What is the heart chakra? Our bodies have seven primary energy centers, starting with the root chakra and moving up the body to our crown chakra. The heart chakra, also known as Anahata in Sanskrit, is the fourth and is the most crucial as it is the bridge between the lower and upper chakras.
As a bridge, it balances the material (lower chakras) with the spiritual (upper chakras) and facilitates our well-being in mind, body and spirit. It is responsible for the distribution and storage of life force air, known as prana, that flows through our bodies.
Anahata in Sanskrit means ‘unstuck’. Perfect meaning for the essence of spring’s call for movement. It calls for openness, vulnerability and deeper connections. If we don’t refresh our air element regularly, we feel fatigued, low and disconnected from our emotions and creative spirit. When refreshed, a sense of balance, harmony and joy can result.
We offer these heart-opening yoga poses to start your day with deep abdominal breaths to ensure your prana or life force is ‘unstuck’ and flowing freely. These open the front of the body, and increase the flexibility of the spine. We recommend not doing these poses after 6 pm as they can disrupt your sleep.
