Chakras are just a way to describe energy centers in our bodies. We use different sources of energy in order to be and manifest in the world. There are several different ways of thinking around chakras, so I am writing from my own experiences and awareness, not from a specific school of thought.

By paying attention to energy fields, you are sending an intention to yourself and your energy to rise to a conscious level of manifestation. You can then use that awareness and intention to refine your energy fields and become a more conscious creator.

Pay attention to your heart chakra and see what you can manifest just by paying more attention to it. This is the chakra that is in the chest area somewhere around the heart and spins clockwise in a green color. This is where you store information about your affinity for things, being loved, lovable and loving.  

THE ISSUES

When the heart chakra is blocked, you have difficulty connecting with others. You may feel unloved and find the world hard to be in. The heart chakra can become blocked by a single deep wound or it can develop over time. The heart chakra can also be blocked if you are feeling bad about your body in any way, including feeling as if it isn’t working properly.

Some things that can block the heart chakra:

• Ended relationships

• Layoffs or job-related rejections

• Lack of perceived support from others

• An environment that values mental ability over relationships and likability

There are many indicators of an overactive or underactive heart chakra. Primarily, you are looking for either feeling rejected or overly needy for love and attention.

THE EMOTIONS

A blocked heart chakra can look like any other blocked chakra. It has a range of emotional symptoms. The primary one is feeling unloved, alone, and unworthy. The tricky thing here is we all have a touch of insecurity running through our system and that isn’t always a sign of a blocked heart chakra.

A heart chakra block often manifests as a wall to love. When you are offered love, you reject it or hold it away from your energy field because you don’t trust taking it in or think you will have to repay the love somehow.

Often times, you want to work with both the root chakra and heart chakra to create safety to receive and give love. It is also common to manifest a third chakra (solar plexus) imbalance. Meaning, either you are completely yourself, but not receiving love (blocked heart, open solar plexus) or not being yourself, but receiving love (blocked solar plexus, open heart).

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

The physical symptoms of a heart chakra imbalance are easy to notice. Often times, the person’s shoulders are slumped to protect the heart or their arms are crossed when they talk.  

Imbalance symptoms can include:

• Tightness in the chest

• Difficulty Breathing

• Shoulder pain

• Heart illnesses

• Excess tension in the trapezius muscles

When your body is talking to you about an imbalance through pain or discomfort, lovingly give it attention. We often try and shame and force bodies back into functioning properly. Instead, you can love it and ask what it needs.

THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES

People can plug into our chakras and draw energy from us. They can do it to us while in our presence or not.

Often, others will draw energy from the heart chakra when they want approval from you. They also might want you to be put down so that they feel better about themselves.  

You might have someone in your life who is very needy or an “endless pit” for attention and affirmation. These people would be better off pulling this energy from within, so if you are overcompensating for that person, you are not helping them. Pull your energy back and protect your boundaries by affirming that you have love for them and reminding them to look within themselves for that love as well.

People who want your approval for any reason can hijack your heart chakra. Notice when you are allowing it to happen and balance out your heart chakra to clean up the relationship.

THE BALANCING ACT

So how do you balance all this out? Meditation is always a great way to tune into your energy systems.

But if you are not a big meditator, here are some other ideas:

• Write a gratitude journal to yourself.

• Put loving sticky notes on your mirror.

• Connect with warm-hearted people who you feel safe with.

• List out all the things you have done well in your past.

Affirmations for the heart chakra:

• "I am loved.”

• “I love the world I have created for myself.”

• “I am loving.”

• “Kindness comes through me and to me.”

• “I am perfect just the way I am.”

If you find any resistance to those affirmations above, that is also a good indication that your heart chakra is blocked. Dig in and find out why you are resistant and what you are telling yourself instead. 

Happy Balancing.