--- title: "Heart chakra: meaning, blockage signs and the body" description: "The heart chakra (Anahata): where it is, its colour and element, the body parts and emotions linked with it, and what a 'blocked' heart chakra means." canonical_url: "https://www.body-hemisync.com/guides/heart-chakra" --- The heart chakra is the fourth of the seven main chakras, the energy centres of yoga and of modern spiritual practice. It sits at the centre of the chest, and in the modern Western system it is green and linked with the element of air. Spiritually it is the centre of love: how you give it, how you receive it, and what happens in you when it is lost. This guide covers where the heart chakra is, which parts of the body and which feelings it is linked with, what people mean when they say it is "blocked", and a few gentle ways to tend it. For the whole system in one place, start with [chakras and the body](/guides/chakras-and-the-body). ## Where is the heart chakra, and what is it called?
Heart chakra
Sanskrit name Anahata (Anāhata), usually translated "unstruck"
Position in the system Fourth of seven, between the solar plexus chakra and the throat chakra
Location Centre of the chest, at the level of the heart
Colour (modern Western system) Green
Element Air
Traditional symbol A lotus of twelve petals
The name "unstruck" refers to a sound that is heard without two things striking each other, a quiet inner sound. In the traditional descriptions the heart chakra is linked with air, with touch and with the hands, which is why the arms are so often included in it. The green colour belongs to the modern Western version of the chakras. The rainbow colours were added in the twentieth century, largely through Charles W. Leadbeater's 1927 book *The Chakras*. Older Indian texts describe the heart lotus with other colours. ## Is a "blocked heart chakra" real? It is worth saying this once, clearly. Chakras are a spiritual and symbolic map of the person, not part of anatomy. There is no scientific evidence that they exist, and there is no way to measure whether one is open, closed or "blocked". The seven-chakra system reached the West in the 1880s; in the 1920s each chakra was paired with an endocrine gland, and emotions, colours and illnesses were added to the lists later still. So when people talk about a blocked heart chakra, they are describing an inner experience in spiritual language: a heart that feels closed, guarded or heavy. That language can be a useful way to reflect. It cannot tell you what is happening in your heart or lungs. That is a doctor's job, and the two do not compete. ## Which parts of the body are linked with the heart chakra? The heart chakra is usually linked with everything in the chest and the upper body that "reaches out": the heart, the breath, the breasts, the shoulders and the arms.
Body area Why it is linked Read more
Heart and circulation The organ the chakra is named after Heart and circulation , palpitations , high blood pressure
Chest The space around the heart Chest pain
Lungs and breath The chakra of air The respiratory system
Breasts Giving and nurturing The breasts
Shoulders and upper back What you carry, and what is behind your heart The shoulders , upper back and neck pain
Arms and hands Reaching out, holding, touching Arms and hands
Thymus and immunity A small gland behind the breastbone Infections
**Chest pain is a medical question first.** The NHS says to call 999 if you have sudden chest pain or discomfort that does not go away, pain that feels like squeezing, pressure, burning or indigestion, pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, nausea, light-headedness or breathlessness. Do not wait to see whether it is "emotional". ### The heart Spiritually, the heart stands for love in every direction: the capacity to love, joy, vitality and a sense of being at home and safe. It is described as balanced between masculine and feminine, between thinking and feeling. Its energy is said to spread through the whole body, above all between the neck and the solar plexus. The questions that sit with a troubled heart are about love that is missing: love you do not give yourself, or love you feel you do not receive from others or from life, sometimes with a quiet guilt about not being worthy of it. ### The thymus and the immune system The thymus is a small gland in the chest, near the heart, where some white blood cells mature. Spiritually, it is called the gland of the heart chakra. It is linked with empathy, forgiveness, being able to be touched, and with giving and receiving. When this centre is out of harmony, the themes are not accepting yourself, unease with love, fear of refusal or ridicule, and keeping quiet to stay safe. The feeling of having had something essential taken from you belongs here too. In the same spirit, the immune system is read as your sense of who you are and what you let in, and the questions turn to whether you put yourself last and hide your real needs. This is a way of reflecting, not a claim about immunity. A weakened immune system has medical causes and needs medical care. ### The arms and hands The arms are seen as an extension of the heart: they embrace, give, receive and protect. Each palm is said to hold a minor energy centre directly linked to the heart, so that holding someone's hand is a way of offering love. Crossing your arms, in this view, is a way of closing yourself to feelings that do not suit you. ## Emotions stored in the heart chakra In this approach, the heart chakra is where the feelings of love and loss are held. These are the ones most often named, each with its own page: - **Sorrow**: a wounded heart after a painful experience, sometimes reopening older hurts. - **Grief**: a separation you have not yet accepted, and the slow work of letting someone go. - **Loneliness**: feeling unsupported and different, behind a mask that keeps people out. - **Resentment**: an old grievance kept alive, which hardens the heart against forgiving. - **Jealousy**: the fear of losing someone you love, until control takes the place of trust. "Stored" is a figure of speech. Feelings are not kept inside an organ. What the image captures is that grief, longing and heartbreak are often felt as a weight, an ache or a tightness in the chest, which is why every language speaks of a "broken heart". ## Signs people describe as a blocked heart chakra In the chakra tradition, a heart chakra that is closed or out of balance is described through feelings and habits more than symptoms. People often name: - finding it hard to receive help, compliments or care, even when giving comes easily - holding on to a grudge, or finding forgiveness impossible - guarding yourself after a loss, a break-up or a betrayal - feeling cut off from other people, or lonely in company - jealousy or a need to control the people you love - a heaviness or tightness in the chest when you think about a particular person - the opposite pattern: giving so much that nothing is left for you These are things to notice and reflect on, nothing more. They are not a diagnosis, and none of them is caused by a chakra. **Physical symptoms deserve a doctor.** Chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, a new breast lump, swelling of the ankles or a cough that will not settle all have medical causes that need checking. The NHS advises seeing a GP if palpitations keep coming back, last more than a few minutes or you have a heart condition, and calling 999 if they do not stop or come with chest pain, breathlessness or fainting. Do not stop a heart or blood pressure medicine because of anything you read about chakras. ## A gentle practice for the heart chakra None of these needs any belief in chakras. They are simple ways of giving the feelings above some room. They are not treatment for any condition. - **Breathe into the chest.** Sit comfortably, put a hand on your breastbone, and breathe in slowly through the nose so that you feel the chest and the back of the ribs widen. Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath. Five minutes is enough. - **Use your voice.** Hum, or say a long "ah" on the out-breath and feel the vibration under your hand. In the traditional system the heart chakra's seed sound is "yam"; any sound you like works just as well. - **Write a letter you will not send.** To someone you have lost, or someone you resent. Say what you miss, what hurt, and what you would like to put down. Then keep it, burn it or tear it up. - **Practise receiving.** Once a day, accept something without deflecting it: a compliment, help, a kind word. Notice how it feels in your chest. - **Open the arms.** Stand and slowly open your arms wide on an in-breath, then bring your hands to your chest on the out-breath. - **Rest.** Grief and heartache are tiring. Early nights, time outside and the company of people who feel safe are part of tending the heart. If grief or loneliness has lasted a long time, or your mood is low most days, talking to a GP, a counsellor or a bereavement service can help. ## Where to go next Continue with the next centre up, the [throat chakra](/guides/throat-chakra), or go back down to the [solar plexus chakra](/guides/solar-plexus-chakra). The [chakras and the body](/guides/chakras-and-the-body) guide shows all seven together, and the [emotions body map](/guides/emotions-body-map) links feelings to places in the body without chakras. This guide is for reflection and general information. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. If you have chest pain, palpitations that will not stop, or trouble breathing, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK). ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.