Anahata Chakra - The fourth energy vortex - derived from the Sanskrit word that means "unstruck, unhurt, unbeaten". It is located at the middle of the chest and it is represented by the color Green ( or pink for the Higher Chakra). It is liked to specific organs such as the physical heart, lungs, thymus gland, the entire chest area and upper back.

At the most basic level, the Heart Chakra is the energy center that governs all aspects of love - Our ability to give and receive love, unconditional love, compassion, empathy and our connection to every single living being on Earth. 

The Heart Chakra is where our soul resides. Our essence and most authentic self inhabited in this very center. Literally speaking, this chakra corresponds with the heart organ, which is critical to biological life - without it life wouldn't exist. But spiritually, when this energy center is weak or blocked so is our capability to find what our souls truly crave - our reason to live, our ability to love and connection with others. In other words when the heart chakra is blocked, life becomes dull.

The forth chakra is also considered as the energetic bridge between the physical and the spiritual realm. It is the unifier of the three lower chakras ( our human existence and experiences) and the three higher chakras ( spiritual senses and connection to others and to the Divine). When all chakras are in balance and harmonious, we shine our brightest light. Our heart expands radiating a loving energy that creates ripples permeating through time and space. Those around you will feel pulled towards your authenticity, your light-heartedness and kindness. 

When the Heart Chakra is Open and What to Expect

The Heart Chakra rules our emotional energy, therefore when this energy center is open and flowing harmoniously you will feel that all barriers and blockages around the heart slowly degenerates allowing your inner Light shine through. Loving others, including ourselves, will feel effortless. We see others for who they are and accept them, looking pass all their flaws and appreciating their unique beauty. The compassion and empathy becomes stronger that it feels like second nature. Like some may say, "see others through the eyes of God". 

You may also experience that you no longer have the need to hide your authentic self. You acknowledge your inner and outer beauty, and express your true spirit through your words and actions. 

During the Process of opening the Heart Chakra

The process of chakra alignment, like any other sort of healing breakthroughs, we may have to go through some kind of uneasiness. We may even experience the reappearance of certain ailments. The discomfort may be discouraging as it may feel like we are no where near the bliss we seek. These distressed moments are necessary and crucial part in the healing process. As I often tell my customers, "Release to Renew. Break to Build". But rest assured that these discomforts are temporary.

As for the realignment of the Heart Chakra, it is common to feel a surge of emotions, feeling drained or even overwhelmed. It might be leaving you slight confused at first. All the trauma that you have been keeping buried deep into your heart will begin to resurface, and you will feel the impulse to let it all out. You will feel compelled to forgive others for the pain they have cause or vice-versa. 

Healing not only happens on the emotional level, but it can also be felt physically. And those symptoms are: shortness of breath, panic attacks and even insomnia. 

"Remember, when you forgive you heal. When you let go you grow. Forgiveness is the ultimate action of Love towards your own freedom."

I find to be true that the Heart Chakra is the chakra that takes the longest to heal. Dealing with emotional pain and healing from it does take time and willingness. It may be difficult to process those emotions so be extra kind to yourself and take the time you need in the process.

When the Heart Chakra is Blocked, Weak or Overactive

In contrast from an open Heart Chakra, a weak and blocked energy vortex will display a number of emotional symptoms such as:

• Difficulty in loving others
• Seeing the good in others
• Heart is closed, impeding to give and receive love resulting in emotional numbness
• Finding it hard to get pass the past hurts, thus making it difficult to forgive others
• Lack of empathy
• Feeling disconnected from others and the world
• Being overly critical towards one self and others
• displaying hatred and shame of one's body and appearance

With an overactive Chakra, this simply means that there is too much energy being projected out. Over stimulation can result in:

• Possessiveness 
• Jealousy
• Victimization 
• Codependency
• Misjudgment

What Happens if we neglect a blocked chakra?

Because Chakras are also linked to our physical body and its corresponding organs and glands, neglecting to bring this energy center to balance can create a multitude of physical symptoms such as:

• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Heart palpitations
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Neck, shoulder and back pain
• Asthma
• Heart diseases
• Chest Pain

How to Heal the Heart Chakra with Crystals

Healing the energy centers with crystals is as easy as just placing them on top of the corresponding chakra for as little as 10 minutes. Together with visualization and soft music playing, you amp up the overall vibration of the space and intention speeding the healing process.

Heart Chakra Healing Session

1. Before stepping to the bath, I commit in purifying the bathroom with a short sage/cinnamon/ palo santo cleansing ceremony. Say a little prayer with intention to purify and invite Light into your space.
2. I prepare a little tender love and care on myself by immersing on a gentle warm bath/ shower while having essential oils diffusing. The steam of your hot bath/shower will help disperse the aroma throughout the bathroom, and you'll reap all the therapeutic benefits while you soak in.
3. After your bath, apply the corresponding essential oil on your chest. 
4. Cleanse the space where you'll be doing your session, diffuse some oils, light some candles and play soft music to create the mood.   
5. Lay down, place the chosen crystal in the middle of your chest and close your eyes. 
6. Begin to settle with 7 - 10 breaths. Once settled, begin to visualize a green light filling your entire chest area. 
7. Visualize a spiral like galaxy in your heart, spinning ever so gentle. While it spins, have positive thoughts attributed to the heart chakra. If you're not a visual person, feel what it would be like to be finally happy, carefree, loved and confident in your own skin. See all your hurts or disappointments slowly melting away, clearing your heart even more. 
8. Once your meditation is done, wiggle your toes, fingers and slowly open your eyes. Sip in some herbal tea, preferably rose tea or water, and reflect on your healing experience. It would be great to keep a journal dedicated just for crystal healing to document what you saw and felt. Like this, you'll better understand which crystals our body reacts better to. 

When I started doing healing sessions on myself, I started listening to guided mediations to point me to the right direction on my healing journey. I also used journaling prompts to help me further understand some of the core issues that this energy center could be dealing with. So, if you're completely new to energy healing, perhaps using a guided meditation can help you get started until you feel completely comfortable with just instrumental music.

Crystals for the Heart Chakra

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Do we use Pink or Green Stones? Answer is: you can use both! Pink stones are generally preferred by many due to their soothing and gentle energies. Green stones are excellent choices too as they tend to go really deep down to the root of our emotional imbalances. You don't have to get all in the list but here are some of the amazing Heart Chakra crystals you can use to start your healing journey! Just choose which ones you feel most attracted to.

Chrysoprase

I love Chrysoprase when dealing with loss and grief as it's a wonderful stone to promote hope. Like the colors of a calm turquoise lagoon, Chrysoprase calms the heart, nurturing it with its restorative and cleansing energies. There's nothing like Chrysoprase's color in the mineral world and for that same reason this makes Chrysoprase a even more special stone!

Rose Quartz