‘Tis the season’ to open your heart and let love shine through.
Our heart organ and the space surrounding it, including the lungs, thymus gland, and thoracic spine make up an energy center that we call the Heart Chakra, Anahata. Chakras are a system of seven distinct wheels, centers of energy perpetually in motion, based on Ancient Eastern philosophy. These spheres of energy belong to the realm of subtle energy and each have their own color and vibrational frequency in the order of the colors of the rainbow, from red to purple and white. Located along the spinal column, they are associated with specific parts of the body, like the nervous system, organs and glands. At the crossroad of the material and the immaterial, the biological and the spiritual, energetic blocks and imbalances initiate mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual ailments. Healing and balancing the chakras requires awareness and knowledge.
Our heart organ and the space surrounding it, including the lungs, thymus gland, and thoracic spine make up an energy center that we call the Heart Chakra, Anahata. Chakras are a system of seven distinct wheels, centers of energy perpetually in motion, based on Ancient Eastern philosophy. These spheres of energy belong to the realm of subtle energy and each have their own color and vibrational frequency in the order of the colors of the rainbow, from red to purple and white. Located along the spinal column, they are associated with specific parts of the body, like the nervous system, organs and glands. At the crossroad of the material and the immaterial, the biological and the spiritual, energetic blocks and imbalances initiate mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual ailments. Healing and balancing the chakras requires awareness and knowledge.
A balanced heart chakra is green in color and cultivates self-love, compassion, empathy, and a healthy immune system. An unbalanced heart chakra can experience physical ailments like asthma or difficulty breathing, circulation problems, upper back pain, immune system deficiency, or disorders of the arms and breasts. An underactive heart chakra can reflect shyness, fear of getting hurt, feelings of loneliness or being unloved, suspicion, possessiveness, judgmental, or antisocial. An overactive heart chakra can be overly empathetic, overly concerned, jealous, codependent, clingy, overly sacrificing, staying in abusive relationships, poor at setting boundaries.
One excellent modality for balancing the Heart Chakra is through a variation of the ancient Metta bhavana meditation. Metta (from the Pali language, closely related to Sanskrit) means loving-kindness as a method for cultivating love and developing compassion. It is a universal, all-embracing love.
It also translates to friendliness, benevolence, and good will. It comes from the Buddhist tradition, intended to mean a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Different traditions approach the practice in different ways. However, all forms of metta meditation share the common goal of developing unconditional positive emotions like joy, trust, love, gratitude, happiness, appreciation, and compassion toward all beings.
Like other types of meditation, the practice is beneficial for mental, emotional, and physical health. It’s especially useful for reducing negative emotions toward yourself and other people. It does not depend on whether one "deserves" it or not. It is not restricted to friends and family. There are no expectations of anything in return. Through metta, we can renounce bitterness, or resentment of every kind and seek the well-being and happiness of others.
It also translates to friendliness, benevolence, and good will. It comes from the Buddhist tradition, intended to mean a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Different traditions approach the practice in different ways. However, all forms of metta meditation share the common goal of developing unconditional positive emotions like joy, trust, love, gratitude, happiness, appreciation, and compassion toward all beings.
Like other types of meditation, the practice is beneficial for mental, emotional, and physical health. It’s especially useful for reducing negative emotions toward yourself and other people. It does not depend on whether one "deserves" it or not. It is not restricted to friends and family. There are no expectations of anything in return. Through metta, we can renounce bitterness, or resentment of every kind and seek the well-being and happiness of others.
Any comfortable seated posture is suitable for meditation, but for this heart chakra opening meditation, I prefer Camel Pose. Kneeling on parrallel shins, I bring my hips over the knees and roll the inner upper thighs back in space. I bring my shoulders back and down and slowly lift my chin to the sky, leaving space between the ears and shoulders. Hands can stay at the heart in Lotus Mudra or slide onto the lower back, as if placing the hands in jean pockets. In this variation, elbows hug towards each other.
We begin with sending loving kindness to ourselves. Then we include others who are special to us, and, ultimately, all living things. Gradually, both the visualization and the meditation phrases blend into the actual experience, the feeling of loving kindness. The process is first one of softening, breaking down barriers that we feel inwardly toward ourselves, and then those that we feel toward others.
Unless we have a measure of this unconditional love and acceptance for our self, it is difficult to extend it to others. I like to bring my hands together in Lotus Mudra to open the heart, cultivate love and affection, ease loneliness, and turn my focus to the heart. I bring thumbs, pinkies, and wrists sealed together and blossom the fingers away from each other.
Feel or imagine your beating heart with gratitude and warmth. Think of a person close to you who loves you from the past or the present. Imagine that person standing in front of you, sending you their love. Feel the warm wishes and love coming from that person towards you. Now imagine that you are surrounded on all sides by all the people who love you and have loved you. Picture all of your friends and loved ones surrounding you. They are standing sending you wishes for your happiness, well-being, and health. Bask in the warm wishes and love coming from all sides.
Repeat these wishes at least three times, out loud or in your mind.
Unless we have a measure of this unconditional love and acceptance for our self, it is difficult to extend it to others. I like to bring my hands together in Lotus Mudra to open the heart, cultivate love and affection, ease loneliness, and turn my focus to the heart. I bring thumbs, pinkies, and wrists sealed together and blossom the fingers away from each other.
Feel or imagine your beating heart with gratitude and warmth. Think of a person close to you who loves you from the past or the present. Imagine that person standing in front of you, sending you their love. Feel the warm wishes and love coming from that person towards you. Now imagine that you are surrounded on all sides by all the people who love you and have loved you. Picture all of your friends and loved ones surrounding you. They are standing sending you wishes for your happiness, well-being, and health. Bask in the warm wishes and love coming from all sides.
Repeat these wishes at least three times, out loud or in your mind.
May I be held in loving kindness.
May I be safe from danger.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May my heart know peace.
May I be safe from danger.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May my heart know peace.
Now, bring to mind someone who means a lot to you
Repeat this loving kindness meditation at least three times for them.
Repeat this loving kindness meditation at least three times for them.
May YOU be held in loving kindness.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
Next, bring to mind someone you’ve met casually, someone you recognize but don’t really know. Repeat the loving kindness meditation at least three times for this casual acquaintance.
May YOU be held in loving kindness.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
Now imagine someone you don’t care for. It may help to imagine them as they were when they were a young, vulnerable child, before things became so difficult. Repeat the loving kindness meditation at least three times for this person that you have an aversion to.
May YOU be held in loving kindness.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
Finally, include as many people and animals as you can in your wishes for loving kindness towards all beings.
May YOU be held in loving kindness.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
May YOU be safe from danger.
May YOU be happy.
May YOU be healthy.
May YOUR heart know peace.
Balancing our chakra energies and cultivating loving kindness energy is important throughout pregnancy. During my final months of pregnancy I completed a 100-Hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certification Course and a separate Yoga Philosophy Course. I felt so inspired to blend the two and create my own Prenatal Yoga Chakras Video Course Series.
This course weaves the philosophy of the Seven Chakras and The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Path to Enlightenment) through: Kriyas (breath with movement repetitions), Mantras (vocal toning and affirmations), Mudras (intention setting hand gestures), Guided Meditations (ways to clear the mind), Breathing Techniques (calm the body), and Physical Postures (stretch, strengthen, cleanse, and balance). Each of the seven one-hour yoga practice videos is themed around one specific chakra and one (or two) limbs of yoga and includes all of the elements listed above.
Prenatal Yoga is a tool for embracing pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. This prenatal yoga course is designed for women in any stage of their pregnancy, beginners and experienced practitioners alike. It is different from other styles as it focuses on slow transitions between postures, restorative options, and the use of props to support conditions and concerns that are specific to pregnancy. Variations, and adjustments are offered for multiple conditions that pregnant women face, such as fatigue, nausea, carpal tunnel, congestion, digestive issues, high blood pressure, sciatica, and heart burn.
This course weaves the philosophy of the Seven Chakras and The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Path to Enlightenment) through: Kriyas (breath with movement repetitions), Mantras (vocal toning and affirmations), Mudras (intention setting hand gestures), Guided Meditations (ways to clear the mind), Breathing Techniques (calm the body), and Physical Postures (stretch, strengthen, cleanse, and balance). Each of the seven one-hour yoga practice videos is themed around one specific chakra and one (or two) limbs of yoga and includes all of the elements listed above.
Prenatal Yoga is a tool for embracing pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. This prenatal yoga course is designed for women in any stage of their pregnancy, beginners and experienced practitioners alike. It is different from other styles as it focuses on slow transitions between postures, restorative options, and the use of props to support conditions and concerns that are specific to pregnancy. Variations, and adjustments are offered for multiple conditions that pregnant women face, such as fatigue, nausea, carpal tunnel, congestion, digestive issues, high blood pressure, sciatica, and heart burn.