"Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I will meet you there." ~Rumi
I could probably leave it right there with a beautiful Rumi quote...but I want to expand how this relates to the interconnectedness and equanimity of the heart chakra.
The heart chakra is the connecting point. It connects the bottom three physical, instinctual chakras with the higher three etheric chakras.
It connects our internal world with the external world.
The heart chakra is also where we connect with each other. This isn't just a sentiment...we literally connect with each other through the field of energy located in the heart. There is an invisible energetic thread that joins us with each other through a web of connection.
You might be wondering...if this is the case why do we feel so disconnected and even divided?
The heart chakra is a vulnerable place. It is where we feel our emotions deeply. As children we are very vulnerable. So as we grow up we develop defense mechanisms that will keep us safe and our heart protected. These are survival strategies.
This shields us from experiencing pain and our own emotions, which may be necessary at times. But we may discover down the road that the shields block us from experiencing joy and the information our emotions can give us as well.
And when the heart is blocked we no longer feel the connection we have to others. We may feel separate, isolated, alone and disconnected.
To open the heart may feel scary and vulnerable.
Which is why when working with the heart chakra it is important to ground ourselves. If we were a plant we would need our roots to be firmly planted in the earth in order for the flower of our hearts to blossom. Otherwise it is not safe.
So we root ourselves in the earth and breath life into our bodies to nourish the heart to open. *cue deep breath!
I'm not going to pretend that doing heart chakra work is easy, or comfortable. It's not. But it does begin with creating stability and spaciousness for what exists in the moment.
The element associated with the heart chakra is air. When our heart is open it is spacious.
In this spaciousness we can hold things with compassion. We can allow our opinions and needs to exist alongside someone else's without having to make them or ourselves right or wrong.
This doesn't mean we are a doormat, it means that we honor and value our own opinions and needs as well as someone else's...even when we disagree. I think this is the field Rumi was talking about. It is the field BEYOND the ego structure of I'm right so you are wrong. It is where we can hold space for each other. This is equanimity, a virtue of the heart.
In this space of equanimity something new can be created. The energy of the heart is healing and promotes growth and expansion. It leads us to new possibilities.
Imagine how many areas of life this may be applied to...both inner and outer.
I recommend starting with something that is NOT super triggering to practice. Start small...see what shifts.
To go deeper, we will be working with the heart chakra this week in Ecstatic Dance. Ecstatic Dance is one of my favorite ways to move energy and move beyond the habitual patterns that we hold in our bodies, emotions and minds. We will breath life into the heart with compassion.
I hope you will join us in this sacred space of connection, I will meet you there!
Photo Credit: Brock Larsen
Wardrobe + Friend Pictured: Joy Larsen
