When we reach the 4th Chakra, the energetic Heart Center, we arrive at the point where our self-development requires that we explore our life through relationship. Anahata’s corresponding sense is Touch, a very intimate aspect of our connection to the outside world. While the emotional experience of the Second Chakra involves emotions we carry about ourselves, the Heart Chakra holds how feel about others, the way we manage our relationships, and our ability to give and receive in the world around us.
A healthy Fourth Chakra operates as the calm center between Heaven and Earth, between the three chakras below the heart and the three above. When the Fourth Chakra is held in balance we are able to trust the flow of life and to feel compassion for others. Challenges related to this chakra involve blocks in our ability to give and receive love, as well as the tendency towards co-dependence and over-giving. A calm and open heart center is found when we are able to generously offer love as well as receive support from our relationships, resulting in a harmonious balance between self and other. Feelings of loneliness, alienation, and grief are all involved with the consciousness of the Fourth Chakra. Within the container of energy healing we can enter and explore the deep and mystical territory of Anahata Chakra, we can find support which allows heart defenses to soften and relax, and we can create greater harmony and balance in our relationships.
Chakra: 4th
Physical location: heart/center of the chest
Corresponding body parts, systems & organs: heart, lungs, arms, hands
Element: Air
Sense: Touch
Associated emotions (imbalanced): loneliness, grief, alienation, bitterness, passive aggression
Associated qualities & life experiences: giving & receiving, harmony, healing experienced through touch, compassion, love, relationships