Kundalini.Tantra.by.Satyananda.Saraswati

Chapter 7
Anahata Chakra
In kundalini yoga, anahata chakra is a center of great importance. This is because
although awakening from manipura is constant, kundalini has to remain in anahata for
quite a long time.
It is said that in this present age the consciousness of mankind is passing through a
phase of anahata. It means that in many people anahata chakra has started to function, but
there is a difference between functioning and awakening. In most people, anahata is not
completely active, but it functions slightly. Mooladhara on the other hand is very active
and almost awake in the majority of people today.
The word anahata actually means 'unstruck or unbeaten'. And this center is known as
such because of its relationship with the heart, which throbs, beats or vibrates to a
constant unbroken rhythm. It is said in many of the scriptures that there is a sound which
is non-physical and non-empirical, which is transcendental in nature, and this sound is
endless and unbroken in the same way that the heart beats faithfully and continuously
from before birth up until death.
The location point
Anahata chakra is situated in the spinal column on the inner wall, directly behind the
center of the chest. The kshetram is at the heart, and although anahata is known as the
heart center, this should not be misinterpreted to mean the biological heart, the muscular
pump within the chest. Although its physiological component is the cardiac plexus of
nerves, the nature of this center is far beyond the physiological dimension.
In yoga the heart center is also known as hriday-akasha, which means 'the space
within the heart where purity resides'. This chakra is a very delicate center, for it is
directly connected with that part of the brain which is responsible for all the creative
sciences and fine arts such as painting, dance, music, poetry, etc.
Traditional symbology
Although most of the tantric texts say anahata is a shining crimson color, like that of
the bandhuka flower, my experience is that it is blue in color. It has twelve petals and on
each a letter is inscribed in vermilion: kam, kham, gam, gham, anga, cham, chham, jam,
jham, nyam, tam and tham.
The inner region is hexagonal in shape, representing the air element, vayu tattva. It is
made up of two interlaced triangles, symbolizing the union of Shiva and Shakti. The
inverted triangle is the symbol of creativity, Shakti; and the upright triangle represents
consciousness or Shiva. The vehicle, located within the hexagon, is a black antelope,