The heart chakra, or Anahata, is the fourth energy center in the body’s chakra system. It governs love, compassion, and inner peace. Balanced Anahata energy helps you connect authentically, with yourself, others, and the cosmos.
What Is the Heart Chakra (Anahata)?
In Sanskrit, Anahata means “unstruck” or “unhurt”, referring to a mystical sound that’s said to arise without contact. This sacred sound, anahata nada, is believed to dwell in the heart center, connecting us to the universal vibration of love and presence.
Located at the center of the chest, Anahata is associated with the color green (and sometimes pink), the element of air, and our sense of touch. It bridges the earthly lower chakras and the spiritual upper chakras, making it a key gateway between body and soul.
What the Heart Chakra Governs
Physical Connection
Anahata influences:
- The heart and circulatory system
- Lungs and respiratory function
- Immune support via the thymus gland
- Shoulders, upper back, rib cage, and hands
A healthy heart chakra promotes physical vitality and an open, expansive breath.
Emotional & Mental Influence
Energetically, this chakra regulates love, empathy, forgiveness, and emotional safety. A balanced heart chakra encourages:
- Self-acceptance
- Compassion for others
- Gratitude and generosity
- Harmonious relationships
In Vedic tradition, Anahata houses 12 divine qualities, or vrittis, including peace, clarity, unity, and kindness.
The Heart Chakra in Spiritual Growth
Anahata acts as a cosmic bridge connecting the tangible with the mystical. It links personal identity with universal awareness. Its connection to Hridaya (the spiritual heart) underscores its deeper role as the seat of divine love and higher consciousness.
Symbol & Sacred Geometry of Anahata
The heart chakra’s symbol is a 12-petal green lotus. At its center is a six-pointed star formed by overlapping triangles, representing the union of the masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti), earth and spirit. This geometric mandala reflects inner harmony and divine balance.
Signs Your Heart Chakra Is in Balance
When open and aligned, you may experience:
- Inner peace and emotional maturity
- Deep self-love and acceptance
- Strong, healthy relationships
- Ease in giving and receiving love
Signs of a Blocked Heart Chakra
Physical Symptoms
- Poor circulation or high blood pressure
- Respiratory issues (e.g., asthma, bronchitis)
- Shoulder or upper back pain
- Weakened immunity
Emotional Imbalances
- Grief or unresolved sadness
- Fear of intimacy or vulnerability
- Jealousy, codependency, or isolation
Blocked Anahata energy disrupts the flow of prana (life force), affecting both body and soul.
How to Heal and Open the Heart Chakra
1. Mantra Healing
- Bija Mantra: Yam (rhymes with “mom”) aligns your frequency with Anahata.
- Tibetan Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum evokes compassion and divine love.
- Healing Mantra: Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung channels universal healing.
Tip: Chant aloud or silently while visualizing green light in your chest.
2. Heart-Centered Affirmations
Daily affirmations help rewire emotional patterns:
- “My heart is open and free.”
- “I radiate love and compassion.”
- “I forgive myself and others completely.”
Repeat with intention during meditation or journaling.
3. Crystals for the Heart Chakra
Green and pink stones align with Anahata’s frequency:
- Rose Quartz – unconditional love
- Emerald – emotional healing
- Malachite – transformation
- Jade – inner peace
Wear as jewelry, place on your chest, or hold during meditation.
4. Essential Oils for Anahata
Heart-healing oils soothe and nourish:
- Rose (pure love)
- Lavender (calm)
- Ylang Ylang (joy)
- Sandalwood (spiritual connection)
Apply to your sternum or diffuse during breathwork.
5. Meditation Techniques
Visualization: Envision emerald light glowing at your heart center, expanding with each breath.
Loving-Kindness (Metta): Send thoughts of compassion to yourself, loved ones, and the world.
Bonus: Pair with soft music tuned to 639 Hz, the solfeggio frequency for Anahata.
6. Mudras to Activate Anahata
- Anjali Mudra: Prayer position at the chest
- Padma Mudra: Lotus hands for emotional openness
- Hridaya Mudra: Deepens heart connection and calms anxiety
Practice during meditation to direct energy inward.
7. Yoga Poses to Open and Balance the Heart Chakra
Yoga is one of the most powerful ways to physically and energetically activate the Anahata chakra. Because the heart chakra governs the chest, lungs, shoulders, and upper back, postures that open the front body and deepen the breath are especially effective.
In Morocco, physical movement and prayer often merge, whether through the gentle flow of Salat (Islamic prayer) or the healing rituals of Sufi whirling. Similarly, these yoga postures aren’t just stretches, they’re moving invocations that align body, breath, and spirit.
Here are five transformative heart-opening poses:
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
This deep backbend stretches the front of the body and directly activates the heart space. As you lift your chest and drop your head back, you expose your emotional center, inviting vulnerability, courage, and release. Use your breath to expand the rib cage and visualize a green light radiating from your sternum.
Spiritual Benefit: Encourages surrender and trust, softening the armor we place around the heart.
Melting Heart Pose (Anahatasana)
Also called Heart Melting Pose, this gentle posture combines the grounding of child’s pose with a deep chest opening. From hands and knees, stretch your arms forward and let your heart “melt” toward the earth, hips staying high.
Why It Works: It’s named after the heart chakra for a reason, it invites emotional openness, reduces anxiety, and expands lung capacity.
Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
A beginner-friendly backbend that gently strengthens the spine while uplifting the chest. Lying on your belly, rise up onto your forearms and draw your shoulders back, lifting through the heart.
Energetic Effect: Connects you with resilience and quiet strength, qualities essential to healthy emotional expression.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Though seated, this pose opens both the shoulders and hips. The arms (especially when clasped behind the back) stretch the chest, while the seated base grounds your energy. It balances heart energy with root support.
Hidden Wisdom: Symbolizes unity between emotional vulnerability and stability.
Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
A graceful, flowing backbend from standing. As you reach back with your arm, chest lifted to the sky, you tap into fierce compassion and openhearted courage.
Intention: Embody the peaceful warrior strong in love, not in force.
Tip: During each pose, breathe mindfully into your chest. Feel the breath expand your ribcage like wings of light. Allow tension and old grief to dissolve on the exhale.
8. Breathwork & Sound Healing for Anahata
The heart chakra, linked to the element of air, is especially responsive to practices involving breath and vibration. Here’s how you can use breath and sound to restore balance:
Pranayama (Yogic Breath Control)
Pranayama techniques like Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) and Ujjayi (victorious breath) regulate emotional energy and calm the nervous system. Deep, rhythmic breathing sends oxygen-rich blood to the heart and releases emotional tension held in the chest.
Why It Works: Air is Anahata’s element, conscious breathing harmonizes energy flow and fosters emotional clarity.
Holotropic Breathwork
A more intense technique involving rapid, controlled breathing, often guided in therapeutic settings. It helps release deep-seated trauma and unlock stored emotion in the heart center.
Note: Ideal when practiced with a facilitator; it accesses altered states and emotional catharsis.
Sound Healing (Frequency & Mantra)
- Singing bowls tuned to the note F resonate with the heart chakra’s frequency.
- Solfeggio Frequency 639 Hz promotes emotional healing and harmonious relationships.
- Mantra chanting, such as Yam (the bija seed sound for Anahata), or the Tibetan Om Mani Padme Hum, vibrationally massages the heart space from within.
Try This: Lie down, place a green crystal on your chest, and play 639 Hz audio. Breathe in harmony with the sound.
9. Food that Nourishes the Heart Chakra
Just as energy work supports the heart chakra, your diet plays a crucial role in chakra healing. Since Anahata is associated with the color green, vibrant green foods resonate with this energy center and help cleanse and sustain it.
Moroccan cuisine isn’t just flavorful, it’s a living tradition of herbal medicine, often aimed at harmonizing the body and spirit. Many green foods and herbs traditionally used in Moroccan dishes directly support heart health and emotional balance.
Leafy Greens
Greens like chard (selq), turnip tops, and wild mustard leaves are common in Moroccan cooking, especially in soups (harira) and tagines. They’re believed to “cool the liver,” a term linked in traditional medicine to easing anger and emotional heat.
Green Fruits
- Avocado: Introduced in recent decades, now often blended into smoothies with orange blossom water to ease anxiety.
- Kiwi and green apples: Used with cinnamon and honey in home tonics for emotional and immune resilience.
Sacred Herbs
- Mint (na’na): Brewed into Moroccan tea, mint refreshes the body and calms the nerves. It’s a symbol of hospitality and heart-centered generosity.
- Parsley and coriander: Used to cleanse and “lighten” the blood in both folklore and cooking.
- Basil (al-rayhan): Mentioned in the Qur’an, traditionally grown near graves or thresholds, believed to guard the heart against sorrow.
Cacao/carob and Ceremonial Drinks
Though cacao is not native to Morocco, carob (kharroub) is. Carob pods are roasted and used in drinks or desserts with rosewater and cinnamon, offering a heart-centered, grounding sweetness. Today, raw cacao rituals are gaining popularity in spiritual circles across Marrakech and Essaouira.
Raw Cacao
Cacao is often called “the food of the gods” and is sacred in many spiritual traditions. It contains theobromine, which increases blood flow to the heart and supports the release of feel-good hormones.
Spiritual Tip: Infuse your cacao or mint tea with a prayer or affirmation like “My heart is open to divine love.”
Bonus Insight: Eating with presence, gratitude, and joy amplifies the spiritual effect of heart-supportive foods. Infuse your meals with loving awareness and kindness toward your body.