Eating these green foods assists in supporting our 4th chakra, the heart.
 It is no wonder that this important color represents our heart and entire chest area, such as the lungs, circulatory system, cardiac plexus. The heart chakra bridges the gap between our physical, spiritual, and emotional worlds. It is the balancer of the three upper and three lower chakras.
The color green is known as the balancer of the heart and emotions. It also helps to create equilibrium between the head and the heart. This chakra is the center for unconditional love. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is known as the Anahata chakra, which means the seat of the soul. The seat of the soul seeks for us to be unbeaten, unstuck, and unhurt. This also implies that beneath our personal states of suffering and pain, there lies a possibility for love and compassion to replace our deep wounds.
Anything that has caused us emotional pain and suffering can get stored in our heart and if we do not release these emotions, our heart can become blocked. We will be blocked from giving and receiving love, be out of touch with our emotions, and be filled with insecurities and fear. Our entire essence will be stuck, when it should be flowing freely.
Flowing with love, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, empathy, peace, and joy is a sign of an unblocked heart chakra. A balanced heart chakra can bring healing to the deepest wounds and emotional scars that we have endured.
When our heart chakra is blocked we can tend to be judgmental, possessive, materialistic, indifferent, envious, have anger, grief, hatred, jealousy, feel disconnected, have a lack of empathy, an inability to trust yourself and others, manipulative behaviors, selfish, greedy, miserly, devious, and inconsiderate. A blocked heart chakra can also represent itself as a lack of discipline, depending on others for your happiness, living your life through others, leading with your head and not your heart, and in difficult or toxic relationships.
Physical symptoms of a blocked heart chakra can include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, respiratory issues, poor circulation, and feeling heart broken. Keep reading for some effective ways to keep your beautiful heart healthy and open...


Heart Balancing and Opening Techniques

1. Eat Green foods daily, as we discussed earlier in this article. Enjoy a green salad with your meals, add dark leafy greens to your fresh juices, smoothies, or cooked foods. Check out the recipes that are included with this color for some ideas.

2. Wear or carry a green gem that is associated with the heart, such as; garnet, moonstone, celestite, jade, emerald, malachite, adventurine, green calcite, and rose quartz (known as the heart stone).

3. Wear the color green or accent a bit of green in your wardrobe.

4. Add some green plants to your living or work space. Plants are lovely in a home. They are inviting, they add warmth, color, life, and healing vibrations to your environment. Plants are also natural air purifiers in our living spaces, reducing inside air pollution and toxic agents.

5. Practice gratitude daily. Gratitude opens our heart and helps to tear down the walls we have built for protection in ourselves and others. Think of a wall around your heart and think about how you feel when someone in your life shows you some appreciation and kindness. I can visualize several layers of that wall falling down each time we show gratefulness and kindheartedness towards others and ourselves as well.

There has been so much research about the health benefits of being grateful.  People that practice gratitude more often complain less of aches and pain and are more likely to take care of their health. Gratitude also improves self-esteem, psychological health, and mental strength, enhances empathy, improves relationships, and opens the doors to more relationships. This sounds like such an easy thing to do, and it is, we just have to be aware of it and do it as a daily practice. We have so much to be thankful for and focusing on our blessings rather than our trials blesses us and those around us. Remember, the best way to receive love is to give it!

Tell someone thank you for something kind they did for you, appreciate those that make your life a little easier every day, smile more, and give a compliment from the heart to a friend or stranger, and remember to thank God every day that you are alive another day to help, bless others, and make a difference in this world.

Write in a gratitude journal daily to cultivate this beautiful gift of life that we each have been given! Below is a link where you can purchase an inexpensive journal:

 https://www.amazon.com/Good-Days-Start-Gratitude-Cultivate/dp/1976436184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513353918&sr=8-1&keywords=gratitude+journal

6. Apply essential oils that resonate with your heart. These include; Rose, Rosewood, Jasmine, Lavender, Rosemary, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, and Chamomile. You can apply one of these oils or a blend of them to your heart area daily. Apply these oils with the intention that your heart is wide open and ready to give and receive love.

7. Spend time in nature. Spending time in nature is calming, grounding, and healing to our body and soul. Being in the green tapestry of nature is heart opening, soothing, and comforting.

8. Deep breathing- being aware of how you are breathing every day is another way to keep your heart chakra area unblocked. I have included a link below for a 15 minute heart opening relaxation breathing video. It is a soothing and calming guided relaxation that brings awareness and healing to your heart area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q11oddLOxk

9. Yoga poses for the chest area to open the heart-these poses include camel, eagle, standing reverse warrior, bow pose, triangle, bridge, and wheel poses.

Watch the link below for a yoga heart opening sequence video (for beginners)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL_fhffZopY

10. Emotion Code- In 2014, I became certified in the Emotion Code. I have always recognized that emotional health and well-being is a huge part of our healing. Most of the time, our physical ailments are from old emotional roots that have not been dealt with or released. This therapy has been an integral part of my practice since becoming certified. I have witnessed many individuals (including myself) heal layers of emotional wounds that have held them back in their life. I have also been amazed how the body’s physical symptoms melt away when emotional blockages are found and released. It is truly a valuable and powerful technique.

The Emotion Code is an emotional release process that is easy and very effective in releasing trapped emotions. These trapped emotions can prevent  us from giving and receiving love and can hold us back from our true calling in life. Releasing old wounds that have left scars and blockages is vital to your physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. This process is meant to reawaken your heart and spirit and to live out your life’s purpose and mission. This emotional release process also dissolves the layers and walls around our hearts from past hurts and pain.

You can watch a video from the founder of this release process below. This is a short video describing the theory and process of this valuable therapy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SJQ2mTFyJ8

11. Practicing daily affirmations for the heart – to open and balance. Affirmations are a valuable way in getting rid of old limiting beliefs and building confidence.

“My heart beats to the rhythm of love”

“I am open to love, and receive more of it every day”

“I forgive myself”

“I live in balance, in a state of grace and gratefulness”

“I deeply and completely love and accept myself”

“I am wanted and loved”

“I forgive others and I forgive myself”

“My heart is free from all wounds of the past”

“I choose joy, compassion, and love”

“I give love freely and it brings me joy”

 

I want to end this article with a prayer that has always touched my heart in a deep way. It is a beautiful prayer from St. Francis of Assisi. I have this prayer hanging in my office to remind me every day of the rich meaning of these profound words. You are all probably familiar with this prayer but I would like to share it with you today because I believe this prayer will undeniably open your heart, as it has mine. It has made a lasting impression on my spirit and I pray you are blessed from it!

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek,

To be consoled, as to console,

To be understood, as to understand,

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving, that we receive.

It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned.

It is in dying, that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen

 

May you be an instrument of peace and love!

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