Emotional Anatomy of the Neck and Chest

Heart and soul—the center of courage and self-love

The breastbone starting at the center point at the base or sternum—this is the area where bravery, courage, and pride tend to manifest themselves. What’s also there is self-love. You’ve heard—“Mary has a warm heart to do such a thing.” Or… “Barry has the courage to take on a big challenge in life.”— The energy of courage manifests itself in the ribcage right behind the sternum bone, sometimes referred to as the heart chakra.

By contrast, when a person has a depressed or compressed ribcage, that person decreases their capacity to experience not just self-love, but feeling cared about. Even though other people may care about them, one lowers their capacity for experiencing and feeling that love by closing the ribcage down. They limit their capacity to express caring and courage in life.

Here’s more: You will find that a person has a greater capacity for self-confidence if their ribcage is higher and fuller. As you go higher to the upper part of the breastbone you discover the part of the body that one holds the energy to stand up for one’s self. This is different from speaking up for yourself, which is higher, at the base of the throat, but standing up for one’s self. The energy of courageous compassion is what I’m talking about.

Picture a mama bear with her cubs and how protective she is over them. Imagine the unbridled fierceness that the mama bear has if some other predator or intruder gets near her cubs. She’ll kill that person, that other animal, to drive them away even if it means the cost of her life.

For you and me, this manifests itself in our willingness to take a stand for what we believe in for our, a cause, or for a person we really care about. That energy comes from this part of the ribcage—open it and you’ll expand. Compress it and you’ll be hesitant to speak, or stand, up for yourself, your loved ones, your livelihood, your cause.

The next area is just above the breastbone at what is referred to as the suprasternal notch, at the base of the throat. That is speaking up for one’s self.

When this area is open and free, you’ll be much more willing to say what’s on your mind, to express your truth, and you’ll be able to say it without hesitation. Certainly, tact and talent are part of how the delivery occurs, but the willingness to make the communication in the first place—that shows up at the base of the throat. Open it and you’ve got freedom. Close it and you’ll notice constriction and hesitation.

In fact, the chest and throat tend to close down when a person is making an uncomfortable communication. Imagine someone clearing their throat, coughing and facing down slightly. They’re trying to open this area so that their truth can come out. When this area is open and free, your message becomes much clearer, especially to yourself.

The ego gets stored in the neck. When the neck is rigid, short, pulled down, stiff, and pitched forward, the energy flow for that person gets constricted. When it’s constricted, it prevents the person from being realistic about who they are to themselves and to others. In the absence of a realistic self-view, people tend to paint a picture about themselves to camouflage the absence or confusion their self-esteem.

When you open this area and bring freedom back to your neck, not only your self-confidence, but also your self-perception is much more likely to be accurate, give you a sense of confidence, and one that is compatible with how other people actually perceive you. It’s likely to also complement how you fit into the universe you’ve built around yourself.

In conclusion: Self-love, self-confidence, courage, caring, and compassion are close cousins in the emotional body. The healthier you become, the more open and free your body will want to become. Today, make the commitment to stand up and speak up for yourself or someone or something you care about. You just might change the world!