Discover what the Heart Chakra is associated with, learn to identify if it could be out of balance, and integrate tips and tricks in your self-care routine to work on that centre.
A chakra is an energy centre in the body, associated with different principles. You can use your knowledge of the chakra system for your self-awareness and self-development. These centres can be correlated to specific types of life experiences, lived emotions, and life patterns. You can use different tools, such as gemstone talismans or essential oils, to work on energy centres that you want to support or bring more awareness to in your life.
See also: How to Use Chakras for Self-Development
Table of Contents
- 1 Heart Chakra Associations: Love, Peace & Harmony
- 2 Heart Chakra Themes
- 3 Why you would want to work on your Heart Chakra
- 4 Signs your Heart Chakra is out of balance
- 5 How to Balance your Heart Chakra
- 6 Heart Chakra Talismans
- 7 Heart Chakra Gemstones
- 8 Heart Chakra Gemstone Bracelets
- 9 Heart Chakra Essential Oils
Heart Chakra Associations: Love, Peace & Harmony
The Heart Chakra, located in the middle of your chest, is traditionally called Anahata, and is about harmony. The Heart Chakra deals with life lessons related to love, forgiveness and compassion.
The Heart Chakra is the centre of the human energetic system. It’s principle is that of all-encompassing, unconditional love. It feeds our spiritual existence and infuses life with meaning. The joys of the heart are the greatest, and are incomparable to those provided by physical or mental pleasures, power or money. It begins with self-love, expands into the joy of the experience of life, and evolves into the profound feeling of unity with all beings. It brings a profound message of union with life that transcends time and space, and invites divine grace in feeling, thought and action.
Heart Chakra Themes
- Love
- Peace
- Unity
- Joy
- Solidarity
- Understanding
- Purity
Why you would want to work on your Heart Chakra
You could be interested in working on your Heart Chakra to align your frequency to notions of pure, unconditional love in a generous and open manner. This is the type of energy that completely transforms your outlook on life. It starts within oneself with self-love, and expands to those around us. This energy transcends difference, transcends duality, and is thus a powerful catalyst to the idea of unity, cohesion and support. You may want to work on this centre to calibrate to higher levels of self-love, find true love, build up your emotional openness and receptivity, and calibrate to new levels of plenitude in all spheres of your life.
An emotion associated with an unbalanced Heart Chakra is grief and sorrow.
Signs your Heart Chakra is out of balance
Here are examples showcasing how your Heart Chakra could be out of balance. It may be over-active or under-active, which leads to different expressions of energy in your life.
When your Heart Chakra is out of balance, your desire for love can anchor itself in a very dualistic perspective. When it is over-active, you are burdened by feelings of lack, want, need, dissatisfaction and a need to ‘appropriate’ yourself what your heart desires. You are affected by extreme emotions and lack discernment and inner stability. In this state, your love can even be disruptive instead of being constructive. You may feel a profound sense of separation, fear and pain.
When your Heart Chakra is under-active, you are disconnected from the idea of love and use calculating and manipulative tactics to get what you want. Your approach to love is very strategic, and I am sorry to say, it is quite far from notions of true, unconditional love. This may be due to feeling the need to protect yourself from harm, which leads you to try to control others, and shield your heart from potential pain. Power and control have no place where genuine love grows.
In both cases of over-active and under-active Heart Chakra, there is a profound need to nurture oneself, and connect to the abundance of our love, starting with ourselves. It is important to anchor the notions that love is safe, and love is present. You may want to consider if an other energy centre is involved in the lack of balance of your Heart Chakra. For example, if your Solar Plexus Chakra is blocked, and you are disconnected from your authentic self, it will be difficult to experience real love.
How to Balance your Heart Chakra
Balancing this energy centre involves integrating soothing practices that connect you to the emotion of love.
Self-care practices can take many forms:
- Adopt journaling practices (gratitude, introspection on your connection to yourself and others)
- Learn the Oponopono forgiveness and release practice, or Heart centre meditations
- Do acts of kindness or surprises to loved ones or strangers.
- Enjoy a romantic comedy movie, time in nature or a good chat with a friend
- Use essential oils to stimulate your senses and anchor in your intentions
See also: About Aromatherapy
Heart Chakra Talismans
Different gemstones are associated with this energy centre, and are attributed different properties that relate to its principles. Heart Chakra gemstones are associated with ideas of love, unity, abundance, emotional tranquility and peace.
You may keep your gemstones in specific places of your choice. Some enjoy keeping them in their room, displayed in a pretty bowl. Others like keeping specific gems in their workplace, such as on their desk, to be reminded of their associations. You can also create a little ritual altar for yourself, in a space where you can focus on meditative practices and prayer.
See also: What is a Talisman?
Heart Chakra Gemstones
Here is a list of gemstones that can be used as talismans to connect you to the energies and concepts of the Heart Chakra. Click on their names to learn more about their individual properties. Another fun trick is to browse the pocket stone category, and see what you are intuitively drawn to.
- Rose Quartz
- Prasiolite
- Lepidolite
- Chrysoprase
- Rainforest Jasper
- Green Jade
Heart Chakra Gemstone Bracelets
A gemstone bracelet is a great way to keep in mind your specific intentions. The gemstone bracelet works just like a talisman, meaning it connects you with precise energies and concepts you want to align yourself with in your life. It can be seen just like a good luck charm, which keeps specific concepts of love, peacefulness and emotional peace at the forefront of your participation with the world.
- Botswana Agate – Emotion Management
- Green Aventurine – Positivity & Opportunity
- Green Jasper – Nurturance & Self-Understanding
- Kambaba Jasper – Heart-Centered Tranquility
- Leopardskin Jasper – Emotional Wholeness
- Lepidolite – Inner Balance & Evolution
- Moss-Agate – Heart-Centeredness
- Rhodonite – Love & Emotional Balance
- Rose Quartz – Love & Emotional Harmony
- Pink & Green Tourmaline – Joy & Higher Self
- Pink Opal – Spiritual Openness & Awakening
- Rainforest Jasper – Purpose & Faith
- Unakite Jasper – Strength of Heart
Heart Chakra Essential Oils
Essential oils are amazing tools for energy work, as they have a very quick effect on the body. Your sense of smell is directly connected to the brain, and can trigger a physical reaction in as little as 20 seconds. Depending on the essential oils used, the reaction can be soothing, relaxing, grounding, energizing, uplifting or focus-enhancing.
If you are interested in learning more about how essential oils work on the body, you can download my free introduction to essential oils MP3 course here. In it, I delve into what essential oils are, how and why they are so effective on the body. After understanding this, you will be better placed to delve into how essential oils work on the emotional system and can be used for energy work.
Essential oils can support anchoring in specific intentions. You can integrate the use of specific oils or specific blends in your self-care practiced. For example, you may use them symbiotically with practices such as meditation, breath work, yoga or stretching. As you soothe your mind and body into a relaxed state, you will link specific scents to the experience, and will be able to use the oils as an energetic “pick me up” throughout the day, whenever you need it. This is a fun and playful way of connecting with the intentions and mindset you are anchoring into your lived experience.
The following blends were specifically designed with themes of the Heart Chakra in mind. Click on their respective links to learn more about the properties of the gemstones and essential oils they contain.
Open Heart (Moss Agate) Essential Oil Blend
Pingback: Crystals like Rose Quartz: Top 22 Love Gemstones - Minera Emporium Crystal Shop & Wellness Rituals