“Unhurt, unstruck, or unbeaten” – these are translations of the sanskrit word for the heart chakra.
If only our hearts were so pure, so unscathed by life and time as to be called “anahata”. Unfortunately, at least for me, that has not been the case. All types of love: brotherly love, love of a child for a parent, a parent for a child and for a spouse to one another: I have hurt and been hurt by all of these. My heart has been struck. I have also hurt my own heart: with criticism, belittling, lack of faith and lack of fun. I am on the road of recovery. I am beginning to heal the wounds.
Bill W. has written articles for the Grapevine titled “The Language of The Heart.” Annual recovery conferences have also used that name. That concept speaks to me; I am so attracted to that idea that the heart can speak and we can listen. In my ideal the heart speaks only love, compassion, forgiveness and kindness. In order to embrace these values the heart must have courage (be Lion-Hearted) and be willing to transform. I had to walk a path from cold hearted, closed hearted and mean hearted to embracing my natural true generous spirit.
In order to change I had to develop toughness of spirit. I needed to open my heart and learn to experience the pain of growth, walk through the difficulties of change. Change is uncomfortable, sometimes painful and my strength of heart must be ready for it.
In the language of Yoga the heart chakra gives us the capacity to love and to be loved, to hold forgiveness and compassion for self and others. The heart chakra is the bridge between the personal and the universal; the connection between our true self and all beings everywhere.
If the heart chakra is overactive you may experience codependent behavior (forgetting that boundaries are a form of love). You may not be able to discern the difference between other’s problems and your own. You may become extra tender; sensitive to the world’s problems to the extent that you endanger your own well-being. You may have difficulty sticking to things (hobbies, duties, a course of action) as your attention gets distracted by the needs and opinions of others.
When the heart chakra is underactive you may feel lonely or isolated. You may have trouble engaging in and maintaining healthy (give and take) relationships. You may find yourself being overly critical of yourself and others. Sometime it may manifest in selfishness and self-centeredness.
Taking care of yourself, listening to nice music, going outside or bringing plants inside and inhaling the aromas of lavender, rose, or jasmine. Surrounding yourself with various colors of green to stimulate chakra energy can help. Finally, affirmations said out loud or repeated internally like a mantra can balance the heart chakra.
- I am worthy of love.
- I love and accept myself just as I am.
- I am open to love.
- I am wanted and loved.
- I forgive myself.
- I live in balance; in a state of grace and gratefulness.
What better time to re-engage with your own heart than this month. While much of the media is concerned with the state of one another’s heart, particularly with romantic love, you can start at the root, the base, the center of this compassionate and passionate center of love. Start here and start now.
Love-
Kyczy
6 Comments
Thank you for This! A long time ago I believed keeping an open heart meant entering dangerous or threatening situations and “proving” I loved strong enough, I could tolerate the pain or rejection,abuse or neglect. I had to keep my heart open, it was my weakness my moral failing that caused me to hurt. I was no good enough, strong enough,pretty enough,thin enough,talented enough,worthy enough for the love and respect of others. It was an uphill battle but as I learned to peel back the layers of burnt and callused skin in a safe environment(not just open and give of myself to people who had never shown any reason to do so) it was through the difficult act of creating boundaries, doing the work to recognize and discriminate when, to whom to, and to what degree to share my heart I began to heal.The message I got early on was that I needed to strengthen myself through exposure to continues hardship, for that would determine my worth. I received the message early on that I was disposable and as I believed so my relationships did reflect. It seemed so contray that I should value myself first regardless of my experiences and not in the ways I first thought I saw, not becoming hard,cruel,cold and calculating. Those people seemed to be respected and held in high esteem, to the circles I existed in. But our vibe does attract our tribe, when I stopped barring my heart,sharing by body and mind with people who did not respect or “deserve” the level of intimacy I began to feel that teeny tiny part of my instruct heart. That small speck that stopped the blade from digging a few inches deeper or those pills from staying down sealing my death. That “unstruckness” saved my life on many occansions. And now it has grown it has spread bringing back to life more of my heart as I return to wholeness. I create boundaries using my resensitization,my reconnection through Yoga and recovery to discriminate healthy from unhealthy and slowly as I sort through the layers of trauma and samskaras created by those events I feel more. I feel more alive,more hope,more untouched,more worthy,more in general. My heart finds its home in the center of me connected to all other parts of me. I gave it an audience and it spoke softly even after pounding the light out of it in every way I knew how,misunderstanding the source of my pain was not there,I humbly shut up and listened and heard the smallest whisper of hope and in grew and grew more might each time I took need and now more of me feels alive,unstruck, not dead or disconnected. Anahata to me is the sweet kiss of life we were given as we came into existence the original spark of “why” that bmmade the how possible pulses through us all. It’s just difficult and so simple to look in the least expectant place, to inspire of the pain feel that one unstruck string inside each of us that begs to be a part of the greatest sympathy the one we know nothing of the one we forgot the great song of all hearts tuned to their particular tone recognizing it’s place in the most beautiful song of all,the song of our existence. I now to you Kyczy for being a constant source of inspiration and a reminder,when the room is dark and I can’t see, your beautiful song reminds me. Thank you for sharing and shining.
That wa beautifuully written!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Erika, and thank you for sharing your story with me. I appreciate and can identify with your experience of connection (“My heart finds its home in the center of me connected to all other parts of me.”) It is important to have boundaries in order to experience freedom.
be well
Thank you! My heart seems to vary from one stage to another. I can so identify and glad to know that more changes can be expected.
Yes! More changes and then changes after that. Be well