When the great poet Rumi wrote “you have to keep breaking your heart until it opens,” he was not talking about the physical organ. He was talking about an emotional experience that many of us are familiar with. Emotional heartbreak can cause great pain and suffering, but it can also lead to breakthrough. With each heartbreak, we learn how to give and receive love more fully. The heart chakra develops between ages 21 and 28, when most of us are exploring romantic relationships. It is a time when we are forced to face the painful wound of rejection, which occurs when we courageously reveal our romantic feelings toward another and find that those feelings are not reciprocated. Many of us are cloaked in too much armor to fully receive love from others. Until self-love has been generated and sustained, unconditional love cannot be shared or received. This is the work of the heart chakra. For those who are a bit more physically adventurous, add a camel pose to your routine. Stand on your knees with your toes curled under and your knees hip-width apart. Place your hands on the back of your pelvis for support. Engage your core to support the low back. Drop the head back and open the chest, gently backbending and using your hands for support. Push your thighs and hips forward, and do not rotate your neck as you backbend as far as you comfortably can. If you are experienced and warmed up, you can drop your hands to the heels and deepen the backbend. It is not uncommon for fear to come up in this pose. Opening the heart chakra can be scary! May I feel safe. May I be healthy. May I be joyful. May I know love. Next, visualize someone in your life whom you love or appreciate. Wish them the same phrases of loving-kindness: May he/she feel safe. May he/she be healthy. May he/she be joyful. May he/she know love. Next, visualize someone in your life whom you have conflict with or someone whom you find challenging. Wish them the same: May he/she feel safe. May he/she be healthy. May he/she be joyful. May he/she know love. Sit in meditation for five minutes, bathing in the feelings you have generated for yourself and others. Eastern philosophy threads through all of Matluck’s work. Combining over a decade of experience working in conventional and alternative medicine, she brings a truly holistic lens to medicine, addressing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual obstacles to health. Prior to opening a private practice in New York City, Matluck spent eight years at One Medical Group and has delivered onsite wellness workshops at countless prominent companies. She is also the founder of Seven Senses, where she leads transformational wellness experiences throughout the world.
