Because life is full of ups and downs and can feel chaotic, you need to know how to balance your heart chakra to experience more love and compassion, and continuously shift toward more comfort and ease.
Your Heart Chakra Is About Love and Compassion
The heart chakra, also known as the Anahata, is closely tied to your emotions; in particular, love, compassion, and joy. But, chakra dysfunction may manifest in heartbreak, grief, self-doubt, and indifference depending on the circumstances.
When this energy center is balanced, all other things being equal, you’ll tend to be open, generous, caring, and receptive. In addition, you can feel love and compassion for yourself and others. Thus, it’s easy to imagine why a balanced heart chakra is desirable.
But, the energy of your chakras is constantly shifting. Sometimes, those shifts constrain love and compassion and cause you to feel sad, mistreated, unloved, and even despair. Knowing how to rebalance your heart chakra in these times helps you to bounce back and regain your mental and emotional footing.
What Happens When Your Heart Chakra Is Out of Balance
Most people don’t directly perceive their chakras. Instead, they become aware of the status of their energy centers through dysfunction in their physical body (e.g., comfort or pain), how they feel in general (e.g., joyful or depressed), or how they perceive their life at the moment (e.g., it’s synchronistic, difficult, or blocked). But, you can often sense the imbalance if you slow down, pause, and turn your attention to your embodied self – the sense of you right now and in the moment. Using simple practices you can pick up on your chakra signals.
Signs Heart Chakra or Anahata Is Out of Balance
As mentioned above heartbreak, grief, self-doubt, and indifference are associated with Anahata imbalance, in this case, an energy deficiency. It may manifest as harsh judgments, negative self-talk, unworthiness, loneliness, and depression as well. An overactive Anahata can produce jealousy, emotional dependency, neediness, and harsh judgments of others.
There may be physical signs too. Some people sense a tightness or racing energy in the chest. Alternatively or in addition, the imbalance might manifest as constricted or belabored breath. The ache of heartache is another possibility.
What Causes a Loss of Love and Compassion
Lack of love or compassion is typically a sign of an overactive heart chakra. Although, grief, depression, or lethargy – all low-energy states – can limit access to higher-frequency emotions like love and compassion as well. The desire might be there, but the emotions are simply inaccessible.
Common Causes of a Loss of Love and Compassion and Result Heart Chakra Imbalance
Some examples of ways you might experience a loss of love and compassion include:
- Loss of a loved one from a breakup, relocation, or passing;
- Leaving loved ones, family, friends, colleagues, or a job or place you like;
- Feeling mistreated or disrespected by a loved one, friend, colleague, or even a stranger;
- Experiencing deception or deceit from someone you trusted;
- Receiving harsh criticism and/or losing face;
- Harshly judging yourself, what you do or can’t do;
- Unfulfillment of your dreams or aspirations;
- Doubting your ability to fulfill your dreams, aspirations, or intentions;
- Living with unresolved trauma; or
- Experiencing chronic stress or anxiety.
3 Simple Practices to Balance Your Heart Chakra or Anahata
There are many practices to help balance your heart chakra or Anahata. Here we’ll look at three that are simple, quick, and able to be practiced on the fly.
- Heart Chakra Posture
- Heart Breathing For Balance
- Heart Chakra Toning
The Embodiment of Imbalance
Most people don’t often think about it, but we all embody or hold the shape of how we feel and/or think at any given time. By “embody” or “hold the shape,” I mean the posture, expression, and form of
movement. It’s the whole expression of how you are in your body, mind, and spirit.
For example, if a person is uncertain and thus reserved about doing something, s/he holds in the breath and energy. Movements are less open and fluid. The breath is shallower. It’s likely you do this too. At least, to some degree. These are aspects of the shape that responds to your mood.
1. Embody and Hold the Shape of Heart-Centeredness
Just as your mood creates shape, you can encourage a particular mood or status by intentionally holding a particular shape. Try it. Create a posture you associate with joy. Does it shift your mood at all? Does it make you a bit more joyful?
Play with this. From your perspective, what posture, breath, and movement result when you experience love and compassion? Now, in this very moment, can you shapeshift (adjust your posture) to bring in more love and compassion?
This practice is personal. But, you can experiment. Try straightening the spine and then gently and comfortably drawing your scapulas together at the back.
As your shape shifts toward love and compassion, you’ll cultivate within your heart chakra the same expression or energy and create balance in the chakra
2. Heart Breathing For Balance
The element of the heart chakra is air: breath, prana, or life force. Thus, it’s not surprising that breathwork is a primary way to balance this chakra.
In fact, different types of breathing are used to condition the different chakras. And, of course, some breathing techniques work on the entire chakra system.
There are thousands of variations of breathing techniques for the heart center. Some are for balance, others for retrieving guidance or centering in the present moment. Essentially all draw breath and energy into the chakra using slow, deep, elongated inhales and exhales. After a few full breaths, you can turn your attention toward a positive experience that instilled love and compassion within you.
Heart-Centering On-The-Go
This type of breathing can be done anywhere at any time and for as long or as short of a period of time as you like. Place your hand on your heart to facilitate the connection and cultivation of love and compassion.
3. Heart Center or Anahata Toning
Toning a chakra means bringing the chakra back into balance. As you rebalance, you’ll be able to access the beneficial attributes of a clear, well-functioning energy center rather than struggle with dysfunction, imbalance, and lack of clarity. For Anahata, this means more love and compassion.
Breath as Energy and Vibration
Toning uses sound or vibration. It works because all chakras are vibrational, i.e., exhibit energetic wave patterns. The chakra will entrain with specific sounds (tones), that are also vibrational in nature. Each chakra has a bija (mantra or sound) that corresponds to the chakra’s natural wave motion when it’s balanced. The bija of the Anahata is Yam.
To tone the Anahata, simpling chant Yam. Let the sound roll out with your exhale. You can even chant silently. Just internally form the bija with your breath. As you tone, take a moment to notice where you sense or perceive the sound inside your body. No doubt it will be right in the Anahata or your heart center.
The Way Forward
So, if you’re interested in experiencing more love and being more compassionate, practice these three simple techniques. Use them whenever you have the need or desire.
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Updated September 21, 2022
