Heart Chakra

Origin

Anahata is the fourth chakra in the seven-centre system of the Shat-Chakra-Nirupana (1577). The name anahata means "unstruck"—a reference to the subtle inner sound said to be heard at the heart centre, a sound that is not produced by any striking together of objects but arises spontaneously from the substrate of being. The classical iconography depicts a twelve-petalled lotus, traditionally smoky green or deep red, with the syllables kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam, tham on the petals. At its centre lies a six-pointed star formed by two interlocking triangles, symbol of the air element and of the union of opposites.

The presiding deity is Isha (a form of Shiva) with the goddess Kakini. The vehicle is a black antelope, swift and sensitive. Within the central star is a second, smaller lotus—the hridaya-puṇḍarīka or "heart lotus"—containing the divine self. The green colour standard is a Western convention; classical sources also describe smoky red and deep blue-grey. The seed mantra YAM is the bija syllable of the air element. The modern association with universal love and compassion is consistent with classical Indian sources but was systematised in the West through Theosophy and the twentieth-century New Age, drawing on parallels with the Christian-mystical tradition of the Sacred Heart.

Themes and dynamics

Anahata is the centre of the chakra system in both number and significance. The three lower chakras orient you to physical, emotional, and personal existence; the three upper chakras orient you to transpersonal awareness. The heart is the bridge that integrates them. Until you can love, the upper chakras tend to produce abstraction without warmth; until you have ascended through the lower three, love at the heart tends to lapse into sentimentality or codependence. When balanced, Anahata produces unconditional love, deep empathy, forgiveness, healthy intimacy, joy, and a sense of connection to all beings. When deficient, withdrawal, loneliness, bitterness, and emotional armouring appear. When excessive, codependence, lack of boundaries, martyrdom, and emotional overwhelm dominate.

The classical tantric tradition treats the heart as the seat of the jivatman, the individual soul, and as the meeting place of the upward-flowing kundalini and the downward-flowing grace. Many tantric meditation systems concentrate at the heart rather than the crown, on the principle that the highest realisation is found not above but within, in the cave of the heart. The Hindu tradition of bhakti (devotion) makes the heart the principal organ of spiritual life, and the Sufi tradition similarly locates spiritual perception in the qalb, the heart. The Christian-mystical Sacred Heart and the Tibetan Buddhist bodhicitta ("awakened heart-mind") are the same principle in different languages.

In practice

Practical work with Anahata begins with the body. Chest-opening yoga poses—Ustrasana (camel), Bhujangasana (cobra), Setu Bandha (bridge), Matsyasana (fish), backbends generally—physically open the heart centre. Pranayama practices that work with the breath in the upper chest, such as Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril) and slow deep diaphragmatic breathing, refine the air element. Time in nature, especially in mountain air or by trees, nourishes the chakra directly.

The classical meditative practice is metta bhavana, the Buddhist cultivation of loving-kindness, which systematically extends warmth from oneself to beloved, neutral, and difficult persons, and finally to all beings. The Christian Jesus Prayer, the Sufi dhikr, and the Hindu japa with a heart-centred mantra all serve the same function. The mantra YAM, chanted with attention to the centre of the chest, is the classical bija. If the heart is guarded by grief, therapeutic work that allows the safe expression of sorrow is often the necessary preparation. Combine heart work with Venus in astrology, with the Lovers and Strength cards in tarot, and with the Kabbalistic sephira Tiphareth.

Symbolic depth

The heart is perhaps the most universal symbol in the world's spiritual traditions. The Egyptian ib was the seat of thought, feeling, and moral identity, weighed against the feather of Maat in the afterlife judgement. The Hebrew lev is the centre of mind and will as well as feeling. The Greek kardia, the Latin cor, the Arabic qalb, the Chinese xin—every culture treats the heart as the organ of true knowing, deeper than the head. The medieval Christian tradition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary expresses the same principle. The Sufis speak of seven hearts, ascending from the physical to the secret of secrets.

In Kabbalah, the sephira Tiphareth ("beauty") at the centre of the Tree is the structural parallel to Anahata at the centre of the chakra system: the harmonising principle that integrates above and below. Tiphareth is associated with the Sun, with the figure of Christ, and with the king. In tarot, the Lovers, the Strength card (with its image of compassion taming force), and the Sun all carry heart-chakra resonance. Continue with solar plexus below, throat chakra above, and chakra in general. The full glossary awaits.

Also known as

• Anahata
• fourth chakra
• heart centre
• air chakra
• love centre