As you know,
your heart center is the energy center connected with your capacity to give and receive love. If you've been wounded emotionally in your life (and so many of us have), how you managed your heart energy had – and may still have – an impact on your experience of love today.
But even if you've made it into adulthood unscathed by the slings and arrows of love, energizing the heart chakra to expand your capacity to give and receive love – to and from all of life – is a healing gift to all of us. So here's a few things for you to experiment with in order to build your physical heart and super-charge your energetic one.
1. Do a few Push-ups
I know, I know, some of you are thinking, "You're not serious, are you?" Well, Push-ups aren't my favorite either, but I'm not talking about boot-camp. Just two or three push-ups done with a focus on your heart center's movement toward the earth and back again helps build your heart-felt connection with the heart of our planet. Just straighten your body from knees to head, with your weight on straightened arms – palms flat on the ground. Take in a deep breath. Exhale. And on the next inhalation, bend your elbows and lower yourself as far as it feels comfortable. You don't have to go very far. The important thing here is to keep your focus on your heart area while imagining a ray of green light coming up from the earth and into your heart chakra.
2. Hug Yourself
This let's you physically demonstrate your love and appreciation for yourself, which activates your heart chakra. You can add affirmative statements like "I love you," or "I really love and appreciate myself," or "even though I've sometimes blocked my heart, I deeply love and appreciate myself."
3
. Lift your Heart to the Heavens
I love this one and do it a few times every day.
Simply stretch your arms out wide and imagine your heart literally lifting toward the sky. Breath in deep and say to yourself or out loud: "I open my heart to the love of the Divine" (or God or whatever word has most meaning to you.) You can also do this when you feel too much ego-mind; or you can do this to surrender your heart to your higher self, your angels or guides. The most important thing is that is has meaning to you and that you allow the love to come through.
4. Breath from your Heart
I've been practicing this method of conscious breathing for almost two years now and it's noticeably deepened my awareness of what my heart chakra is up to throughout my day. Whenever I go into meditation, I roll my eyes up and back toward the back of my head. From there I imagine that energy going downward into my heart. Once I feel it there, I inhale and draw the breath from that heart space, as I visualize energy pouring from the heavens into my heart. Sometimes it's
pure white light or golden light. But with each breath, I see the light pouring in to my heart Center as I inhale, then spreading out through my entire being as I exhale.
5. The Heart Chant
I love this chant and sing it any time I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by too much thinking. It goes like this: "
I open my Heart in Sweet Surrender to the Luminous Lovelight of the One!" I just sing it over and over again until I start to let go the mind and return to loving energy of my heart.
Your Turn! What do you do to connect with your heart energy? If you've got a particular exercise, movement, mantra or chant that works for you, please leave me a comment and let me know!
Sent by Claudia Shakthy
