Grief, Inflammation & Our Anahata Chakra

tears flow.

We have to look each other in the eye now. Masks allow for that. It slows us down. We spend much of the day processing responses to our unconscious biases. We read clothes, accessories, posture. We judge. But the eyes — you’ve read the poetry — they reveal a body language unmuzzled by the human experience.

One million of us died this year from our own selfishness and fear and confusion. We have to look each other in the eye on that.

The correlating grief you feel is not simply a mental issue. It also causes inflammation in the body.

Practice setu bhanda sarvangasana for relief. This gentle backbend opens the anahata (heart) chakra. It allows us to forgive. And it also, literally, scientifically calms inflammation.

Stay hydrated and eat greens (the color associated with the anahata) to support quelling the rage, before it consumes the subtle body.

Say, “Yum,” the mantra for this chakra. It’s gratitude that we’ve lacked.