What Is the Fourth Chakra?

The fourth chakra, or heart chakra, is commonly known as anahata in Sanskrit. This chakra, or spiritual energy center, is said to be located over the breast bone, and is believed to be the seat of loving and intuitive feelings. The energies of the fourth chakra are said to be those of emotional wholeness, trust, love, forgiveness, and compassion. Emotional traumas are believed to do injury to the heart chakra. People experiencing blockages or imbalances in the heart chakra may struggle with negative emotions such as fear, depression, loneliness, shyness, hate, jealousy, and anger.

The colors pink and green are typically associated with the fourth chakra. This chakra is often called the heart chakra, and it's considered to be the seat of human emotions, especially love and acceptance. Loss of personal relationships, whether through death or separation, can impair the energies of the heart chakra. Issues of low self esteem are believed to reside in the heart chakra. Clearing and balancing the heart chakra is believed to help facilitate emotional healing from trauma and loss, and may also help facilitate the healing of physical ailments related to grief.

The cardiovascular system, lungs and heart are the physical structures believed to fall most heavily under the influence of the heart chakra's energies. Blockage or imbalance of the heart chakra's energies may contribute to diseases of the lungs and heart, including asthma, and pneumonia. Cancers, including lung cancer and breast cancer can occur. Problems with the shoulders and upper back may manifest.

Emotional problems that often accompany blockage or imbalance of the heart chakra's energies may include depression, loneliness, and feelings of shyness. A blockage of the heart chakra's energies can impair the capacity for forgiveness and the ability to empathize with others. When the energies of the fourth chakra are well-balanced and the chakra is clear, powerful feelings of self-love and self-acceptance are said to emerge. Persons with a clear, balanced heart chakra are said to be compassionate, forgiving, trusting, and better able to move on from past traumas.

Some people recommend performing acts of love and charity to stimulate the energies of the heart chakra. Yoga practitioners may attempt to stimulate the heart chakra's energies with backward-bending poses that stretch the chest. Self-acceptance and self-love are considered crucial to the proper functioning of the fourth chakra.