The heart chakra represents our awareness and presence. It's the center of our capacity for unconditional love, and it deeply balances the conflicting aspects of our being: self and environment, body and spirit, yin and yang.
1. Affirmations:
Any experience throughout our lives that made us feel unloved or unworthy can play into the negative stories we tend to tell ourselves in the back of our minds, blocking our heart chakras, and leading us to be over-protective and under-appreciative of ourselves. Affirmations work to get our subconscious mind on our side, clearing out the untrue and unkind things we think about ourselves. It's amazing how powerful the stories we tell ourselves can be, so its worth taking the time to make sure we're telling good ones : ) Here are a few to help get you into your heart. Feel free to choose one and make it your mantra for the day, or the week: I am loved and loving
It's safe to love and to be loved
I follow the path of the heart
I surrender to love
I forgive others for not being who I want them to be
I forgive myself for everything
My heart is full of gratitude
I love everything about myself
I am love and light
I am at peace
I am open to love
I am calm, present, and centered
2. Loving-kindness meditation:
This short meditation is a wonderful way to settle into the heart and be filled with love. Its derived from "metta" meditation, a practice from old-school (Theravada) Buddhism. It only takes a few minutes, and it's an easy way to drop into a sense of peace. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="239"]
Ok, so you don't have to sit this way, but look how happy he is![/caption]
1. Get into a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes, sink into your body, and enjoy the feeling of breathing.
2. Think of someone you love deeply. It could be a family member or a pet or a dear friend. Let the feeling of love fill your heart.
3.Gently turn this feeling of love inwards, sending yourself this same unconditional love, unchanged.
3. Begin to expand the scope of this feeling, allowing more people and animals into your heart sphere. Add in more of your friends, and more of your family, either individually or as a group. You could even imagine a bubble expanding from your heart out into the world.
4. Now, begin to extend this love to every living being on the planet; add in friends, acquaintances, co-workers, everyone, even extending out to wash over people you've found annoying or difficult, until everything is included.
6. Enjoy the sense of peace, relaxation, and love that this meditation creates.
This is a great one to do to help you relax before falling asleep.
3. Visualization:
This visualization will help you clear your heart chakra, to make it a nice cozy place for you to be. Difficult experiences in life can make it hard to spend time in the heart, but the more you do this, the more comfortable you'll be in your heart and in your body. Take a few deep breaths and begin to settle into your body. Allow a grounding cord to drop from the base of your spine, effortlessly, to the center of the earth. Use this cord to release any old experiences, or uncomfortable feelings that no longer serve your highest good.
Bring your awareness to your chest, listening with your inner ear for the beating of your heart. What do you see here? What feelings do you find? Allow any discomfort to fall down the grounding cord, into the earth.
Now, begin to see a bright green light emanating from the center of your chest. Let it be whatever shade of green feels best, as it begins to fill the space around your heart.
Allow the bright green light, infused with white light, to shine into any dark spaces in the front or the back of the heart, dissolving them. Take some deep breaths and feel the tension leave your shoulders, neck, upper back, and chest, as the deepening green fills your body.
Peering through this green, begin to see the foliage of the deep forest of your being. What leaves and trees and flowers do you see and smell? Breathe in the verdant air, and allow yourself to be filled with gratitude for this beautiful space you're creating in your heart.
Now, Look for ways to make this space even more inviting. Allow the growing green to continue to clear out any darkness, and begin to fill the space with things that make you feel at ease, comfortable, at home; a deep waterfall flowing through your center, a strong tree with leaves blowing in the breeze to sit beneath, some lush grass to walk on with barefeet.
Take a seat in your heart, and enjoy where you are.
Spend as long as you'd like here, savoring the love in your being. This is yours. You can come here any time.
Keep returning to this place, making it more and more your own, a more and more wonderful place to be. Make it a practice. Being in your heartspace is a wonderful way to be in the world, a gift to yourself and those around you. Make it yours. And enjoy it : )
4. Little extras:
If you want to spend some extra attention on your heart, rose petals and rose water have a nice way of opening the heart chakra. You could find some rose tea (something I've been pretty into lately) or some rosewater spray (I've been pretty into this too, actually), and add it into your day as a pleasantly fragrant reminder to be in the heart.
I hope you enjoyed this exploration of the heart chakra. I'd love to hear any more ideas you have for working with the heart in the comments below.
If you liked this post, you'd probably also enjoy this meditiation to balance your heart
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