t h e . a n a h a t a . c h a k r a
the information found here is from chakra therapy , keith richards excellent book .
the fourth chakra is called anahata which is sanskrit for 'unbeater' . it is located at the eighth cervical vertebra of the spine opposite the region of the heart . the chakra is associated with the element air and with touch . it controls the horizontal area of the physical body extending from the collar bones to a point about two fingers above the solar plexus . crossing over from manipura to anahata is a difficult one .
by moving beyond the diaphragm , a person moves from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard of the body temple . by taking this step , a person begins to recognize that 'self' is beyond definition ... that it is constantly changing as it adapts to a constantly shifting spectrum of possibilities . which self is predominant at any particular time is determined by the person's energy level and the circumstances created by the inner and outer enviroments to which the person must adjust .
the heart chakra is associated with compassion and healing , and in this capacity it radiates a bright emerald green color . in its transcendental aspect , the heart chakra is the source of light and love ; not only of human love , but agape love , the divine love which the new testament so poetically describes as "rivers of living water" .
leadbeater tells us that the heart chakra , when awakened , endows a person with a power to "sympathize with the vibrations of other astral entities so that he could instinctively understand something of their feeling" . this is simply another way of saying that by opening the heart chakra , a person achieves the ability to sense energy fields and atmospheres . moreover , by opening the heart chakra , a person can affect the fields of other people in a positive way by projecting energy to them through the anahata center . this is essentially what chakra healing is . through the combined effort of the heart center and anja center , a person can project rays of energy to another person and this energy will have a healing effect on them . the thymus gland is located just over the heart chakra . it has a regulatory effect on the physical bodies' immunological system , and if the normal function of the heart chakra is blocked so will be the function of the thymus gland . as a consequence , the immunological system will be suppressed .
the heart chakra is the gateway to the astral body , and in this role it can be thought of as the regulator of a person's emotional life . the heart chakra regulates the quality and interactions of joy , pain , fear and anger . however , for these emotions to flow properly and to be released normally the chakra must be open and in balance with the other chakra's . if it is blocked in any way , then emotions will be distorted . if a person blocks the flow of a so - called negative emotion because of fear , in effect they block the normal flow of all emotions , including joy which , when it radiates outwardly , becomes love . moreover , when the heart chakra is blocked a person finds it difficult to stay balanced because energy cannot flow properly between the physical and subtle bodies . as a result , a person loses touch with the physical body because the sensations coming from the astral body through the etheric double don't have access to the physical body . the numbness of the physical body is the physical externalization of numbness in a person's emotional body and emotional life .
in classical yogic texts the heart chakra is described as the gateway to the soul . "herein is love not that we loved god but that he loved us ... god is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god and god in him" .
