Introduction to Anahata Chakra
anahata = heart (compassion)

“As ye sow, so also shall ye reap.”

This information has been collected from many books and Web sites, and from my own knowledge and experience from teaching Yoga for more than 35 years. It will help you to understand the meaning of Chakras and why it is important to know about them.

The Anahata—the 4th (Heart) Chakra—shows conscience and compassion when it is balanced. It's all about how you manifest love, forgive others, and your feelings. This is a powerful Chakra, obviously. Here we have arrived to the Center of the Seven. Three above, three below. Matter and spirit are united. This is a very powerful location in the body. It is directly connected to the Third Eye and the Crown Chakra.

When this Chakra is overactive, the ego will take over and there will be a lack of love in the heart of the person. People with a heart Chakra out of control will not want to go out of their way for others. Inconsiderate is a good description. But if it's underactive, the person will appear to have no sense of self. They will be almost numb. This is the person you tell to get in touch with their feelings, or else! It can be quite frustrating. There is no good will toward others. Everything is for self.

Here we enter a higher realm that hovers around love and compassion, self-confidence, inspiration and hope. But if this is blocked, all of this greatness can turn into despair, jealousy, hate, unrealistic fear, and rage. There is more to come in Part 3 (see below) about blockages and how to unblock this Chakra.

Again...this gives you an idea why you need to unblock Chakras. The more balanced the Chakras are, the more balanced you will be in all walks of life, regardless of what they do.

We have now left the Holy Trinity of the first 3 Chakras, the Garden of Eden with its fiery beauty. Here we enter the path of the soul upward into the higher regions of this magical system as we face the 4th Chakra, the Heart. We have now come into the first fire of the second chamber. It is here where we pass through the 4th initiation and the battle is almost won!

 

ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION OF CHAKRA LOCATION

The thoracic area of the body, including the heart, cardiac plexus, chest, heart center, and thymus gland. The celiac plexus (solar plexus) is also found here with this Chakra, as is the sympathetic ganglion. In fact, for me the solar plexus belongs to this Chakra, and the navel belongs to the Lumbar 3rd Chakra. They are often confused.

The cardiac plexus is the plexus around the base of the heart, chiefly in the epicardium, formed by cardiac branches from the vagus nerves (which slows the heart down) and the sympathetic trunks (which increases the speed of the heart), and ganglia. The heart is the strongest organ in your body. It is the propulsive pump of the blood about the size of a grapefruit. The better you feel, the stronger your heart will be. The bottom line is circulation. How does everything flow in your body? If your circulation is off, your Heart Chakra is not flowing with ease.

Sri Ramana Maharshi calls this the “mystic center, the Hridian center or seat of God, the center of the Universe, the circle with a circumference everywhere and a center nowhere.”

The Heart Chakra also rules the lungs and lymphatic system. If we have a physical problem in any of these areas, concentrate on this Chakra. Practice the meditations given in this series. They can't hurt you, and they might even help you.

Next to the brain, the heart is the only place where intelligence can be found. The heart has a set of nerves, which are able to function along the lines of thought, or understanding, or intelligence. These are not found anywhere else but in the brain cells. When ones reads the ancient texts on Yoga, the authors often refer to the gray matter (brain) in the center of the body. This is probably what they were referring to, although they said it was in the solar plexus.

Others say it is the center of the 72,000 nadis in the heart center.

Sri Aurobindo taught that “all of these centers are in the middle of the body; they are supposed to be attached to the spinal cord, but in fact all of these things are in the subtle body—suksma deha—though one has the feeling of their activities as if in the physical body when the consciousness is awake.”

 

OTHER ANATOMICAL AREAS AFFECTED

Think of the entire thoracic region of the body, which affects a large part of your body. The chest-breast, gallbladder, liver, diaphragm, skin, lungs, circulatory system, blood, rib cage, esophagus, shoulders, arms, hands, immune system, lymph glands, appendix—are all affected. There are several chambers to this Chakra that extend up beyond the chest above the main heart Chakra, and as they develop, they open. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is the navel center (just above the Lower Dantien) that constitutes the fire center. According to Yukteswar, it is the thoracic region.

To get a visual of where this area is, think about where the heart is. It is just to the left of the center of the chest. If you put your finger on the center of your breastbone, this is a good spot to visualize in your mind's eye. But then think about when you are pointing to yourself—where do you point? Just to the right of the center of your chest. Almost everyone does this without thinking. According to Maharshi, this is the point.

Maharshi's answer to what part of the body is the abode of the Self? goes like this: “The heart on the right side of the chest is generally indicated. This is because we usually point to the right side of the chest when we refer to ourselves. Some say that the Sahasrara (the thousand-petalled lotus) is the abode of the Self. But if that were true the head should not fall forward when we go to sleep or faint.” What is the nature of the heart? He responds: “The sacred texts describing it say: Between the two nipples, below the chest and above the abdomen, there are 6 organs of different colors (these are not the same as the Chakras). One of them resembling the bud of a water lily is situated two digits to the right of the heart. It is inverted and within it is a tiny orifice which is the seat of dense darkness (ignorance) full of desires. All the psychic nerves (nadis) depend upon it. It is the abode of the vital forces, the mind and the light (of consciousness).”

 

The Heart Chakra has to do with Love, equilibrium, joy. It is related to the thymus and is located in the chest. This organ is part of the immune and endocrine systems. It processes lymphocytes responsible for cell-mediated immunity (which fights off disease), which means that constant stress is quite damaging.