meditate or do other spiritual practices that connect us with our Higher Selves.
- Emotions: When we experience an outpouring of positive emotions such as awe, joy, or contentment.
- Kindness: Whenever we do something kind or selfless.
- Nature: When we are in nature, surrounded by the beauty of the Earth.
- Music: When we listen to music that touches our soul.
- Compassion: When we look at someone we love, or even a stranger, with compassion and understanding.
- Gratitude: Whenever we feel gratitude for anything in our lives, no matter how small.
- Giving: When we are open to giving and receiving love.
- Fearlessness: When we live our lives from a place of love instead of fear.
Takeaway
When we learn to stay connected to the location of our Heart Chakra and learn to be aware of its expansion and contraction, we can stay in touch with the movements of our inner being. We can begin to live more from a place of love. And as we do, we will find our lives more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling.
Heart Chakra Color
The color green is associated with the Heart Chakra. Green is also associated with nature, growth, and new beginnings. It is the color of springtime and new life and represents hope, renewal, and growth.
In relation to our Heart Chakra, the color Green allows us to experience newness and expansion. It provides us avenues to connect more deeply with our emotions and feelings. It facilitates our ability to stay vibrant, making us feel confident and secure in our relationships and enabling us to give and receive love freely.
The color green also promotes healing and balance in our lives. It promotes a sense of balance, groundedness, contentment, and peace.
Heart Chakra Symbol
A lotus symbolizes the Heart Chakra with 12 petals. Each petal represents a different quality that is necessary for healthy relationships. Inside there’s a smoky region at the intersection of two triangles, creating shatkona – a symbol used in Hindu Yantra, in general, to represent the union between male and female energies, or more specifically, to represent Purusha (the Supreme Being) and Prakriti (nature).
- 10-Petal Lotus: The 12 petals are inscribed with the following Sanskrit syllables. “kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam and tham.”
The 12 syllables represent the 12 vrittis (reflexive modifications of mind) and 12 divine qualities. The 12 divine qualities are: Bliss, Peace, Harmony, Love, Understanding, Empathy, Clarity, Purity, Unity, Compassion, Kindness, and Forgiveness
The 12 vrittis are modifications of the mind that push one away from the undifferentiated divine mind arising from spiritual ignorance. They are:
- Asha: Wish, Desire, Hope
- Cinta: Thoughtfulness, Anxiety
- Cesta: Effort
- Mamta: Possessiveness, Fondness
- Dhamba: Arrogance, Vanity
- Viveka: Discrimination
- Vikalata: Languor
- Ahamkara: Conceit, Egoism, Pride
- Lolata: Covetousness, Avarice
- Kapatata: Duplicity, Hypocrisy
- Vitarka: Indecision, Argumentativeness
- Anutapa: Regret, Burning Misery
- Seed Mantra: The seed mantra of the Heart Chakra is “Yam.” This mantra represents the energy of love, compassion, and forgiveness. It is said that when we chant this mantra, we are opening our hearts to receive these qualities. The benefits of chanting yam include opening our hearts to giving and receiving love, improving our relationships, increasing our compassion and forgiveness, and reducing stress and anxiety. When we chant yam, we align ourselves with the energy of love. Chanting yam can also help us connect with our higher selves and true nature.
- Deities: Shiva and Parvati are the deities associated with this chakra. They should unite in harmony to represent consciousness, or what we know as mental energy within us human beings that allows for insight into our inner self through meditation practice, at the same time being connected with nature’s forces outside ourselves, which creates a balance between both worlds: spiritual (or soul) versus material (body or materialistic).
- Animal: The Antelope is the symbol of the Anahata Chakra. This animal is fast and powerful but also possesses delicate senses that allow it to sense danger well in advance. It also can sense the ground situation even at night, which is the quality we should develop for ourselves in our spiritual journey – always attentive and careful.
The Bottomline
The Heart Chakra is the fourth primary chakra. It is located at the centre of the chest, near the heart. It is associated with the element of air. The color associated with the heart chakra is Green, and the 12-petalled Lotus symbolizes it. This chakra is responsible for our ability to love and be loved and is connected to our emotions and feelings.
If our Heart Chakra is balanced, we feel confident and secure in our relationships and can give and receive love freely. If our Heart Chakra is unbalanced, we may feel insecure, anxious, or closed off from others. We may also have difficulty expressing our emotions or be overly critical of ourselves and others.
If you are looking to balance or work through your Heart chakra, there are many practices you can choose to do. For guided yogic, meditative, and balancing practices, you can access our detailed course on ‘Understanding Chakras.’
