General, Yoga news
The Heart Chakra
The fourth chakra anahata (heart chakra) is located at the center of the chest and governs the heart, the lungs, the chest and the arms. When in balance it allows us to have love,kindness and compassion for ourselves, to give and receive love (in equal measure) and to find forgiveness. It’s the space that is connected to gratitude.
Gratitude involves showing appreciation for the things in life that are meaningful or valuable to you. Taking a moment to notice and acknowledge the things you’re grateful for each day is just one way in which you can practice, in theory this sounds easy however in reality it’s likely more complicated. Our relationship with ourselves is so often informed by our our early experience of relationships, often messy and unresolved. Breathing deeply and if Asana is your thing (bow, camel, cat/cow and cobra) are all worthwhile actions you could take.
Equally, this beautiful poem by Cleo Wade ‘A love note to my body’ reminds us all to say thank you, for waking up, for today!
“First of all,
I want to say
thank you,
for the heart you kept beating
even when it was broken,
for every answer you gave me in my gut,
for loving me back
even when I didn’t know how to love you,
for every time you recovered when I pushed you past our limits
for today,
for waking up.