The Heart Chakra is the centre of love in our life. It relates to our perception and interpretation of love – for people, the natural world and our planet itself. The energy that flows through the heart chakra connects us to the individuals we love the most and to the whole world around us.

The origin of chakra is the Sanskrit word for ‘wheel’, which describes the shape and movement of the seven chakras in the body. The chakras are the invisible hubs through which energy flows. We receive energy, often referred to as ‘chi’, from the Universe; this energy flows through our body, and also flows outwards into our aura and beyond, connecting us to other people and our environment.

The heart chakra is located in the centre of the chest, beside the heart itself. The first three chakras of the body (base, sacral and solar plexus) relate to the physical world – our physical, mental and emotional state – while the heart chakra is seen as the doorway between our physical self and spiritual self, and our connection to the world of the spirit.

Knowledge of chakras and chi has been used for centuries by healers. A chakra is the place where the body’s meridians, or lines of flowing energy, intersect. When our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves are in balance, the energy flows freely, giving us good health, a glowing aura and a strong connection to the world outside ourselves. But when there is an imbalance, blockages occur in the energy flow, which affects our wellbeing in every aspect of life state.

A healer who is working with energy flow will aim to bring us back into balance by removing blockages in the meridian lines so that energy can once again flow freely through all seven chakras. An acupuncturist, for example, uses needles placed at certain points along the meridians to release a blockage, and a reiki practitioner focuses chi – channelled from the Universe through the practitioner’s hands – over the chakras to re-energise them and unblock energy flow.

Love is a powerful healing force, and so using the energy of the heart chakra is a simple method of self-healing that we can all use at any time we feel in any way out of balance.

The way of self-healing that I like to use for myself, and which is very easy to do, is colour visualisation. Each chakra is traditionally associated with a colour, and for the heart chakra this is a beautiful shade of bright green. If you are particularly in tune with nature you could think of this as the green of a meadow in springtime. Or if, like me, you are drawn to the use of crystals and gemstones for healing, you can visualise a lovely emerald shade.

Sit or lie down in a comfortable place, without distractions. Breathe steadily and relax your muscles as much as you can. Once you feel fairly relaxed, start to breathe more deeply into your abdomen, and with each inward breath imagine that energy is flowing to your heart chakra and becoming suffused with the bright green colour that is created there. See the energy as a sphere, shimmering and glowing with the beautiful emerald or grass green shade.

Now, as you exhale, visualise the green heart energy flowing through all parts of your body. There is no need to think about meridians or anything at all complicated; just see the energy filling your whole being.

When you have achieved this, use a few more breaths to visualise the energy flowing out from your body into the aura, and then out from your aura and into the air around you

You have now suffused your whole self, body and spirit, with healing love energy, and you have sent out healing into your wider environment.

This healing visualisation is such a simple, but very effective, way to use the power of the heart chakra for balance and wellbeing.