Week Four: The Heart Cakra

 

Location:  Heart and chest

Colour: Green

Element: Air

Function: Love

Inner State: Compassion, love

Body Parts: Lungs, heart, pericardium, arms, hands

Malfunction: Asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease

(Wheels of Life)

 

In sanskrit, this cakra is called anahata and means unstruck. It is the middle cakra in this model, linking the lower and upper energy centres. As a result, the quality of balance is a dominant feature of work at this level. In a pragmatic sense, reflecting on our work/play balance; our ability to give and receive in equal amounts; our ability to be active balanced with our ability to pause and rest. And going a bit deeper…can we begin to explore our ability to manifest our desires in the physical world with a recognition of our place in a larger reality…to explore both our experience of the physical and spiritual while we allow for magical interplay between the two?

The function of love at the heart centre isn’t so much about passion or falling in love, it’s about cultivating a deep sense of inner peace and harmony that allows us to view the world and play our part with an earthy, grounded openness and trust. It’s about cultivating an awareness that we are all just striving to be happy; that we are all connected:

“Love seems to be the appreciation that we are all little lumps in the same earthly soup which is a little lump in a larger cosmic soup. So, love is an awareness of this beautiful energetic relationship and a natural appreciation of this situation. It doesn’t seem to be a matter of finding love…it’s a matter of being aware of it. It’s not a question of invention but rather of discovery.”

                                                      ~Ken Dychtwald

So, enjoy your leafy greens this week but also take some time to discover the love all around you. Let me know what you notice!

 

Questions to ponder:

Are there relationships in your life that could use some healing? Is there a simple first step you could take this week?

What is your understanding of forgiveness? Are there people you need to forgive? Are there people working to forgive you?

Do you get back what you put out emotionally?

Is there a balance in your life between giving to others and giving to yourself?

Practices to strengthen the heart cakra:

When you are out walking, at work, or running errands, start to notice the colour green. Let it jump out at you!

Create an expression of gratitude to say before each meal.

Sing or listen to music while you prepare your food…this helps to open the heart and allows the food to take on a higher vibration.

The element associated with the heart is air so focus on your breath this week…while you eat, walk, move, and  speak. Stop throughout the day and take 3 deep, conscious breaths.

Share a meal this week with someone you love.

Eat one colourful, raw food meal each day this week. Chew thoroughly and observe if you feel different by the end of the week.

Be curious about how you show love and care to others. Just notice your patterns and tendencies this week.

 

Foods to strengthen the heart:

As you go about your week, try to incorporate one of these foods into each meal. As you prepare and eat your meals, take the time to acknowledge that you are adding these foods in order to engage the energy of love.

But don’t leave the root, sacral, and solar plexus cakra-s behind! Continue to refer to the tips in previous entries so that by the end of the 7 weeks, you will have built a collection of simple tools to nourish your entire physical and energetic being.

Cruciferous Vegetables: In general, you can’t go wrong by selecting vegetables to nourish the heart cakra. They provide both grounded energy (because of their connection to the earth) and expansive energy because of their upward direction of growth (other than root veggies, of course). If you take a moment to really observe cruciferous vegetables, there is an even stronger heart cakra connection as they have sort of a spiraling quality that mimics that of an energetically open heart cakra. So this is the week to fill your grocery cart with foods such as broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, kale…

Chlorophyll Rich Foods: When we eat colourful foods, we are ingesting phytochemicals. These nutrients serve a myriad of purposes in our body. Chlorophyll is one example. In plants, it converts light into energy and so you could imagine chlorophyll rich foods delivering nourishing light to the cells of your body. Chlorophyll also binds toxins, cools the body, and offers some anti-inflammatory qualities.

Sources: alfalfa grass, barley grass, chlorella, green veggies, spirulina, wheatgrass (many of these are available in powder form and are easy to add to smoothies)

Green foods: Why not be playful and see how many creative ways you can bring green into your diet this week! Be conscious each time you eat green food so that your mind and energy body are connected in your efforts to engage the heart cakra.

Sources: artichoke, arugula, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, green cabbage, celery, chard, collard greens, cucumber, dandelion greens, green onion, green pepper, spinach, zucchini, avocado, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwi, pear, green beans, edamame…

 

Recipes:

JUICE: This is your chance to experiment with leafy greens! There is really nothing better for all the cells of our body. The chlorophyll in greens cools our cells and protects them from “invaders” because of the high antioxidant content. For taste, start with a base of lemon, apple, ginger, cucumber and then add a few stalks of kale, collard greens, or romaine lettuce…Celery is also a wonderful cleanser. Doing a daily shot of wheatgrass is beneficial for some people as it builds blood and deeply nourishes the cells of the body.

GREEN SMOOTHIE: The possibilities are endless…this is an example!

Blend:

1 cup water

1 large handful of fresh greens (kale, spinach…)

Add:

½ banana

1 handful of frozen berries

heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

scoop of good quality protein powder

1 TBSP unsweetened coconut

1 TBSP raw, organic cocoa powder

 

BROCCOLI, FETA, AND WALNUT SOUP

Olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and chopped (I use sweet potato…more colourful!)

1 litre vegetable stock

1 head of broccoli, about 300g, roughly chopped

200g feta cheese

4 tbsp toasted walnuts, plus more to garnish, if you wish

 

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil. Tumble in the onion and garlic, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tender.

2. Add the potato to the onion mix. Pour in half the stock. Simmer until the potato is tender, 10-15mins.

3. Add the remaining stock. Let it warm through. Add in the broccoli. Cook for 3-4 minutes until just tender but still bright green.

4. Add half the feta and the walnuts and then blend. Taste. Add salt and pepper, adjust seasoning, as needed.

Lovely hot or cold. Delicious with little cubes of feta and walnuts scattered on top.

 

SESAME, KALE, AND SPINACH TANGO

1 bag fresh organic spinach, washed

1 bunch dinosaur kale, washed, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 TBSP sesame oil

In a covered saucepan, cook spinach and kale on medium heat until wilted but still bright green. While greens are cooking, use separate pan to stir-fry green onion, garlic, and sesame seeds in sesame oil until seeds are slightly browned. Add to drained, cooked greens. Mix well and serve either hot or chilled.

~Chakra Foods for Optimum Health

 

DESSERT!! Try the Green Goddess Bars on my blog…

Sending you lots of love this week!

 

By Dana on April 30, 2012   /   Dana's Favourites, Featured, Nutrition, Recipes   /   1 Comment