The heart chakra is the 4th chakra and is responsible for one’s emotional balance, sense of compassion, and ability to love. But just like the other chakras, it can get blocked and become unbalanced, leading to an array of issues. By recognizing the signs of an open heart chakra, you can begin to take proactive steps to recalibrate it.
After years of exploring the functions of chakras, I’ve gathered knowledge on what blocks and opens the heart chakra. That’s why I created a comprehensive guide that will help restore your heart center, so you can heal your emotional wounds and attract true love.
That said, you may need the help of an energy healer if you’re struggling to clear and open your heart chakra. I recommend the healers on Keen since they’re the most talented and compassionate advisors I’ve come across. You can even get the first 5 minutes of your session for $1 before committing to a longer session.
Quick Overview: How To Open Your Heart Chakra
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- Start a Gratitude Practice: Cultivate positivity by acknowledging daily blessings to activate the heart chakra. Discover why this is important.
- Wear Corresponding Crystals: Harness the energy of heart-associated crystals like rose quartz to support chakra alignment. Explore the best crystals.
- Recite Affirmations: Usher in positive, loving energy by affirming your worthiness and openness to love. Here are my go-to affirmations.
- Connect With Your Inner Child: Heal and release emotional blockages by tenderly engaging with your inner child. Here’s how to connect.
- Increase Your Self-Care: Demonstrate self-love through intentional acts of self-care. Discover why this is essential.
- Maintain a Wellness Routine: Support chakra health holistically by maintaining physical and energetic wellness practices. Tips on where to start.
- Connect With an Energy Healer: Accelerate heart chakra healing with the targeted, expert guidance of an energy healer. Find out how they can help.
What Is the Heart Chakra?
The heart center, also known as “Anahata” in Sanskrit, is the fourth chakra that links the lower and upper chakras. Located in the center of the chest, it governs self-love, empathy, and one’s capacity for forgiveness. Its main function is to foster a sense of connection and regulate your emotional well-being.
Associated with the element of air and the planet Venus, this chakra represents the bond shared among all beings. Venus is the planet of love, and the air element rules our words and intellect. When combined, these elements align our thoughts and emotions, leading us to effectively communicate compassion, love, and empathy to those around us.
The heart chakra’s symbol and associated meanings
Similarly, the color green is linked to the heart chakra. Being the color of nature, green teaches us about energetic balance and harmony. In relation, the heart chakra harmonizes the lower three chakras, related to the material world and physical identity, and the upper three, which is about spirituality and higher consciousness.
Signs of a Blocked vs. Balanced Heart Chakra
| When Blocked | When Balanced |
| 💔 Holding onto grudges and being judgemental
💔 Codependent or avoidant patterns 💔 Manipulative or cruel behavior 💔 Feelings of unworthiness and jealousy 💔 Inability to trust yourself and those around you |
❤️ Abundance of empathy and compassion for others
❤️ Altruistic and respectful demeanor ❤️ A sense of peace in the face of challenges ❤️ Strong sense of self-love ❤️ A healthy expression and management of emotions |
Painful events, such as heartbreaks or betrayals, can cause blockages in the heart chakra. When disrupted, feelings of jealousy, resentment, and low self-esteem emerge. Consequently, these blockages can prevent us from inviting new, enriching connections into our lives.
As you heal from past emotional wounds, you’ll notice your heart chakra opens. It’ll be obvious since you’ll feel more self-compassion and love for others. This shift can make it easier to manage your emotions so you can build strong, fulfilling relationships.
7 Ways to Open Your Heart Chakra
Taking steps to open your heart chakra can bring noticeable, positive changes to your life. Practices like meditation, crystal healing, and affirmation work can remove blockages and allow energy to flow through this vital center.
1. Start a Gratitude Practice
A blocked heart chakra can cast a shadow of pessimism over your perceptions, subtly draining the joy out of your daily experiences. A simple practice like a gratitude journal can shift your perception to one of love. Everyday, write down three things you’re grateful for and try to feel the emotion of gratitude in your heart.
This seemingly small act can unblock your heart chakra by gently redirecting your energy toward appreciation and positivity. By continually acknowledging and appreciating even the smallest joys, you can create a supportive environment for your heart chakra to harmonize and flourish.
2. Wear Corresponding Crystals
Using crystals can be a simple, yet powerful way to clear and open your heart chakra. Since crystals vibrate at a steady, high frequency, they tune your chakras to match their energy. As a result, negativity is transmuted into positivity, which is why crystals are great when worn as jewelry or used as tools during meditation.
The heart chakra is associated with colors green and pink, so crystals like rose quartz, green aventurine and jade are most effective. Incorporating these specific stones can open and stabilize this chakra, while simultaneously attracting the healthy energies of love and compassion.
3. Recite Affirmations & Mantras
Affirmations can be your steady anchor when waves of insecurity try to shake your emotional stability. Try reciting affirmations like “I love and accept myself”, “I love and forgive others”, or “I love unconditionally”. Reciting affirmations helps to reprogram your subconscious mind while recalibrating the energy in your heart space.
Further, mantras are sacred sounds with the ability to penetrate and heal your soul. You can whisper or recite certain mantras that correspond with the heart chakra to realign this center. For best results recite heart chakra mantras like, “om mani padme hum” or “yam” during meditation.
4. Connect With Your Inner-Child
Focusing on activities that bring joy and surrounding yourself with uplifting people can work wonders for your heart chakra. Reflect on the activities you enjoyed as a child, since these will bring the most healing to you. But, you can also try activities that put you in a flow state, such as walking, drawing, or swimming.
While joyful activities can work wonders, doing shadow work to work through childhood trauma is just as important. By exploring any deep-seated emotional pain, you can effectively release it to make room for love. That way, you bring joy to your inner child without the buffer of unprocessed traumas.
5. Increase Your Self-Care
Enhancing your self-care regimen with self-love baths and creating a personal altar can help open your heart chakra. Flowers like jasmine and herbs like basil work well with the heart chakra, so you can add them to a bath or place them on your altar.
In addition, incorporating aromatherapy can boost the effects of sacred herbs and flowers. The best essential oils and incense for the heart chakra include rose, lavender, jasmine, bergamot, myrrh, and sandalwood.
6. Maintain a Wellness Routine
Specific yoga asanas target the heart region, expanding the chest, increasing lung capacity, and promoting circulation. Specific postures such as Cobra, Downward-Facing Dog, Bridge, and Camel are known for their heart-opening properties. These poses help to stretch and open the heart chakra area, enhancing the flow of energy.
Similarly, breathwork serves to gradually dissolve blockages and align you with emotional balance. One simple technique you can try is to inhale to the count of four, hold for four, exhale to the count of four, and pause again for four before repeating.
7. Connect With an Energy Healer
While regular heart-opening practices are great, the depth of some traumas can require an expert’s touch. Energy work performed by a skilled healer doesn’t just address symptoms, but rather gets to the root of your blockages. This intervention can accelerate the healing and opening of your heart chakra.
It’s especially difficult to clear an energetic block if you’re not aware of what caused it. But an energy healer can help you identify past events that could have contributed to the block. Sometimes identifying trauma is more nuanced than you think, so having an expert’s guidance can make all the difference.
However, significant blocks, especially those related to deep trauma, won’t dissolve instantly. Just as some physical or emotional wounds need prolonged care, your energy and heart chakra may require multiple healing sessions. Healing your heart chakra can be a journey but each session will bring you a step closer to balance.
Best Sites for Energy Healing in 2024
Finding a skilled energy healer can be a deeply transformative experience. I have tried several platforms and curated the ones that I felt provided the most emotional relief. The energy healers on the following sites are compassionate and dedicated to what they do.
1. Keen — Best Overall For Energy Healing in 2024
- 120+ energy healers
- Healers with more than 4.5 stars
- Readings via chat or phone
- First 5 minutes for $1
Keen is my top choice for energy healing because it has more than 120 energy and chakra healers. While browsing, I noticed the majority had above 4.5 stars which reassured me I’d connect with a knowledgeable healer.
I ended up connecting with a healer by the name of Twin Flame Ajna, who had a profound effect on me. The emotional release I felt as my chest opened after the session was significant and it made me realize that the healers on Keen are the real deal.
I also like Keen’s detailed search filters, which cater to specific spiritual needs. For example, they make it easy to find healers like Anja, who have a variety of skills. Not only is she a skilled healer, but she also helped me interpret a repeating dream I kept having. Without the filters, I may not have connected with her.
I would love to see Keen offer video readings in the near future. However, my phone session was still very compelling as Anja’s sincerity was evident. Ajna even picked up on things about my past that I had forgotten to mention, which felt a little spooky, but in a good way.
2. Psychic SourcePsychic Source — Schedule Your Energy Healing Session in Advance
- 103 energy healers
- Schedule your session in advance
- Readings via phone or chat
- Helpful articles and media
- $0.66 per minute introductory offer
I like how Psychic Source lets you schedule your healing sessions in advance. I opted for this because I like to have my schedule organized well in advance. Not only that, but it allowed me to connect with my reader from an emotional place instead of an intellectual one.
I booked a session with Denise after reading her positive reviews, and my experience was like a balm to my heart. She was straightforward and spoke directly to my emotional needs, especially when I opened up about my recent heartbreak. I didn’t feel awkward with her and I felt so much lighter after my session.
Despite not being able to contact readers before scheduling, Psychic Source has an audio clip on each healer’s profile. Thanks to the audio clips, I got a feel for Denise’s energy and reading style which helped in the selection process. Without this feature, I may not have felt as drawn to connecting with her.
3. PathForward — Find Exclusive Energy Healers With Its Rigorous Vetting
- 18 Number of energy healers
- Stringent screening process
- Readings via phone or chat
- Esoteric podcasts and videos
- 10, 20, or 30 minutes for $0.83 per minute
PathForward maintains a rigorous screening process to ensure that only authentic energy healers can read on the site. Thus, I didn’t have to do a lot of background research since I felt confident all the healers were thoroughly vetted. Needless to say, my experience proved that my hunch was right.
I also like how PathForward offers a wealth of esoteric podcasts and videos. Although I’ve had a handful of healing sessions in the past, these resources can ease your doubts if it’s your first reading. It’s a useful way to answer any spiritual questions prior to hopping on a call with your healer.
Although its limited selection of energy healers was surprising, it actually saved me a lot of time in choosing Esme as my reader. I chose Esme because she gave off a very nurturing vibe but I feel all of the other healers are equally as skilled. From what I saw, most of the healers have a 4.8 star rating and up.
FAQs on How To Open Your Heart Chakra
What are the best foods for the heart chakra?
Green foods like kale, spinach, and other leafy greens can strengthen the heart chakra. These foods naturally resonate with and enhance the energy of the heart center, aiding in its balancing and opening. Additionally, incorporating activities like meditation and yoga can also nurture the heart space.
It’s imperative to note that although foods have a physical impact, your intention and mindfulness while consuming them also play a crucial role in chakra balancing. I always stress the importance of gratitude and mindful consumption in boosting the food’s energy, strengthening your heart chakra connection.
When does the heart chakra open?
The heart chakra opens when you cultivate a consistent practice of love, compassion, and understanding towards yourself and others. Engaging in activities and thoughts that foster empathy opens the heart space, allowing for a free flow of loving energy.
However, it’s important to recognize that the opening of the heart chakra isn’t always a static or permanent state. Your heart chakra can fluctuate between being open or closed. Emotional wounds, stress, or neglecting self-care may impede its openness but a regular wellness practice can help.
How can I tell real chakra openings from placebo effects?
Discerning real chakra openings involves sensing a notable shift in your physical, emotional, and spiritual state. When your heart chakra genuinely opens, you become less judgemental and critical. In addition, you might experience a surge of unconditional love, and empathy.
Conversely, placebo effects might offer temporary relief or a fleeting emotional high without a sustained change or deep internal shift. It’s crucial to find an expert healer and remain mindful and observant of the lasting changes to differentiate genuine chakra openings from mere placebo effects.
Bottom Line
Maintaining a balanced heart chakra is the foundation for strong self-esteem and meaningful, loving connections with those around you. That said, chakra healing doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent and conscious effort to see a difference in the long run.
While your personal efforts are key to the success of this journey, healing sessions with an expert can accelerate your healing. Keen is my top suggestion for energy healing because its healers are experienced and have over a 4.8 star rating. Plus, if you are new to Keen, you can get your first 5 minutes for $1.
To summarize, the best sites for energy healing are…
| Our Rank | Provider | Our Rating | Review | Visit Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
9.8
|
Read Review |
Visit Website |
| 2 |
|
9.6
|
Read Review |
Visit Website |
| 3 |
|
9.4
|
Read Review |
Visit Website |
