Keeping your chakras healthy and functioning well will go a long way towards keeping you in great shape physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Here I help you assess the health of your heart chakra and suggests ways you can strengthen it.

The Heart Chakra is located at the level of the physical heart within the centre of the chest. It is the midpoint of the major chakras linking the lower, physical chakras and higher, spiritual chakras like a bridge between two realities. As such the heart chakra is the focus of emotional, physical, mental and spiritual balance, both within ourselves and our relationships with others and the outside world.

The heart chakra governs the organs of the body that have actions of expansion and contraction, including the physical heart and the lungs. The work of the arms and hands is also closely linked to the heart chakra- think of the way arms encircle a dear one or push away something unwanted.

Emotionally the heart governs our loving relationships and is particularly active in relationships where there is unconditional love, such as a parent might feel for a child. When we fall in love we are experiencing heart chakra energy. When your heart chakra is open you may actually experience the beautiful sensation of warmth here, like a physical glow, as you send and receive these lovely feelings. This can transcend distance- love can be registered at the heart even when a loved one is across the other side of the world.

When we have balanced heart chakra energy we feel self-acceptance and acceptance of others. We can also forgive others unconditionally. We can live by our own values rather than blindly following the value systems laid down by family, religion, society etc. You can check in with yourself and learn to ‘follow your heart’ becoming truly responsible for yourself and your choices.

Potential symptoms of dysfunction:
Underactive: Low self esteem and lack of self-confidence, complete lack of concern. Respiratory, circulatory and heart disorders.
Overactive: Overwhelming sense of responsibility for others, power seeking behaviours. Difficulties in establishing balanced and sustained relationships, conditional behaviour. Respiratory, circulatory and heart disorders.

Heart Chakra Workout
Looking at yourself in the mirror love unconditionally the person whom you see there. If you find this hard start with just your face and look deep into your own eyes. Stand back and look at more of yourself. Try looking unclothed and learn to love and accept the whole of you- even the wobbly bits!

Use pink or green stones. Rose quartz is a powerful heart healer and readily obtained. Cleanse it and hold it to your heart, allowing any bitterness, disappointments and hard-heartedness to flow into the stone. You can help the release of painful emotions if you place four quartz points facing outwards around the rose quartz. Cleanse the stone again. Once you feel the chakra is clear you can re-energise it by turning the points to face inwards. Do this in several sessions if you have had a lot of heartache.

I have heard of rose quartz taking on so much grief and giving so much of itself that it cracks or loses its colour. If this happens thank the rose quartz for its help and bury it in the earth.

Light a pink candle and take a sheet of paper- as pretty as you like. Write down all the qualities that you like about yourself or that people have said they like about you. Keep going until you have a good long list. Now take another piece of rose quartz and speak the reasons you love and value yourself into the stone. Take a square of pretty cloth and place the stone in the middle. Using some cord or ribbon and tie the stone in the centre so that you have a simple pouch. Wear the stone so that it falls right over your heart chakra or place it over your bed. Every time you get a compliment or think of another good quality unwrap the stone and speak into it again. The stone will build up a powerful loving energy that radiates around you.

Work with an affirmation. This example is taken from the excellent Power Thought Cards by Louise Hay:

Loving others is easy
When I love and accept myself
My heart is open and I allow my love to flow freely.
I love myself.
I love others and others love me.

If you'd like to see more affirmations I can recommend this beautiful pack. I've worked with many of the affirmation cards and had very good results, both for myself and my clients.