Opening
the Fouth Chakra
“The
fourth chakra is at the center of the seven chakras, with three below
and three above. This is the area where physical and spiritual meet.”
Michelle
Fondin (“Open Yourself to Love with the Fourth Chakra;” Chopra
Centered Lifestyle Website)
The
fourth, or heart chakra, is located in the middle of the chest and
thoracic spine. It is the gateway to the higher energies of love and
spirituality. The lower three chakras have to do with our physical
lives with family, relationships, and ourselves. The upper three
become increasingly metaphysical, with expression, sight, and spirit.
The heart is the place of choosing how the bulk of our energy will
flow. It governs the physical area of the upper torso—heart, lungs,
thymus glands, cardiac plexus, and breasts. In Sanskrit, the name is
Anahata, meaning “unstuck” or “unhurt.”
The
sacrament of the heart chakra is marriage; in this case, of the
marriage of masculine and feminine energies, the yin and yang. When
this chakra is balanced and open, we are forgiving, gracious, and
non-judgmental. When it is closed, we are the opposite of that—angry,
jealous, mean-spirited, critical. We may feel these conditions as
lightness or heaviness. When we say, “my heart is heavy,” meaning
we are worried, sad, or hurting, we are experiencing imbalance in the
heart chakra. When it is balanced, we feel “light-hearted,”
happy, carefree, and optimistic.
Sometimes
we know the reasons for imbalance—often it is because we are
holding a grudge toward someone else or ourselves. But, sometimes we
can't point to what is causing the problem, only that we feel the
heaviness of it. Sometimes the energy of the world's troubles comes
surging into us, and we aren't conscious or guarded enough to protect
ourselves from it. The solution to a heavy heart is to go into it
rather than running away. Allowing the emotion to teach us its lesson
is important, and usually, talking with a trusted friend will help
alleviate the discomfort. Moving through, and then letting go, is
essential.
We
can also work with a closed heart chakra by meditatively visualizing
its opening. The color is emerald green—wearing the color,
visualizing the color, and imagining its expanding outward from the
center of the chest is helpful. Any yoga stretches that open the
chest are good. The sound associated with the heart chakra is Yum;
saying it resonantly vibrates the area. Behaviorally, just being kind
and practicing non-judgment, change the energy. As they say in the
12-Step programs, “Fake it till you make it, baby!” We can change
our energy patterns if we choose, and choosing an open heart chakra
will assist with the relationships of the lower three chakras, and
give access and energy to the upper three. It's a win-win!
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment