Five Practices To Help Activate The Heart Chakra

Energy healers tell us that love is the highest form of vibration attainable. It has the power to heal, to unify our soul, and to connect us to those whose paths entwine with ours, and surround us with a divine wholeness. But before we can bring love into our lives, we must first learn to attract love. How? By becoming love ourselves. We can do this by learning to live from our heart chakras: functioning from a place of all-encompassing love.

We must activate Anahata.

Anahata (heart chakra in Sanskrit) literally means “unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten.” Sadly, few of us can honestly say our hearts have never felt beaten down by life, illness, lovers, or that aunt who gives you backhanded compliments like how that sweater really takes the focus off your hair. In a perfect world, anahata would flow through everyone, creating a veritable stew of love and compassion. And yet, with Valentine’s day fast approaching, the accompanying deluge of ads pushing heart-shaped necklaces and red roses means love is on our minds more than ever. Well, that and the impending chocolate overdose.

But before we focus on bringing love into our lives, we must first clear and activate our heart chakra. We can do this through these five practices:

1. Set your intention to live from your heart space (anahata).
2. Recognize what is damaging your heart.
3. Release what no longer serves you.
4. Affirm your inherent worth.
5. Vibrate at your highest frequency.

The first step is simple: we must set the intention to live from our heart space. It can be as simple as saying: “I intend to live from my heart chakra.” Easy enough!

Now comes the hard part. Once we’ve set our intention, we must reflect upon what has damaged our heart, be it a toxic relationship, friendship, or experience that tarnished our unwavering trust with the world. This reflection can be painful, but it’s a necessary step to heal. Many find it helpful to reflect through writing, as it helps the brain to slow down enough to process and reveal subconscious thoughts.

Once we’ve catalogued who or what has hurt us, we have a choice to make. We can either allow these things to continue to impede our anahata, or we can choose to throw them away, figuratively and literally. Naturally, this is much easier said than done, but our heart chakras don’t care if we’re perfect. That’s why this article is called “Five Practices” and not “Five Steps.” It will be a process, and that’s okay. You will be loved whether it takes you years or minutes to let go of whatever pain you’ve been carrying around. The important thing is that you intend to do it. Close your eyes. Picture a bright, green light emanating from your heart chakra, and say: “I intend to let go of all that no longer serves me.” Allow the green hue of new life to shine out from your chest, encompassing you in a sphere of love and trust.

Now that we have released all that toxic energy, our next practice becomes committing to live from anahata. But before we can truly do this, we must slay our final dragon: ourselves. Ask yourself if you believe you are worthy of love and happiness. Many of us subliminally believe we aren’t, and this keeps us stuck in destructive cycles for years, because we subconsciously don’t believe we deserve better. We do! These are two intentions I say daily to keep my dragon at bay: “I intend to radiate love, warmth, and kindness”; and “I am worthy and deserving of love and abundance in my life.” Simply by stating these intentions daily, we can move out of our own way and truly begin operating from anahata. As a jewelry designer, I personally like to root my intentions with gemstones known to open and activate the heart chakra, like emeralds, chrysoprase, and rose quartz. Place these energetically powerful stones around your home and your workspace, and wear them as a daily reminder of the intentions you have set.

The final practice is seeing love for what it is: energy. Love is the highest frequency imaginable. Set your intention to operate from this higher plain of love. Visualize your words and actions vibrating like a bell through the night sky, fervent and pure. Intend to live at your own frequency. And when those pesky lower vibrations (see: aunt, insulting) try to enter your beautiful orb of love, you can respond with compassion, knowing that you’re on a totally different plane where they can’t touch you.

So what’s the catch to successfully living from your heart chakra? You have to commit to making it a part of your life, and be okay with not being perfect at it. (A chorus of perfectionists just gasped in horror.) Trust me, I know, it’s hard for me too! But do it anyway. Allow yourself to practice. Give yourself permission to be on a journey, day in and day out. Recognize what is damaging your heart. Release what no longer serves you. Set your intention to live from your heart space. Affirm your inherent worth. Intend to vibrate at your highest frequency. Open the door to anahata, and just wait and see how much love comes pouring in.

Kaitlyn Guay

Writer, Jewelry Designer, Chronic Warrior -- Kaitlyn Guay is a writer and jewelry designer in New York for the mindful adornments brand Elements by Kaitlyn. She specializes in creating custom jewelry using therapeutic and healing gemstones best suited for her clients’ needs. Kaitlyn also blogs for TheFemaleYoda.com, an inspirational site for warriors wishing to thrive and flourish through chronic illness. Sign up for her newsletter here!