The Eternal Unstruck Sound. The Seat of Love & Compassion.

The fourth chakra is known as Anahata and Heart chakra and is associated with the colour green and the qualities of universal, unconditional LOVE, compassion, forgiveness, trust, vulnerability, joy, surrender, humility, harmony, abundance, faith and hope. It is the seat of love and compassion and the seat of mantra (expansion of the heart). The heart radiates the highest level of electromagnetic energy (strongest electromagnetic field). It is the seat of our highest Self. The Heart chakra is connected to Divine Wisdom, Intelligence and Intuition – it is a portal to Divine Love.

Connecting to and balancing Anahata allows one to experience a sense of timelessness and reasonless joy.

In an unbalanced state the heart chakra presents as attachment, longing, neediness, co-dependency, clinging, endless material desire, possessiveness and the mentality of “me and mine”.

The "high Heart Chakra”, or Mahatma, is associated with the Great Soul – ALL That Is – and Cosmic Consciousness, also known as Buddha Consciousness. The Mahatma is the Anahata transcended into its highest expression. When this gate opens we are in Cosmic Consciousness and have realized ourselves as the Atman ~ eternal souls.

ASTROLOGY & MANTRA

The planet associated with Anahata is Venus, also known as “mid-heaven”. Anahata is connected to the Ishta Lakshmi and Krishna, and the great, Siddartha Guatama Buddha. There are many mantras for enlivening the heart chakra.

LAKSHMI: Om Shrim Maha Lakshmi Namaha (repeat 108X using a mala to keep count)

KRISHNA: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Ram, Hare Ram (repeat 108x using a mala to keep count)

BUDDHA: Om Mani Padme Hum (repeat 108x using a mala to keep count)

Choose the mantra and the Ishta that resonates with you most deeply. When devoting to a mantra practice, begin by setting the intention to practice one to three rounds of your mala per day for 21 days. You may continue as long as you wish but to really sense, embody and receive the benefits of the mantra we want to work with it for an extended period of time. This allows us to harmonize with the vibrations of the mantra and receive its Divine medicine.

Chanting the Sacred sound, Bija Mantra of “YAM” and visualizing the vibrant green essence of this chakra will open, clear and balance Anahata. Bija sounds can be chanted in repetition for 5-20 minutes at a time. Generally we will chant a bija sound long and slow, deeply extending the “M” as long as your breath can carry the vibration in a low voice.

The UNIVERSAL LAW of RHYTHM

The Universal law that governs the Heart chakra is the Law of Rhythm, which is the Law of Love. Just as your physical heart beats to a rhythm, so does your energetic heart. It teaches us that everything in the Universe has a rhythm and a timing. Like a wave going up and down – the Vibration – we journey within, without, within, without and on an on - each reflecting the other in a cosmic spiral of evolution.

The pace of our rhythm is determined by our level of Vibration, which is determined by our level of consciousness. The more aware and conscious we are of our thoughts, the more our Vibration changes and rises, speeding up the rhythm. This does not mean that our physical heart beats faster. As our consciousness rises, we become calmer expressions of the Divine. We move with intention and awareness. Even if we are a more fiery person who generally moves quickly, we do not “rush” when we are in coherence with Divine timing.

Rhythms are connected to time in the sense that how you vibrate is the rhythm you will have in correspondence with the Universe. If your vibration is very low, time will seem very slow and long because the waves emitting from your being will be long. If you vibration is very high, time will seem very fast. Therefore, changes in a low frequency or vibration, will be slow to manifest, sometimes taking “years” to echo back in correspondence. If vibrations (consciousness) are high, change will be quick to manifest, echoing back within “minutes” or “days”.

Yogic practices elevate our consciousness and allow us to harmonize with the Universe at a much higher frequency so we can receive the echos faster, manifest more quickly and experience ourSelves as harmonious Co-Creators of reality.

If we continuously live in a low Vibration we cannot ask the Universe to bring rapid change because the rhythm we are creating does not support this. We have to change our Vibration in order to change our lives.
We have to elevate our Consciousness in order to elevate our lives.
Life can only ever be the way we are.

IMBALANCE & HEALING

An imbalanced Anahata manifests as attachment, longing, neediness, co-dependency, clinging, lack mentality, “me and mine” mentality, separateness, loneliness, endless material desire, comparing ourselves to others, jealousy, greed and egotism.

When balanced, Anahata chakra generates an energy of immense clairvoyance and deep compassion. It is the transcendence of fear and suffering. It is the experience of pleasure and authentic connection and allows us the experience of kundalini rising.

When our Heart chakra is more closed than open we tend to feel cut-off from life, withdrawn from others, needy, insecure and may find it very hard to LET GO of feelings and find forgiveness. We tend to seek outside ourSelves the fulfillment that is available from within an open Heart.

A more closed Heart chakra may manifest as social anxiety, self-doubt and self-critical thoughts. An excessively open Heart chakra may manifest as clinging to people or things, over-identification with the material realm, smothering displays of Love and can take on the role of martyrdom.

COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS

In the Himalayan Kriya Yoga tradition, when Kundalini Shakti has risen to the heart chakra, this is known as Cosmic Consciousness. It takes practice to stabilize this consciousness. At first we are pulled in and out of it, but with regular sadhana and through a variety of spiritual practices, including mantra and meditation, cosmic consciousness stabilizes within us. When this happens, people dramatically enlighten and transform. Naturally, their lives transform as well. Of all the many stages of awakening, this is the one that results in enlightened living.

The Heart chakra is connected to our search for Harmony. We create Harmony in our lives by learning to surf the waves of shakti. As beings with emotional bodies and guidance systems, we constantly flow in and out of different states of consciousness. As consciousness rises, however, we no longer become entangled in the ego story connected to our emotions. We become able to observe, to witness and allow the energy of emotion to inform us rather than control our state.

When we have come to realize our Divine cosmic nature as eternal souls, while there will always be challenges and pain in human life experience, we no longer need to suffer as a result of these happenings. Enlightened living is living in the light of truth that tho the body dies, who we truly are does not cease to exist. Then we truly come to know joy and taste the sweet nectar of the bliss that is our true nature.

A clear and open Anahata chakra will have you feeling clear, receptive, abundant, radiant, generous, joyous, deeply loving and compassionate toward yourself and others, and connected to all creatures. ALL LOVE is ultimately SELF LOVE.

YOGIC PRACTICE for MANIPURA ~

It’s easy to tell someone to “open your heart”, but where do we begin? In my experience nothing opens the heart like heartbreak. Exactly as the word describes, when the heart breaks, it opens. When it opens the light gets in. When the light gets in, we see things we hadn’t seen before. Consciousness rises. Although it is painful, we grow. Therefore, it is grace and once we see that, we can be grateful.

Radical Gratefulness. Practice radical gratitude in all ways. No matter how much or how little you perceive yourself to have, the mere fact that you exist, that you are reading this, that you are breathing and that you are aware of the fact that all this is happening is more than enough reason to choose a grateful heart.
SANTOSHA ~ the yogic practice of Santosha is often misinterpreted as “contentment”, which is fine, but really what we are practicing here is radical acceptance. To learn how to accept life exactly the way it is (not the way we think it should be) is to release resistance and all the stress and tension that goes along with it. When we are in acceptance, we are in clarity and in clarity, the path reveals itself. I once had $1.08 in my bank account and of course, many bills to pay. Upon sharing this with a friend she immediately became very stressed and upset for me, and she wondered how I could be “so calm”. I explained Santosha to her and she got it. We mistakenly believe that if we accept our circumstances that we are somehow approving of them or “giving up”, but that is not the case. It is our resistance to what is that keeps us stuck. It is our acceptance of what is that allows change and evolution to find us.
Kriya ~ pranayama, cosmic breath, breath of fire, spinal flex, shiva/shakti kriya,
Asana ~ yoga poses such as cobra, cat, camel and back bends in general. These poses open our heart and strengthen our spine allowing for space to open up within to receive the healing energies of self-acceptance and love. Yin yoga classes can also be very healing as poses are held for several minutes allowing for gentle release and flow of energies.
Kirtan ~ joining in Kirtan is a wonderful way to open the heart. Singing and chanting in community builds connection through the heart space and is a very healing, joyous and enlivening experience. Find a local Kirtan group or join online Kirtans such as those offered by Krishna Das on YouTube.
Bhakti Yoga Practices ~ for those who feel called, Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion and involves offering practices and rituals to Ishta of personal resonance. Any practice of devotion, including Puja and Yagya (sacred fires), serve to connect us to and open the heart in surrender.
Meditation & Mantra ~ chant the bija sound “RAM” while concentrating awareness at the naval centre and visualize yellow.

JYOTISH

There are many insights to be gathered from your Vedic birth chart analysis. In every reading we looking into your physical, astral, energetic, karmic, dharmic and eternal soul self. For example, if one’s Venus is debilitated or strongly afflicted in their natal chart, this very often results in a lack of receptivity and joy. Many other alignments in one’s chart can affect their ability to open their heart chakra which can be seen in a reading; however, there are many remedies given to alleviate this challenge.

These practices require a certain maturity and readiness to take responsibility for one’s state of consciousness, but when sincerely practiced with an open mind and devoted heart, can dramatically and quickly improve one’s life.

This is just one of many examples that illustrates the kinds of insights we receive into one’s self with the Science and Light of Jyotish. The true depth of insight available is very challenging to express in words, as with all yogic teachings, Jyotish must be experienced to be realized and understood.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES for BALANCING ANAHATA

Practise meditation.
Sound Baths ~ many yoga studios offer frequent sound baths with singing bowls and healing music.
Listen to Solfeggio frequencies ~ 432hz is the resonance of the heart.
Music in general tunes us into the heart, especially music of positive, high frequency and love.
Dancing & Shaking ~ groove to your favourite music, allow the body to move intuitively. Practice shaking arms, legs and the whole body to shake off all resistance, release stuck energy, elevate spirit, charge and channel new energy!
HUG often.
SURRENDER ~ the most sublime and courageous act of surrendering to the Divine allows us to transcend the limiting beliefs that hold us back and keep the heart from being open to receive everything the Divine is able to give. Here is an article on surrender.

SHADOW WORK ~ is essential to opening a closed heart for it takes us into the subconscious mind where many of our “dark” thoughts, traumas, conditioning and samskaras are stored. Without awareness, these patterns unconsciously rule our choices and behaviours, deeply affecting our state of consciousness. Your Shadow Self is the part of you that has been conditioned to deny aspects of your Sacred Self, your feelings, emotions and rejected aspects of your individuality, unique gifts and important thoughts. When we are not allowed to express how we truly feel in life, especially as children, we learn to suppress our emotions but they do not go away. They repress into our subconscious and play out in the shadows, blocking the incredible power of our Hearts! There are many ways of shadow work and articles on my website about it.
NATURE Some of the most healing methods for opening the Heart involve connecting with our Earth Mother: forest bathing, gardening, deep breathing, hiking, star gazing, swimming in natural waters
SOUL WORK: Journalling, drawing and dancing are wonderful ways to access our Shadow Self and alchemize, integrate and transmute these energies into higher Vibrations. When we do not process our emotions fully with our Natural Rhythm, these energies literally get stuck in us. Heart ache is a very real experience. The subconscious mind will use these unprocessed energies to build walls around our heart as a result of traumas and crisis. It is vital to our healthy BEing that we learn to open and release these walls. As we begin to accept ourSelves we may physically experience a release in tears, laughter and bodily shaking which is all part of transmuting these energies into higher Vibrations and releasing that which no longer serves us.
Wear clear quartz and / or rose quartz crystal malas, diamonds, white Sapphire and pink coral to support the energy of the heart and stabilize cosmic consciousness.

KNOW that YOU ARE LOVE! and the great balance that can be achieved within oneself by being aware and balancing the heart chakra is available to everyone by tuning into Spirit and connecting with your highest Truth and Self, knowing you are Divine Love and you are loved.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hari Om Tat Sat

ANAHATA