A Simple Exercise to Open Your Heart Center

The need to open the heart center is something that comes up frequently in client sessions. We can close our hearts all too easily at this point in time. We may also close them at any time when we've been hurt. Most often, it's a protective mechanism. The thing is, when our heart (our heart chakra) is on some sort of lockdown, we're unable to process love or intuition effectively.

We have the ability to change that; to heal our heart chakra and open it simultaneously. It's beautifully simple.

A simple exercise to open your heart center: 

Make yourself comfortable, wherever you may be. Take these few moments just for you. Bring one of your hands (or both, if you like) to your heart center - your sternum. Close your eyes and breathe deeply into your hand, as though you can fill it with your in-breath. (If your hand wants to raise off your chest, allow that expansion.)

Allow your hand to hold that energy at your heart center as you pause... and then breathe out. Breathe into your heart center again. Feel the energy in your hand and your chakra as you pause. Hold the energy as you release your breath. Breathe in again, into your heart center as it's supported by your hand. Pause and feel. Breathe out. When you're ready, open your eyes.

• What did you notice through this exercise?
• What did you feel?
• How do you feel now?

Practice this exercise whenever you wish, and even when you aren't feeling closed off. It does a heart chakra good.

A potentially more challenging exercise to open your heart: 

This exercise was offered up by a client's spirit guides in a recent session, and it's been haunting me (nicely) ever since.

Write yourself a love letter.

By "write," the intent is to put pen to paper. Write yourself a love letter in a manner as if you were writing to the love of your life. Be as effusive as you wish, and as compassionate as you can. Refrain from editing yourself. Say everything and anything you'd offer up to your heart's greatest love. Be reminded that love must start with yourself. Bonus points for using nice stationery. (Not really. You get the intent though, right?)

Something to consider: The more uncomfortable this exercise makes you, the more likely it is you need to do it.

Want to share your experience with this exercise? Have any questions? Please use the comments section.