Oh No, My Heart Chakra’s Blocked!

It happened again. We’re sitting in the Reiki class discussing Reiki treatments and a student pipes up to say, “I don’t know if I can do this, my heart chakra’s blocked”.

The responses in the room are fairly standard. Many of the students make small, sad “oh” sounds. Well, I agree, it certainly sounds awful. Almost like a chronic medical condition.

But, rather than go into the intricacies of what it might mean to have a blocked heart chakra, I ask the student a question.

“How do you know this?”

And she answers, “Someone told me. I was at a psychic fair and this palm reader told me.”

This is the same response I’ve had from every other student who has divulged that they have a blocked heart chakra – “someone told me”.

There are a couple of reasons why I question whether this student’s heart chakra really is blocked.

Most simply, if something like the energy surrounding your metaphysical heart was actually blocked then there’s the likelihood you might not be around to discuss it. Using language like “blocked” is harsh and dramatic. It conjures up a cork stopper that lets not one ounce of compassion through. Yet, compassion is an innate human quality. Sure, we are all guilty of covering ourselves in protective defensive armour at one time or another, ensuring that our beautiful bright light doesn’t shine the way it could… yet always remaining at that core is a glimmer of hope. To “block” the heart is to be completely disengaged from feeling or (from what we learn in a Reiki II class) our natural interconnected state where compassion flows with ease. For students to imagine themselves disconnected like this can be distressing for both themselves and, because of their new personal beliefs, those around them.

We need to consider how affected we are by what others say about us. If someone tells me something about myself, I know that it is subjective and relates to that person’s individual experience of life. This is especially true when referring to energetic states. Always ask yourself, “Can I validate what this person has told me through my own experience?”. Be kind to yourself and trust your inner knowing.

In our roles as teachers we are also influencers, meaning that we must be careful how we address students. Here, the Reiki Precepts again offer their guidance to us. Our choice of language is important and must arise from a compassionate and ego sparce space. To deem a student’s heart chakra blocked is to assume a rare knowledge of the universe, instead we can better remember our humility and duty of care. In this, the system of Reiki has blessed both student and teacher – ultimately, it doesn’t matter if someone’s heart chakra is blocked or not, or even what that might eventually mean. When we work with the system of Reiki, we don’t diagnose, we simply acknowledge that being Reiki, being our true selves, is living in healing.