Anahata Chakra

We all must have heard about chakras, probably in our yoga classes or in some spiritual discourses. Many of us must be knowing what these chakras are and why they are believed to be crucial for our overall health. For the uninitiated, chakras are nothing but energy centers of our body. They can be called the openings of energy flow and are responsible for our emotional, mental and physical health. The eastern philosophy, especially Indian philosophy of Tantric meditation focuses on the regulation of chakras, for scaling heights in the spiritual journey of an individual.

Meaning

The word 'chakra' is derived from the sanskrit word, chakra that means 'wheel'. These chakras are believed to be in the form of moving wheels that radiate energy in and out of the body. The wheels or chakras spin like a wheel or in other words the energy flow is transferred from the chakras to the body parts. In the human body, there are 7 primary chakras and several other small chakras. The smaller points of chakras are called meridians and these are the points that are used in healing by the Chinese methods of acupuncture. These chakras have been mentioned in almost all religious and spiritual texts, in one form or the other. These energy centers are specifically related to some individual organ and they regulate the health of that organ.

The word 'anahata' means 'unstruck sound' and it is known by that name, because it is believed to be the center of nada, the Hindu center of inner voice. Anahata chakra or heart chakra is the fourth chakra of the body and like other chakras it is connected to some part of the brain. The part of the brain that fosters creative abilities within us like that of music, dancing, writing etc. is linked to this chakra. According to the tantric philosophy, the heart chakra is the seat of Shiva and Shakti. These two depict the forces of consciousness and creativity. Shiva is depicted as an upward triangle (raising of the consciousness) and Shakti is depicted by inverted triangle, that is the source of creativity. When the level of anahata chakra is attained, a person touches heights of creativity. For the youth in the age of 20 to 28 years, it is the heart chakra, anahata that is mostly dominant and one begins to experience powerful emotions of love and compassion. It is this center that helps in the realization that though all human beings are different and have their own karmic cycle, at the core, all are the manifestation of the universal power.

The tantric scriptures call anahata chakra as the wishful filling center and when one is at the level of anahata chakra a person finds that all his wishes come true, if he makes a resolve to fulfill them. This chakra also helps us to express love and the blockage of this chakra leads to lack of compassion and heart diseases. The anahata chakra helps us to maintain a balance in the midst of dualities. It helps us to integrate mind and body, male and female, persona and shadow, ego and unity and various other dualities. It helps us to perceive the feelings of heart from a state of compassion and acceptance.

Cobra (Bhujangasana), Sunbird (Chakravakasana), Bridge pose (Setu bandhasana) and Frog (Mandukasana) are some of the asanas suitable for improving the effectiveness of this vital chakra. Before going for any of these asanas, it is important that you are ably guided by an expert yoga trainer, who has a deep knowledge about the chakras and their functions. It is advisable never to start any tantric yoga asanas without the guidance of a spiritual guru.

In Yogic healing, it is customary to balance the various chakras in the quest to achieve holistic health. Illness or disturbance in the energy flow of any of the chakras manifests itself in the form of diseases or other complications. Each chakra has its own unique frequency of vibration, symbol, color and sound that it is tuned to. This is the reason why music and various religious hymns have a soothing effect on us. When any of our unbalanced chakra attains balance, we feel healthy and fit, while if there is an obstruction in the energy flow of the chakra, it leads to problems.

Is it possible for us to see the chakras by the naked eyes? The answer is No. These chakras can't be seen by the naked eyes, however, spirituality seekers who are on a path of spiritual journey have mentioned it to have seen them during their advanced level of consciousness. Chakras are mere forms of energy in our physic body rather than physical entities, so to see them, we have to raise our level of consciousness by practicing various tantric forms of yoga and meditations like many spiritual people do.

It is said that once you gain control of all the chakras or once you win them, you can attain 'enlightenment' or the ultimate aim of human soul. The anahata chakra is one of the most important energy center in the body and regular practice of yoga exercises can keep our energy centers balanced. It is not necessary and often it is not possible for layman to get involved in higher forms of yogic meditation, so just few breathing exercises in our daily lifestyle can help us to keep our mental and physical health stable.