By Katie D’Onofrio
Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of this day, we at the Yogi Show Podcast encourage you to show some love to yourself, friends, partner, parents, siblings, children, nieces, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, coworkers, baristas, yoga teachers, servers, and everyone else you may encounter today. Spread the love!
And as our gift to you, here are a few fun facts about your fourth chakra—Anahata, more commonly referred to as the heart chakra.
“Anahata” translates to “unstuck.”
Your fourth chakra is located in the center of your chest.
Although Valentine’s Day is often linked to the color red, the fourth chakra is represented by the color green; however, it may also be represented by a smoky pink shade.
Its element is air.
The associated mandala is a twelve-petaled lotus.
As the center of the seven chakras, the fourth chakra is said to bridge earthly and spiritual aspirations—connecting the first and last three chakras.
Physical signs of a blocked fourth chakra include ailments of the heart, lungs, chest, arms, and hands; poor circulation; and high or low blood pressure.
Mentally, an unbalanced fourth chakra may result in trust issues with yourself and others, co-dependency issues, feeling unworthy, jealousy, isolation, and more.
A healthy, balanced fourth chakra may leave you feeling filed with love, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, and connectedness.
Yoga poses to activate or balance the fourth chakra include heart-opening poses like Camel, Bow, Cow Face, and more.
Sources: Yoga Journal, The Chopra Center, Chakras.info
Katie is a Jersey-based yoga instructor and writer. She believes that yoga is for everybody and every body and loves to bring a sense of lightness, play, and self-discovery to her classes. When she’s not on the mat, she probably has her nose in a book. Follow her on Instagram at @KatieDonof