I just love that I didn't have an agenda or plan for teaching you about the chakras, but they are matching up beautifully with the world around us! On that note, I am sending you lots of love and gratitude for allowing me to help you on your journey to becoming pain-free and learning from our experiences together. Wether you appreciate or severely dislike this so-called "Hallmark Holiday", expressing love for the people that give it to you on a daily basis is great in my book! Now let's bring our fire from #3 and delve into #4, the heart chakra! If you have needed more time on any of the earlier chakras, trust that you are where you need to be and know that they are on my website for your reference whenever you need them!
Chakra 4: Loving
The fourth chakra is at the center of this system, and the heart of our being. The seed sound is YAM and the color is green. The element of the heart is air and therefore this chakra is ruled by the breath. It is located in the center of the chest and rules over the lungs, heart, pericardium, upper back, and ribs, inner arms, and hands. The thymus gland sits behind the sternum and is an integral part of the immune response in fighting disease. The heart's task is to find balance in relationship in all aspects: mind and body, self and other, light and shadow, masculine and feminine, inner and outer realms. Physical imbalances include frequent bronchitis or lung infection, hypertension, heart disease, circulatory problems, difficulty breathing, aching in chest or upper back, and a weak immune system.
Journal Questions:
Is your natural breath deep or shallow?
Is your inhale more pronounced than the exhale or vice versa? If so, see where you can even it out.
What can you do for your body that expresses your appreciation?
List the conditions that you put on yourself in order to receive love.
What kind of conditions do your require of another before you're willing to share your heart?
Make a list of your most significant relationships and the conditions you have placed on them.
What can you do to move beyond these conditions?
How can you take care of yourself if you let those conditions go?
How often do you remember to express your appreciation for the people around you?
Is there someone in your life that you hold judgment, resentment, hatred, or lack of forgiveness?
What did you learn from the experience this person may have caused?
Excessive Characteristics:
Codependency
(Focusing too much on others)
Poor boundaries
Jealousy
Being a martyr
Being a pleaser
Deficient Characteristics:
Antisocial, withdrawn
Critical, intolerant
Lonely, isolated
Lack of empathy
Fear of intimacy
Balanced Characteristics:
Caring
Compassionate
Empathetic
Self-loving
Peaceful
Centered
Content
Exercises: Focus on opening the chest, stimulating the meridians in the arms, and expanding and deepening the breath. Increasing your breathing capacity expands the spaciousness in your heart chakra and clarifies your mind.
Standing Yoga Mudra:
1. Place your feet hips width apart and parallel, pressing them into the ground.
2. Reach behind your lower back, clasping your fingers together.
3. Straighten your elbows without hyperextending, opening the shoulders.
4. Take a deep breath in and, on the exhalation, bend forward at the waist, lifting your arms behind you with soft knees.
5. Stay here for 8-10 deep belly breaths.
Fish Pose:
1. Begin by lying flat on your back with your legs long.
2. Place your hands just under your hips, palms down with thumbs and index finger touching.
3. Pressing down against the elbows, lift your chest upward, arching your neck back and touching your head (if possible) to the floor.
4. Press your tailbone down, and lengthen your hips toward your feet.
5. Breathe deeply and hold 8-10 breaths or longer if you like.
6. To come out, bring your chin to your chest and tuck your pelvis. Remove your hands and slowly return to starting position.
Breath of Fire: raises energy up the spine, generates heat, & stimulates consciousness.
1. Sit comfortable with your spine straight and palms over solar plexus.
2. Take a deep belly breath and then snap your belly inward, pushing the air out through your nose.
3. Relax your belly and feel the air enter your lungs on its own.
4. Snap it inward again, relax again, and repeat.
5. You can begin slowly, but gradually work up to a faster rhythmic breath. Begin with 3-4 rounds of 30 snaps with a rest in between for a natural deep breath, working up to longer rounds if you feel able.
Alternate Nostril Breathing: This is a slow, methodical breath that works on the central nervous system and leads to increased relaxation, deeper sleep and profound changes in your consciousness.
1. Close off your right nostril with your right hand and breathe deeply through your left nostril.
2. When your lungs are full, close off your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril.
3. When your lungs are empty, inhale through your right nostril.
4. Continue to alternate back and forth as your continue breathing for 10-20 complete cycles.