The Heart Chakra

The heart chakra is located at the centre of the spine at heart level. When the heart chakra is open and flowing well, you will feel balance, calmness and serenity. Sounds like the perfect place to be! It also sounds like an unachievable task in today’s world. We are slowly coming out of a two-year pandemic… or are we? The uncertainty of what is happening with COVID, combined with the suffering and losses we have all felt in the past two years is leaving us all feeling unbalanced, uncalm and unserene (the last two are not real words, but some days they sure feel real!!)

What can you do to help to open your heart chakra? There are several simple things you can do right now to help open your heart chakra. Here are the top five things you can do.

1. Start by practicing gratitude. Think of the top five things that you are grateful for right now in this moment. Write down your gratitude list and keep it in your pocket. Every time your mind goes to a negative space, pull out your list of top-five things that you are grateful for and think about each thing on your list.

2. Take five minutes for a cup of tea or hot cacao. I often hear the phrase in my mind that "a cup of tea makes everything feel better!" Rose tea in particular is a great herbal tea that warms the heart! Eating more green foods like a salad with leafy greens and fresh herbs, or green fruits like apples and kiwis can also help to heal the heart chakra.

3. Meditation helps! If your heart chakra is underactive, you may be feeling emotionally closed off. A loving kindness meditation may help to balance your heart chakra. During this type of guided meditation, you will repeat several positive and affirming phrases. Your meditation leader will ask you to focus on loved ones and yourself. You will be guided to repeat phrases like May I be safe. May I feel peace. May I be happy. Guided meditations can be found for free on YouTube. Here is an example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eLKEuJkggw.

4. Crystals can help. Green, heart-healing crystals like Green Aventurine, Amazonite, Green Jade, and Peridot are good options. Rose Quartz is also a great healing crystal. Simply keep a small crystal in your shirt pocket near your heart or find a pendant that you can wear close to your heart to help heal your heart chakra.

5. Practice heart-opening affirmations. This is a bit different than the loving kindness meditation because you can do this anytime, anywhere! Start by writing down a positive and affirming phrase that resonates with your current situation. This will be your heart opening mantra. Repeat your mantra – silently or out loud – several times a day. This will help engage the law of attraction. If we think positive thoughts, we will attract positive things. Your mantra may be as simple as:

• My heart is open

• I love myself unconditionally

• I am enough

• I am grateful for all my blessings

If you're feeling the effects of uncertainty from the past years of the pandemic, try one or more of these things to help heal your heart chakra. It may take time, so continue to make time for yourself each day. My wish for you is to find balance, calm and serenity – even if it’s just for a few moments each day. That’s where the magic begins!