Posted by Live Yoga Life in Chakras, Yoga Philosophy on October 10th, 2019
Unsurprisingly, the heart Chakra is the centre of the Chakra system. It is the middle Chakra and connects the three lower Chakras – physical, emotional and power – with the three upper spiritually focused Chakras. Reflecting the flexible element of air and the empathy that come from the sense of touch, the heart Chakra transforms the words and sounds you hear into feelings. It can also be a source of healing as represented by the colour green.
The heart Chakra ultimately seeks unconditional love which exists for its own sake and cannot be possessed, lost or taken. From this place, there is no separation or negativity – only loving acceptance of all that is.
When the heart Chakra is functioning harmoniously, you will radiate a zest for life, warmth, joy and compassion. Your life will be one where you give for the joy of giving and not expect anything in return. You feel safe and comfortable with what you create and put your heart into everything you do.
From the place of acceptance, you will be explicitly aware of the game of duality / separation that is being played around you. Instead of being drawn into the game and its continual cycles of suffering, you see the truth that you are connected to all beings – sentient and non-sentient – and ultimately to the source of all things – the Divine.
When the heart Chakra is not functioning harmoniously, this could manifest in many different ways. Underlying all of these patterns will be an inability to connect with feelings of love, gratitude, and compassion.
An example is where you are always there for other people and give yourself tirelessly to their causes without feeling any connection to your heart and its needs. You will constantly expected recognition and reassurance from others, and be secretly – or not so secretly – disappointed when you don’t receive the level of recognition you feel is warranted given your ‘sacrifices’. When you do have the opportunity to be genuinely involved, you shut yourself off from the world to avoid your heart being hurt.
Another example is where your heart Chakra is completely closed. Your actions will be cold, indifferent or heartless. You will see your world as being cold and uncaring, and life will seem pointless. You will shut yourself off from the world to such an extent that to actually feel something that seems ‘real’ to you requires strong external stimulation (e.g. physical pain or emotional suffering).
Name: Anahata or Heart Chakra
Location: Between the 4th and 5th thoracic vertebrae
Purpose: Love, compassion, empathy, devotion
Colour: Green (and also pink and gold)
Sound: Yam
Element: Air
Sense: Touch
Symbol: 12-petaled lotus
Associated parts of body: Heart, upper back, lungs
Check out the rest of the Chakras here!
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Join expert teacher, Patty Kikos, in an 8-part journey exploring the Chakras through yoga. Recorded exclusively for Liveyogalife.com, these classes are an excellent practical introduction to the Chakra. Check out the complete set of classes here. |
Posted by Live Yoga Life in Chakras, New Product Release, Styles of Yoga, Updates on May 25th, 2011
Check out our latest release – Kundalini Yoga Class 2 by Kundalini yoga expert, Gail Pisani. This is the first class in a series by Gail.
The class contains three tracks – two Kundalini Yoga sessions and a guided Anahata meditation.
Track 1 is a energising Kundalini Yoga practice to clear and balance the energetic body, and runs for 30 minutes.
Track 2 is a more dynamic class Kundalini Yoga practice compared to track 1 that will cleanse and strengthen the energetic / physical body. It is recommended for yogis with more yoga experienced. This track runs for 30 minutes.
Track 3 is a guided Anahata meditation to invigorate and enlighten – allowing you a deeper connection to the meta-physical part of you. This is sometimes referred to as the Atman, the Ecstatic Divine Self residing in Anahata (the Heart Chakra). It includes Ham–Sa and So-Ham mantras. This track runs for 20 minutes.
Live Yoga Life has a wide range of MP3 yoga classes, yoga ebooks and yoga books available for you to download:
Posted by Live Yoga Life in Chakras, New Product Release, Styles of Yoga, Updates on May 24th, 2011
Check out our latest release – Kundalini Yoga Class 1 by Kundalini yoga expert, Gail Pisani. This is the first class in a series by Gail.
The class contains two tracks – a Kundalini Yoga session and a guided Ananta meditation session.
Track 1 has rejuvenation Kundalini practices for energy and strength. It starts with a delightful seated meditation followed by an energising beginner kundalini yoga sequence. Shavasana to complete your perfect practice. This track runs for 40 minutes.
Track 2 is a guided Ananta Meditation which is sitting in stillness in with focus on the endless breath, allowing you to connect with your eternal nature. The quality of your eternal nature fostered in this Ananta Meditation is Santosa, which is contentment and deep peace. This guided practice to develop Ajna (third eye) and Mooladhara (root) chakras. This track runs for 22 minutes.
Live Yoga Life has a wide range of MP3 yoga classes, yoga ebooks and yoga books available for you to download:
Posted by Live Yoga Life in Chakras, New Product Release, Styles of Yoga, Updates on March 28th, 2011
Check out this new release – the complete set of 8 Kundalini Yoga Chakra Open Level Classes.
This complete program provides you with the tools to ensure your 8 energy centres are healthy, open and active.
When an energy centre is blocked or inactive it can lead to imbalance and disease in the body. These classes can support you to regain your balance or improve an aspect of your energy that you wish to focus on.
Class 1 – The Base Chakra. This practice is for a healthy and revitalised Base Chakra (Muladhara Chakra). It is a set of exercises called the “Healthy Bowel System” – designed to work on the body’s cleansing and digestive system, relating to the organs located at the base of the spine. Energetically, it works with your sense of safety, stability and security. The colour associated with this chakra is the colour red.
Class 2 – The Sacral Chakra: This practice is for the second chakra, the Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana Chakra) – the energetic centre located around the lower abdomen. The colour associated with this chakra is orange. It is represented by the element of water. On a physical level, these set of exercises focus on the area around your spleen, bladder, kidneys, liver, and reproductive organs.
Class 3 – The Solar Plexus Chakra: This practice or kriya is for the third chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura Chakra) located right below the navel and the base of the sternum. This energetic centre relates to the digestive system, liver, gallbladder, and the pancreas. It relates to our drive and effective will. The colour associated with this chakra is yellow.
Class 4 – Heart Chakra: This open level class introduces you to the Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra). It is a practice referred to as the “Heart Connection Kriya” – a practice designed to strengthen your lungs and circulation, strengthen your arms, and work with the energy centre around the region of the heart, with the intention of supporting you to have a healthy heart chakra. The colour associated with this energy centre is green.
Class 5 – Throat Chakra: This open level class revitalises the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha Chakra). It is a practice called the “Creativity Kriya” – a routine designed to strengthen your neck muscles, enhance your communication and thyroid gland, and work with the energy centre around the throat. This chakra is associated with the element of sound, and with the colour blue.
Class 6 – Ajna Chakra (Third Eye): This open level class is for a healthy Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna Chakra). It is a practice called the “Ajna Stimulation Kriya”, and is designed to help you develop your eye-sight, your intuition, and work with clearing the energy around the third-eye point between your eyebrows. The colour associated with this energy centre is purple.
Class 7 – Sahasrara Chakra: This open level class is for a healthy Crown Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra). This is a practice called the “Foundation for Infinity Kriya”. This practice is designed to help you with calming any busy mental activity, and work with the energy centre around the crown of the head.
Class 8 – The Aura: This open level class is to promote harmonised energy in your Eighth Chakra – your Aura. This is a practice called the “Electromagnetic Field and Aura Perception Kriya” – a practise designed to help you with your presence and projection to the world, and work with the energy that surrounds your whole physical body.
Posted by Live Yoga Life in Chakras on June 17th, 2010
Have you eve wondered whether there is something more than the physical, matter world that you can touch, smell and see? In the same vein as electricity – which we cannot touch, smell or see – there is energy flowing all around us. It is from this energy that the physical body is nourished.
When it comes to energy in and around your body, there are three basic components.
This post focuses on the chakras which can be seen as as receivers, transformers and distributors of the energy (commonly referred to as prana) that flows around our energy system.
While there are numerous energy centres in the human body, there are seven “main” chakras. These chakras are as follows:
1. Muladhara (Mūlādhāra) Base or Root Chakra (last bone in spinal cord or coxis)
2. Swadhisthana (Svādhiṣṭhāna) Sacral Chakra (ovaries/prostate)
3. Manipura (Maṇipūra) Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area)
4. Anahata (Anāhata) Heart Chakra (heart area)
5. Vishuddha (Viśuddha) Throat Chakra (throat and neck area)
6. Ajna (Ājñā) Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pituary gland)
7. Sahasrara (Sahasrāra) Crown Chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
