A Simple Practice To Open Your Heart Chakra

A chakra is a swirling wheel or disk of energy.  There are several that run from the base of your spine to the top of your head. I won’t go into detail about chakras in this post, other than they are an important part of our energy system that work with our nerves, organs, emotions, and our physical health.  The seven most common (from base of the spine to top of the head) are: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. You also have chakras in the soles of your feet, your hands, your eyebrows, and several other places in your energy field.  For today, I’m going to focus on the heart chakra – which is considered the bridge between our spirit, body, mind, and emotions.

Scientists have measured the electromagnetic fields (EMF) of the body and found that the heart’s EMF field is five times more powerful than the EMF emitted from the brain. I find that fascinating. The heart “acts like it’s own neurological center to help regulate the health of nearly every cell and organ in the body” (Dale, The Complete Book of Chakra Healing)

We truly are beings ruled by our hearts. The saying “follow your heart” takes on new meaning, right?  Your heart chakra can be your compass in this lifetime.  The problem is our minds often get in the way.  Or society tells us that the brain is in charge.

This is something that took me a while to grasp. Teachers and books would tell me to focus on my heart chakra and heart center and immediately I’d overanalyze.  Sometimes I’d just nod my head, “yes, yes, the heart chakra – sure – ommm”. But I didn’t truly understand it; it was too abstract for me and I’d end up being in my head too much.  It wasn’t until I had a dream that a being or my higher self told me to drop my awareness down into my heart and feel the vibration of it (which I then experienced in my dream). Then I understood it – and now I can replicate that feeling I received in my dream.

My intention in this post is to open your awareness of your heart chakra, so you too can experience the frequency of it.  Here is a simple practice you can do to help open up your heart chakra, clear it of any blockages, allow it to emit it’s healing energy around you, and also how to keep it protected.  This visualization is a great way to start your day, and can be done any time of day you need to refresh, recharge, and get centered in the moment.  Being home with a three and a five year old –  I have to use this often!

• Sit or stand with one hand on your heart.  By placing your hand(s) here you’re drawing your attention to the chakra and getting that energy spinning and flowing. Your body and energy responds to attention and intention.
• Now imagine something that brings you your greatest feeling of love and peace.  What brings the feeling of warmth to your heart?  For me it’s imagining holding/hugging my kids.  It could be a person, a song, an object, a place of peace – anything that centers you in your heart. It could be simply thinking of your Divine Self.
  • Here’s the important part: focus your attention away from your mind and allow yourself to feel that feeling of love in your heart. Find out what the vibration and frequency of this chakra feels like to you as you drop your awareness from your head into your heart center. The more you try this and recognize the feeling, the easier it becomes.
• If you’re a visual person, know that the heart chakra is green in color – though some people also picture it rose colored.  You can visualize a bright green swirling ball of energy emitting from your heart in the front and back of your body.
• If you’re more of an audio person, I’ve posted a video below of some chanting to open the heart chakra.  You can listen to this (with headphones on for best results) while meditating.
• As you’re focusing on your heart chakra, imagine and feel this spinning wheel of energy growing larger and larger with each breath.  You can then sit and enjoy the feeling of being in the present moment, completely at peace.  If you’d like, you can set an intention such as to experience life from this space more throughout the day, or to feel more compassion and forgiveness towards yourself and others. If a feeling or situation arises during this visualization, acknowledge it without judgment and allow yourself to release the energy block that’s being stored in your heart.
• When you’re finished, always call in (imagine) white or golden light surrounding your heart chakra and your whole body.  You can ask angels, or specifically Archangel Michael, to do this for you too.  This simply surrounds and protects you and your chakras so you’re not being drained of energy or picking up unwanted energy as you go about your day.

This is a great practice to start and it doesn’t have to take much time.  I often do this while waiting at a stop light or in line at the store. (or locked in my room for a couple minutes if the kids are driving me nuts).  Simply do some deep breaths into your heart chakra as you think of your peaceful thought (person, place, song that centers you) and then feel that frequency begin to open up and expand into your whole body.  You’re raising your vibration while doing this, centering into your body, and also bringing in healing energy.

Once your body and mind become comfortable with the feeling of opening and expanding your heart chakra you can really begin to view and experience the world from a new space.  You open up to the present moment more.  You might find you’re more compassionate, you can forgive others easily, and you’ll also find others react differently towards you.

Working with your heart chakra is a huge beginning or stepping stone on your spiritual journey.  Once you gain awareness of what it feels to be heart centered (vs mind centered) you can then begin to explore your intuition, as well as healing and manifestation abilities.

I hope this helps you to explore what it physically feels like to focus on your heart chakra.  We are so lucky to have this energy with us at all times here on Earth – so don’t forget to use it!

In gratitude,

Nicki