Chakras

YOGA Chakras

Understanding Yogic Chakras

Muladhara
LAM

Svadhisthana
VAM

Manipuraka
RAM

Surya

Manas

Anahata
YAM

Visuddhi
HAM

Lalana

Bindu
SHIVOHAM

Ajna
OM

Brahmaguha

Sahasrara
OM

Anahata (Heart Chakra or Love Chakra)

Features

1. Mantra - YAM
2. Vayu (energetic wind) - Prana Vayu (energy residing in the chest)
3. Mudra - Namaste mudra
4. Element - air
5. Physical representation - heart
6. Location - heart
7. Human Traits - love, compassion, creativity, artistic qualities
8. Asana - any heart opener or backbend (upward dog, bow, camel, wheel, fish)
9. Pranayama - ???
10. Form - lotus flower with 12 green petals bearing the Sanskrit letters kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam, tham
11. Statement - "I have love and compassion. I am creative. I am into art, music, poetry and innovation. I feel my connection to the universe. Everything is connected and part of the same singularity. My one leg is grounded on solid granite and the other leg is dancing on Cloud 9."
12. Blocked by - grief (bare our grief in front of you and come to terms with your losses...that's life. Let go of the pain. The void will be filled-in by new love. Now, move on)

Characteristics
Anahata Chakra is located at the heart and represented by 12 green petals. Inside the lotus flower are 2 interlaced triangles - one pointing up for consciousness, the other pointing down for grounding. Together, the 2 triangles form a 6-pointed star. Anahata is the mid-point where you keep grounding while pursuing consciousness. The mantra is YAM. It is associated with love and devotion - love for humanity, love of God, love for a cause, etc. Like all chakras, Anahata is expressed uniquely by the individual.

Seat of Consciousness
Yogic tradition maintains that the heart is the seat of consciousness - not the brain. The brain acts like an operating system that ensures functionality of the body. But transformation and manifestation are done from the heart - feeling the joy of the desired outcome and being grateful for it. Even Patanjali's yoga sutra says so. The heart should be the focus of concentration during meditation. New science points out that the heart has its own share of neurons independent from that of the brain. Manifestation results when the mind and the heart become one in its vision - to think from the mind and feel the outcome from the heart.

Jivatma
Within the Anahata resides the Jivatma (the soul enshrined within the human body). From this chakra emanates 101 principal nerves which branch off to the 72,000 nadis (there are many versions on where these nadis come from. Others say they all branch out of the Kandasthana, this fleshy etheric body below the Muladhara chakra. Others say the Sushumna nadi is the seat of the chakras and the chakras branch off the nadis that make up the 72,000 nadis).

Struckless Sound
Anahata means sound that exists without being struck. First, let's understand that sound is created when something is struck and the vibration (usually referred to as frequency hertz) is what we hear as sound. Anahata produces 108 unique sounds that have been associated with deities. When Anahata is developed, one starts hearing these sounds. Lesser mortals may think they are going crazy. A slight mental imbalance can be amplified. Thus caution should be exercised. Intellectual discernment and sweetness of emotion are both required to be able to handle an Anahata activation.

Anahata Chakra lies on the nipple-line in the middle of the body

Accepting Imperfection
Opening this chakra leads to intense feelings of devotion. At this level, a yogi accepts and loves all unconditionally for what they are with all its flaws and merits. He sees everyone as an actor playing his role in a play called life. World-famous people who have transcended hardship to be an example of humanity's triumph are usually at this level (Mandela, Gandhi). Beyond this chakra, one begins to transcend his own individual existence.

Kumbhaka and Anahata
Khumbaka (breath-holds) with varying ratios, focused on anahata, strengthens the heart to freely move emotions like affection and devotion - so stuck emotions are energized and begin to flow. Superior states of the mind arise from the heart. When performing the Maha Bandha Mudra, when the mind and breath are motionless, concentrate on the anahata chakra to achieve kevala kumbhaka (spontaneous cessation of the breath).

Man-made Deities
Ancient ascended yogis created deities who still exist today, even though the yogis who created them have long passed on. Some deities are simply let loose. When Anahata awakens, a welcome gong is sounded that invites all these deities. You start hearing sounds and you start seeing things. They can look horribly frightening. Anyone who is not prepared for this will be traumatized thinking they have gone mad. It takes a certain level of mental stability to be able to handle this - that's why it is wise never to rush a chakra activation or kundalini awakening. When the student is ready, these things will happen on their own.

Asanas
Heart-opener asanas are geared to do just that - open up the heart. These following asanas provide that function: bow, camel, wheel, fish (just about any asana that opens the chest). What's equally important is the intention and visualization that go into performing the asana. On the inhale, feel the heart opening-up to receive and send loving compassion and love. Without this visualization, then the asana is simply reduced to a physical stretch.

Benefits
One who meditates on Anahata becomes radiant. His presence can light up a room. He becomes endearing and loved by all. Women are drawn to him. He can practice with high levels of concentration and focus. He can articulate his ideas into powerful words.

Anahata Chakran Siddhis

1. pranic healing is developed
2. stuck energies flow again, giving rise to affection, devotion and love
3. arouses Nada (inner sound)
4. becomes radiant. His presence can light up a room
5. becomes endearing and loved by all. Women are drawn to him
6. can practice with high levels of concentration and focus
7. can articulate his ideas into powerful words
8. Isitva siddhi - power to create and destroy
9. can enter his body and other people's bodies at will
10. Prapti siddhi - removes the limitations of space, can instantaneously travel or be anywhere at will
11. awareness of one's karma, clairvoyance ability
12. Laghima siddhi - the body becomes so light it gives rise to levitation
13. seeing God in everything (not a concept but the actual seeing) occurs. Sensitivity to all, compassion for all and love for all

Symptoms of an Unbalanced Anahata Chakra

1. feeling isolated, unable to connect
2. inability to forgive, holding grudges
3. self-centeredness, always about you
4. being too hard on yourself
5. oscillating between victim and savior complex
6. glass is half-empty - seeing the negative instead of the positive

Anahata Chakra: Full Class

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CHAKRA: ANAHATA CHAKRA

CHANTING: YAM

YAM

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Single-pointed focus on the mudra on the Ujjayi inhale. For strengthening the physical heart, use Pran Vayu Mudra. If strengthening the energetic heart, use Anjali Mudra. On the exhale, shift focus on the Anahata Chakra (heart)
a) to start the class, 1 minute composure then 3-5 mins of YAM chanting - ujjayi breathing on the inhale, then YAM chanting on the exhale
b) to end the class, 1 minute composure then 3 rounds of YAM chanting - ujjayi breathing on the inhale, then YAM chanting on the exhale

INTRODUCTION

Class introduction: Anahata chakra

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This class revolves on Anahata Chakra. The mudra (gyana/akash), mantra (Yam), asana (backbends), pranayama and everything else will revolve around the Anahata.

FULL LECTURE: Anahata Chakra

Anahata

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Anahata Chakra / YAM chanting - explaining Anahata (heart chakra) together with YAM mantra, including features and related topics:

1. Statement - "I have love and compassion. I love myself, everyone and everything. I unconditionally accept everything with no judgement - flaws and merits altogether. I am creative. I am into art, music, poetry and innovation. I am devoted to my God. I feel my connection to the universe. Everything is connected and part of the same singularity. My one leg is grounded on solid granite and the other leg is dancing on Cloud 9."
2. Features
   
   
   1. coming from the narcissistic Manipuraka chakra, Anahata is the mid-point where one begins to expand consciousness....where one begins his spiritual journey
   2. activation in Anahata (like all chakras), is manifested uniquely by every individual
   3. the heart is the seat of consciousness - not the brain. The brain acts like an operating system that ensures functionality of the body. But transformation and manifestation are done from the heart
   4. the heart should be the focus of concentration during meditation. New science points out that the heart has its own share of neurons independent from that of the brain
   5. manifestation results when the mind and the heart become one in its vision - to think from the mind and feel the outcome from the heart
   6. Anahata produces 108 unique sounds. When activated, one starts hearing all these sounds
   7. these sounds are also associated with deities who could look hideously horrifying. One begins to see these entities, which can be a frightening experience
   8. even a slight mental imbalance or emotional disturbance can be amplified. So it takes intellectual discernment and sweetness of emotion to handle an Anahata activation
   9. opening anahata leads to intense feelings of devotion
3. Famous people - Mandela, Gandhi
4. Mantra - YAM
5. Sitting Pose - no standard, but Padmasana is ideal as this can be held for long periods
6. Asanas - any backbend that opens up the chest: camel, fish, wheel, bridge, reverse table top, reverse plank, dancers, locust, upward dog
7. Pranayama - nothing standard but Bhastrika activates the chest area more than any other
8. Blockage - grief (express your grief and get over your grief and move on). Unexpressed grief (like mourning a loved one) makes you sick
9. Element - air (index finger)
10. Mudra - akash mudra (fire & ether, heart opener) and anjali mudra (all elements, palms together) and gyana mudra (fire and air elements)
11. Contra-indication - activation means hearing nada and seeing emanation of deities - any trauma will be amplified. You should not have unresolved psychological issues or emotional disturbances before activation. One must have intellectual discernment and emotional sweetness before activation. Better to spontaneously activate anahata through the strength of your practice rather than rush it through external means
12. Body / Physical - heart
13. Form / Color - green lotus with 12 petals, 2 triangles merging, one pointed up and the other pointing down, signifying heaven and earth, consciousness and grounding
14. concentration on the anahata chakra gives rise to kevala kumbhaka
15. Enhanced Human Qualities
    
    
    1. you are balanced between heaven and earth - on foot on the ground, the other on Cloud 9
    2. develops love for humanity, love of God, love for a cause, etc.
    3. becomes radiant. His presence can light up a room
    4. one accepts and loves all unconditionally for what they are with all its flaws and merits
    5. stuck emotions are energized and begin to flow
    6. one becomes endearing and loved by all. Women are drawn to him, men want to be like him
    7. lives life with high levels of concentration and focus
    8. one can articulate ideas into powerful words
16. Super Human Qualities (Siddhis)
    
    
    1. becomes capable of protection and destruction
    2. can enter other people's bodies at will
    3. awareness of one's karma
    4. knowledge of past, present and future
    5. clairvoyance
    6. levitation
    7. ability to travel all over the world at the speed of thought
    8. seeing God in everything (not a concept but the actual realization) occurs
       
       
17. Anahata perspective vs other chakras
    
    
    1. Muladhara: "I need food clothing and shelter to survive"
    2. Svadhisthana: "sex, drugs and rock & roll"
    3. Manipuraka: "I, me, mine - the world is my oyster"
    4. Anahata: "I have love and compassion"
    5. Visuddhi: "Instead of fighting with life, I begin to flow with the current of life. I perform at a high level of competence. People naturally move towards me because I can do things beyond their understanding and abilities."
    6. Ajna: "My intuition is accurate. I see things without the cobwebs and clutter. I see the world in black and white with a very minimal shade of gray (uncertainty, doubt, indecision). Nothing can touch me, nothing can disturb me. But experientially, I still do not feel the spontaneous ecstasy of life. I have psychic abilities."
    7. Sahasrara: "I am the convergence of energy and consciousness. The self, the universe and God become one"

MUDRA: ANJALI (Anahata Chakra)

Anjali Mudra

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Finger Position: palms together with a hollow by the palm center, placed by the heart center with thumbs lightly touching the sternum
Hand Level: heart center
Activated Chakra: Anahata chakra
Activated Elements: all elements - anjali brings union as the five elements converge
Benefits: 'centering pose' that creates balance and stillness before a practice. Anjali establishes connection between right and left hemipheres of the brain. It also bridges the chasm between yourself and the outside world
Affected Body Part: heart
Notes: awareness that the seat of consciousness resides in the heart, and not in the brain

ASANA

Hang

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Timed 3 rounds with twists and full fascia stretching (interspersed with stretching while fingers recover) and compare over time

Stretching

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Basic stretching to neck, shoulders, chest, back, side bends, pelvic roll, thigh stretch, knee roll, calf stretch

Surya namaskar A & B

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3 rounds of Surya Namaskar A, 3 rounds of Surya Namaskar B

Asanas: Anahata > Backbends

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Backbends are heart-openers and consistent with activating the anahata chakra. Backbends also activate the manipuraka chakra. Weighted backbends or holds will be done to provide strength to the back muscles supporting the spine.

Facing Down
1. Upward dog, sphinx, cobra, swan, locust, bow

Facing Front/Kneeling
2. Camel

Facing Up
3. Purvotanasana, inverse tabletop, fish, bridge, wheel, setu bandhasana

ADDHITTANA

Adhitthana: Anahata > Camel

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Beginners: on Vajrasana, do the Camel pose and hold for as long you can, breathing fully
Intermediate: kneeling down, do the Camel pose and hold for as long you can, breathing fully

PRANAYAMA

Pranayama: Wim Hof, Bhastrika, Kapalabhati

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1 Kapalabhati, 0:45 secs
2 Bhastrika, 1:00 min
3 Wim Hof, 1:30

MEDITATION

Meditation: Anahata Chakra

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Anahata Chakra Meditation
In Anjali mudra, visualize the Anahata Chakra residing at your heart center...a green lotus flower with 12 petals.

At the center of this flower resides love, compassion and creativity. You are the artist. You have the inate ability to create art, music, poetry and innovation. You have love for self, love for others, and love for mother Earth. When the planet is hurting because of the bad things we do to nature, we feel the pain.

Opening this chakra leads to intense feelings of devotion and love for God (however you conceive him to be). You begin to accept and love all - unconditionally for what they are with all their flaws and merits. You see everyone as an actor playing his role in a play called life. Some play the villain, some play the hero. But they're all good people who simply play the role they were given. And you begin to see it that way. To those who have wronged you, you only have love and compassion for the role they were given to play.

You are connected to the universe. One leg is grounded in reality and the other leg is dancing on Cloud 9. At the Anahata chakra, you span both worlds of heaven and earth. This is the mid-point where you remain anchored to the nuts-and-bolts of day-to-day life as you expand your consciousness.

The heart is the seat of consciousness - not the brain. Transformation transpires from the heart. Manifestation results when the mind and the heart become one in its vision - to think from the mind and feel from the heart. When we put gratitude for the manifestation of our intentions, then we become co-creators of the reality we live in. We are no longer the passive observers of life. Superior states of the mind arise from the heart.

Opening your anahata chakra strengthens the heart to freely move emotions like affection and devotion - so stuck emotions are energized and begin to flow. It becomes easier to forgive and move on.

Move your awareness to the heart. Just observe without creating anything...without reacting to anything. Just observe. Maybe you feel a sensation, maybe nothing...and that's ok too.

Meditation: Heart Affirmation

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Meditation: Heart Affirmation

This is a fusion of chanting, pranayama and meditation.

a) Internalize on a personal affirmation. It can be deep and all-encompassing, "My consciousness, the universe and God are one. They all reside within me". Or it can be specific, "I gain access to all the information in the Akashic Records".

b) Choose your Mudra

c) empty your lungs and Ujjayi inhale while visualizing that Kundalini is being pushed up from Muladhara Chakra along the Sushumna Nadi, passing through the other major chakras until kundalini reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara Chakra. Hold the breath in while engaging Mula Bandha, Uddhiyana Bandha and Jalandara Bandha.

d) While holding the breath, repeat your affirmation

e) on the exhale, focus your awareness on the Heart Chakra as you chant YAM, feeling that your affirmations are being answered

f) When the lungs are empty, hold for a few more seconds and feel the void / emptiness while generating that feeling of gratitude that your affirmation has already happened. FEEL and THINK - together, they move mountains g) Ensure you pace your breath-hold so that you have enough time to feel the gratitude on empty lungs without feeling strained. Do a few regular breaths to recover. Repeat the process.

CHANTING: YAM

YAM

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Single-pointed focus on the mudra on the Ujjayi inhale. For strengthening the physical heart, use Pran Vayu Mudra. If strengthening the energetic heart, use Anjali Mudra. On the exhale, shift focus on the Anahata Chakra (heart)
a) to start the class, 1 minute composure then 3-5 mins of YAM chanting - ujjayi breathing on the inhale, then YAM chanting on the exhale
b) to end the class, 1 minute composure then 3 rounds of YAM chanting - ujjayi breathing on the inhale, then YAM chanting on the exhale

---

My Actual Practice
Developing the heart is something new to me - between thinking and feeling, I would rather think. There is too much rationalization and intellectualization going on inside my head that everything should be logical. Sure, I had been complimented on having a good analytical mind and being able to connect the dots by weaving together a coherent set of ideas and practices into a seamless singularity. But at the end of the day, I ask myself, "Where is the joy?", "Why am I disconnected from family? Why can't I accept them for their dysfunctional corrosiveness?". It is with this concern that I pursue to develop my Anahata. How?

1. I defer to Gregg Braden when he talked about thinking from the heart - that to manifest our desires, we have to FEEL from the heart that we already have what we desire instead of the usual THINKING that we want to have this thing. By feeling the joy of the outcome and being grateful for it as though it's already there, I feel more connected to myself instead of intellectualizing the entire process.
2. Additionally, when I am aware, I silently forgive those who did me wrong. But if I'm NOT aware, I could catch myself in deep thought where I exact my revenge. But this seldom happens now. I would rather forgive than get revenge. Thus I have to be vigilant with my thoughts.
3. On breathholds (kumbhaka), I focus on the heart. This moves stuck energies and emotions, bringing vitality back to life.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Other Sources:

1. Sadhguru: Activating Anahata (Heart Chakra)
2. The Sanskrit Channel: Activation of Anahata Chakra
3. chakras.info: The Heart Chakra

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