The Heart Chakra
The Root Chakra The Sacral Chakra The Solar Plexus Chakra Located at the center of our chest, the Heart Chakra governs our ability to give…
Located at the center of our chest, the Heart Chakra governs our ability to give and receive love. It is from where we radiate our feelings of compassion, selflessness and empathy. Sometimes we feel we lack “self-love”, which is generally caused by an imbalance in the heart center. There are a number of reasons for this. For example, children raised in emotionally distant and unloving homes, sometimes develop into cold and unaffectionate adults. Having been denied the essential love and compassion from their caregivers, they may perpetuate the cycle with their own children. On the other hand, you may have been blessed with a loving family, but that hardly shielded you from heartbreak or heartache. Unfortunately, this happens so frequently in our culture, because we haven’t been taught to heal and retrieve our heart cords, after a break up. And that means, we often remain chained to toxic relationships, long after they have ended.
Since the Heart Chakra rules the heart, lungs and circulatory system, many health issues can arise in these areas. According to Dr. Mimi Guarneri, Cardiologist and author of “The Heart Speaks”, people who walk around with unresolved heartbreak are at greater risk for heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. While it is still popular belief that heart disease is caused primarily by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, Dr. Guarneri’s studies demonstrate that there’s more than meets the eye. When taking a closer look at the personal lives of her patients, particularly those who appeared physically “fit”, she discovered that the majority had suffered from a severe emotional trauma and loss, such as the death of a child or lover, the end of a relationship, abuse etc.
What you need to keep in mind is that “issues get trapped in the tissues”, so to maintain a healthy heart, it’s important to let go of the negative thoughts, emotions and relationships that no longer serve your greater good. There are many healing systems that can help you achieve this, such as hypnotherapy, chakra cleansing, Hawaiian Huna, Qigong, Reiki etc.
In the meantime, lets look at some of the differences between an underactive, overactive and balanced Heart Chakra…
An Underactive Heart Chakra
With an under active Heart Chakra, a person may feel unworthy of love and fear rejection from others. This may cause them to be overly needy and clingy to others in an attempt to fill their inner emptiness. When they are alone, they are lonely. And their loneliness and desperation, hardly finds relief in a crowd of people. In fact, being surrounded by others may deepen their sense of isolation. Relationships are compromised, as the void in their heart grows. They may waver between building walls around their heart and keeping others at arm’s distance, or seeking approval and depending too much on other people.
An Overactive Heart Chakra
An excess of energy in the heart region can cause a person to be excessively emotional and melodramatic. With an over active Heart Chakra, love is sometimes misused as a weapon. You might hear someone say “You don’t love me” or “If you loved me, you wouldn’t do that” as a way to manipulate people’s hearts. Generally, manipulation is a “control issue” and has less connection with the heart, as it does with the Solar Plexus Chakra. Then there are the “bleeding heart” types, who connect so strongly to the suffering of others that they end up drained over time.
A Balanced Heart Chakra
Compassion, empathy and openness to love are an expression of a balanced Heart Chakra. Here you have people who enjoy the company of others and feel a deep sense of connection to all things around them, including plants and animals. They do not depend on others for their happiness, because they understand their inner joy, comes from being in harmony within themselves. Heart energy is a very powerful and healing source that can radiate to others. It is also a protective force that can be stimulated and used as a powerful auric shielding tool.
In tantric practices, heart energy is regularly cultivated through techniques, such as a Tantra Heart Meditation. When sexual energy is drawn up to the heart, it can increase our feelings of self-love and deepen our connection with those around us.
