Anahata Heart Chakra Meditation

Location of Anahata

As with any type of meditation, try to perform this meditation when you won’t be disturbed. Turn the phone off or down, make sure the children are occupied or in bed. Find a comfortable position either sitting in lotus position, lying on the floor or bed, or in a reclining chair. Play soft soothing music. Use the aroma therapy recommendations from the correspondences or burn incense of the appropriate variety to match the aroma therapy recommendations. I like to record these visualizations. The multiple dots after words ……mean a pause for a while so you can contemplate and give substance to the visualization. The dots after a number mean to count slowly.

Now to begin

The Rainbow Road Meditation

Begin by placing your tongue on the spot where your teeth and gums come together. Take a deep breath through your nose for a count of 4—1…2…3…4…, hold that breath for a count of 7—1…2...3...4...5...6...7 exhale through your mouth for a count of 8 1….2…3…4…5…6…7…8 repeat this process 3 more times. Now begin to breathe normally. Relax your feet. Feel that nice relaxing feeling moving up your calves, through your knees and into the thighs. Feel your legs grow heavy and sink into their point of contact…… Feel that nice warm feeling moving through the muscles of your buttocks and into your stomach…..feel the muscles relax and the tightness leave…….Feel that relaxation moving up your chest and into your back, feel your shoulder blades press into the point of contact….Feel that nice relaxing feeling moving into your shoulders and down your arm…. feel it moving into your hands. A nice tingling feeling in your hands as you let yourself go……Feel the relaxation move up your neck, into your scalp…..down the front of your brow. Feel the forehead smooth out and lose its creases……feel the relaxation move into your jaw…unclench your teeth…..feel your chin drop……Relax…..Relax

You find yourself in a nice, safe, comfortable place. The sun is shinning, there is a warm breeze blowing across your skin. You look down at your feet and notice a road of brick. You take a step forward onto the road, as you walk down the road you notice the bricks change colors..... red.... orange... yellow..... green.... Now, look up and in the distance you see a lush green glen.

Birds of all sorts make their home here. Sitting in the middle of the glen is a green fortress. The fortress gives off a sense of peace, joy and love. As you approach the fortress the large double doors slowly open inviting you in. The interior of the fortress is pink. You walk inside and find yourself in a large room. Sitting in the middle of the room illuminated by a warm golden light from the heavens is a pedestal.

As you approach you can see there is a heart on the pedestal.  It is beating with the rhythm of your own.

Notice how the heart looks, how it feels. Leave judgment behind, it has no place here. Is the heart frozen in ice? Bound by chains? Is it sad, or lonely, happy, sad, content? Is it broken? Is its energy wild and unpredictable, dim and weak?

Place your hands upon the heart allow the universe to guide you, ask the divine to help you heal for the highest and greatest good. Watch as the ice melts or the chains fall away; watch as the pieces are made whole again.

Know that what sits upon the pedestal, illuminated by the divine light is that which beats inside you. You can feel the rhythm feel the healing, feel the warmth of the divine. Know that you are safe in this place.  Know that peace, joy and love exist. You may return anytime you feel the need or desire. The more love you give yourself the more love is available to others. Bask in the glow of the universal love that you are giving to yourself. You deserve it.  Rest and bide a while....................................................................

Now I’m going to count backwards form 5 to 1.  5…your are beginning to rouse from the meditation….4 you feel love washing through you…3 your heart beats with the rhythm of love…2 you feel refreshed and loved….1 you are fully aware of your surroundings, your eyes are open and you feel relaxed and rested. 

The end

I hope this does as much for you as it has done for me.  If you have any recommendations on improvements to this visualization meditation please feel to share them in the comments.

Namaste

Anahata-The Heart Chakra Yoga & Pranayama

Disclaimer: I do not expect anyone to do these exercises if they are physically incapable of performing the moves.  Never begin an exercise routine without consulting your physician. 

The yoga for this chakra all open up your chest cavity and stimulate your heart.  These are designed for any type physical condition.  They should be done with a slow smooth motion.  Hold the poses as long as possible without great strain.

Open your chest (This is easy to do at the office)

Sit near the edge of a chair and interlace your fingers behind you, with your palms facing your back. Leaning slightly forward, lift your arms and rest them on the back of the chair. Inhale and lift your chest. Exhale and relax your shoulders away from your ears. If your hands do not reach the top of the chair, clasp the sides of the chair back and pull your chest forward, relaxing your shoulders and opening your upper chest. Hold for 10 to 15 breaths, feeling lightness in your heart. With an exhalation, slowly release your hands and bring them down by your sides.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

Urdvha MukhaSvanasana (Upward-facing Dog)

I will not give instructions for these poses here, as it is given much better on the sight(s).

One of my favorite methods of opening my chest is to stand up, lean slightly back and drop my hands down to the side.  Let them fall back as far as they can.  You will feel your chest open up, and just breathe deeply into the chest.  This helps relax and refresh you when stress might be mounting up.

Breathing Exercises

This link is to be read prior to doing the breathing exercises.  It is some precautionary considerations before commencing any type of breathing exercises.

Here the site discusses the importance of breathing.  Please take the time to read this whole article before performing any of the exercises that they list on the site.    For the purposes of this chakra pay special attention to:

Complete Breath

Bhastrika—Bellows Breath

Nadi Sodhana—Alternate nostril breathing

Practice any or all of the breathing techniques listed here.  You will be surprised at how they make you feel.  The can relax or energize and are good tools for everyday life.

Activity for the Heart

Any aerobic activity is good for the heart.  If you are an athlete just keep it up.  If you have not done aerobic activity in a long time start out with walking.  It is cheap, just the cost of a decent pair of athletic shoes, and your time.  This will help with lung capacity, strengthen the heart, lower cholesterol, and improve digestions.  If you are just starting, start slow.  Just 10 minutes the first few days, then increase to 15 for a few days, and continue increasing until you reach 30 minutes.  This should be down at least 4 days a week for good benefit, but more won’t hurt and it will help.  Give this at least a month to really show you how good your heart will feel.   The idea isn't how far you walk but how long.  As you gain strength, you will want to start pushing a little to increase your heart rate.  However, don’t push so hard that you become significantly out of breath.  Sweat and breathing a little hard is of benefit, once you have built up your strength.

Aroma Therapy

• Marjoram (Origanum Marjorana, Majorana hortensis,(Sweet)
• Thymus mastichina (Spanish)
• Orange (Citrus Sinensis)
• Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)
• Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)

Methods for dispersing are:

• hot melted candle wax; don’t get oil in flame, just drop on top of melted wax
• oil diffuser ring on low wattage lamp
• drop oil on low wattage lamp bulb itself
• simmer (not boil) in water

Light Meditation

Get comfortable.  Either lay on the floor with hands at a 45° angle to your body, in a recliner or in bed.  Playing soft music, and use one of the aroma therapy methods defined above.  Begin the meditation by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth right where the teeth and gums come together.  Take  a deep breath in through the nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 7, and exhale through your mouth with a whooshing sound for the count of 8.  (Remember the breathing advice given earlier.)  The counts should be evenly spaced, and not strained.  Adjust the rhythms to accommodate you ability, but maintain an even counting cadence of the three cycles of this breath. This is a relaxing process, not a strained process. Adjust the speed of the cycle to suit your ability. Repeat this breathing cycle 4 times.  While inhaling, visualize that you are drawing in nice clean, relaxing air.  While holding the breath visualize the nice clean relaxation circulating through your body.  While exhaling, visualize that the nice clean air is pushing all of the negativity and tension from your body.  After the 4 cycles, return your breathing to normal.  Totally relax your body.  Pay close attention to the jaw line, brow, and shoulders.  Notice any areas that are painful and tight and breathe into them while you feel them relax and release.  Tune into the beat of your heart.  Keep trying; you will feel it more than hear it.  Now as you feel the beat of your heart, visualize a lotus coming up out of your spine, and blossom just in front of your chest (I’m not good at images without something fresh in my mind.  So here are some pictures you can look at.)  Now visualize a pink lotus.  Watch as it begins to spin clockwise.  Visualize it open to its first flush of full bloom, (we don’t want it past its prime, as in too open).  It is open and strong.  Visualize a green light forming around the pink lotus, protecting it from outside negativity.  Now watch it spin, and feel the strength of your heart grow as the spinning continues.  It spins at a steady pace about the speed of your heartbeat.  Relax and feel it spin and the strength flow……….  When you are finished breathe deeply and feel the energy of the breath revive you and energize you.

Here is some music you might like to play for your meditation.