Opening the Heart: Heart Chakra Healing in Maternity as We Enter the New Year

Written By Jay D. N

The transition into motherhood is not only physical — it is deeply emotional, energetic, and spiritual. As a new year begins, many mothers find themselves reflecting on who they are becoming, what they are carrying, and what they are ready to release. In this tender space, the heart chakra — the energetic centre of love, compassion, and connection — plays a powerful role.

In maternity, the heart chakra is often stretched wide open. Pregnancy, birth, loss, and the early postnatal period can all awaken profound love alongside vulnerability, grief, fear, and overwhelm. Honouring the heart chakra during this season can support emotional regulation, nervous system balance, and a gentler entry into the year ahead.

What Is the Heart Chakra?

The heart chakra, or Anahata, sits at the centre of the chest and is associated with love, compassion, empathy, connection, and self-acceptance. Energetically, it bridges the lower, physical chakras with the upper, emotional and spiritual ones — making it especially relevant during life transitions like becoming a parent.

When the heart chakra feels balanced, we may experience:

  • A sense of connection to ourselves and others

  • Emotional openness without overwhelm

  • The ability to give and receive support

  • Self-compassion and trust

When it feels blocked or overloaded — something many parents experience — it can show up as emotional numbness, guilt, resentment, anxiety, or difficulty asking for help.

The Heart Chakra in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood

Pregnancy and postpartum are inherently heart-opening experiences. You may notice heightened sensitivity, fierce protectiveness, or deep emotional swings. These are not signs of weakness — they are signs of transformation.

In maternity, the heart chakra is influenced by:

  • Hormonal changes affecting emotional processing

  • Identity shifts and matrescence

  • Birth experiences (including trauma or loss)

  • The intensity of bonding and attachment

  • Changes in relationships and support systems

For some, the heart opens gently. For others, it cracks open suddenly — particularly after a difficult birth, NICU stay, fertility challenges, or baby loss. Supporting the heart chakra can be a compassionate way to acknowledge and integrate these experiences.

Why the New Year Can Feel Tender for Mothers

While the new year is often framed as a time for goals and fresh starts, many mothers and parents feel pressure rather than possibility. Exhaustion, unresolved birth experiences, and unmet expectations can sit heavily in the heart.

Instead of resolutions, the new year can be an invitation to:

  • Soften rather than strive

  • Reconnect with your emotional needs

  • Rebuild trust in your body and intuition

  • Set intentions rooted in care, not productivity

Heart chakra practices encourage exactly this — presence, gentleness, and self-honouring.

Gentle Heart Chakra Practices
for the Perinatal Period

These practices are generally considered safe and accessible, and can often be adapted for pregnancy or postpartum recovery. Individual needs and circumstances vary, so it’s important to choose approaches that feel appropriate and, where needed, to seek guidance from a qualified professional.

1. Breath and Awareness

Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe slowly, imagining the breath moving in and out through the heart space. Even two minutes can help regulate the nervous system.

2. Compassionate Self-Talk

Notice the language you use with yourself. Heart chakra work invites phrases like:

  • I am allowed to need support

  • I am learning as I go

  • This is hard, and I am not failing

3. Restorative Movement

Gentle stretches that open the chest — such as supported heart openers or seated twists — can release physical tension held around the heart. Always adapt movement to your stage of recovery.

4. Connection as Medicine

Heart chakra healing does not happen in isolation. Trusted conversations, community support, and relational care are powerful regulators of the maternal nervous system.



Heart Chakra Support and
Trauma-Informed Maternity Care

For many mothers in the UK, experiences of maternity care are shaped not only by personal history but by systemic pressures. Reports continue to highlight issues such as staff shortages, rushed appointments, lack of continuity of care, and women feeling unheard or dismissed during pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. For some, this can leave lasting emotional imprints — even when outcomes are clinically ‘good’.

When care has felt frightening, disempowering, or isolating, the heart can understandably protect itself. Trauma-informed maternity care recognises that emotional safety cannot be assumed and that trust must be rebuilt slowly, on your terms.

Supportive, heart-led approaches may include:

  • Being listened to and believed, without pressure to reframe experiences positively or to “heal” on a particular timeline

  • Care that prioritises consent, choice, and clear communication — especially after experiences where these were missing

  • One-to-one postnatal support from a doula, offering continuity, emotional containment, and practical care during a time that can otherwise feel fragmented

  • Carefully chosen complementary therapies — such as acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, reflexology, pregnancy-appropriate massage, or gentle, nervous-system-focused breathwork — approached with consent, individual readiness, and qualified support

In this context, heart chakra support is not about opening yourself up before you are ready, nor about cultivating positivity in the face of difficulty. It is about creating conditions where safety, agency, and connection can slowly return — allowing the heart to soften again when it feels able to do so.


An Intention for the Year Ahead

Rather than asking “What should I achieve this year?” you might ask:

  • What would feel most supportive for me this year?

  • What kind of support would I want if I were listening to myself fully?

  • What would make this year feel more manageable, not just meaningful?

This may look like asking for help earlier, setting kinder boundaries, or allowing rest without guilt. In maternity, heart-led intentions are often the most sustaining ones.

How a Postnatal Doula Can Support Heart-Led Care

As a postnatal doula, my work is rooted in presence, compassion, and non-judgemental support. Whether you are navigating new motherhood/parenthood, recovery, or emotional integration, heart-led care offers space to be held — both practically and emotionally.

If the start of this year feels tender, you do not have to carry it alone.

If you’d like to explore heart-centred postnatal support or talk about what you’re carrying into this new year, you’re warmly invited to get in touch.


FAQs: Heart Chakra, Maternity, and Emotional Wellbeing

Q1. Is heart chakra work safe during pregnancy?

Yes — gentle, non-invasive practices such as breathwork, awareness, rest, and emotional support are safe in pregnancy. Always avoid intense physical practices unless guided by a qualified professional.

Q2. Can heart chakra practices help with postnatal anxiety or low mood?

While not a replacement for clinical care, heart-centred practices can support emotional regulation, self-compassion, and connection — all important protective factors in postnatal mental health.

Q3. What if I feel emotionally numb rather than overwhelmed?

Emotional numbness is a common protective response, especially after difficult experiences. Heart chakra support focuses on safety and pacing — there is no rush to feel anything before you are ready.

Q4. Do I need to believe in chakras for this to help?

Not at all. You can view heart chakra work as a framework for emotional awareness, nervous system care, and relational wellbeing.

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Jay D. N
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