in this post, we will be looking at the heart chakra, located at the center of your chest.

the 7-chakra system works both upward & downward. the upper chakras build on the lower chakras & send energy back down. the fourth stop along the spine, after the solar plexus chakra, is the heart chakra. balancing your fourth chakra is essential for balance in all other chakras.

heart means love, compassion, forgiveness, transformation, & openness.

with your needs (first chakra) & desires (second chakra) balanced and your sense of self in the world (third chakra) established, your focus can now shift to the way that you relate to the world around you. the heart chakra asks you to cultivate your ability to transcend your own ego through empathy and true connection with others. your openness to love & beauty, and your ability to move gracefully from grief to peace are the goals of this warm chakra. there are many ways to gauge the balance of your heart chakra..

some signs of heart chakra imbalance include:

feeling protective & emotionally shut down
fearing intimacy with self and/or others
isolation & avoidance
codependency or lack of healthy boundaries
inability to trust oneself or others
holding on to negative emotions, like grief or grudges

the foundation of kindness, generosity, respect & love inherent to the fourth chakra begin with the way that you treat & talk to yourself. so naturally, balancing your fourth chakra means upping your self-love to open your heart to the world.

how do you open & radiate from the heart chakra?

make time for self-care. whether you’d like to cook a healthy meal at home every weeknight, do a clay face mask once a week, or take a break from work each day for a refreshing walk, there are so many ways to add self-care to your routine. find what feels best to you!
notice beauty. there is beauty all around us all the time. begin to actively notice it, whether in nature, animals, other people, or in art & design. if you shift your focus to beauty rather than worries & negativity, you will begin to resonate with the joyful compassion of the heart chakra.
create moments for gratitude. even when everything isn’t going your way, there is so much to be grateful for. just like noticing beauty, you can notice all of the things, big and small, that you are thankful for in your life. reflect on these things in quiet moments, to a friend or loved one, or through journaling.
practice letting go & moving on. the true transformative power of the heart chakra lies in the ability to let negative emotions & experiences transform into peace, healing, & compassion. how do you do this? through acceptance & forgiveness. storing bitterness, grudges, & negative emotions acts like a continuation of the original wound. if you open yourself to experiencing the emotion & tending to it so that you can grieve properly, you will be able to heal, transform, & create space for new love & positive relationships.
cultivate the ability to both give & receive. real love is about mutuality, with giving & receiving on both ends. notice if you tend to do more of one than the other, and make adjustments toward balance between the two in all of your relationships. if someone is unwilling to work toward balance, you might need to reevaluate the relationship.
become your own best friend. healthy relationships with others begin with a healthy relationship with yourself. so go on and love yourself! get to know you, listen to your thoughts & feelings, and hang out alone doing things you love to do to nurture this important relationship. that way you will know how best to love & care for others, too. you will also know when someone is crossing a boundary they shouldn’t cross with you, just like you would know if someone wasn’t treating your best friend respectfully.
listen to your heart. do things that make you happy, that inspire you, and that you’ve always dreamed of doing. if you follow your heart in all things that you do, your joy and beauty will be contagious!
wear green & pink. green & pink are the colors of the heart chakra. wear them in jewelry or clothing, and add them to your environment to expand the resonance of your fourth chakra.