The Heart of Leadership: Trust, Vulnerability and Connection

Tamara Tirjak
Dec 16, 2025
5 min read

When I was a child, my parents used to tell me that "Christmas is a celebration of love and family". Back then what this meant to me was that I was even less allowed to argue with my sister than usual, which I obviously wasn't too happy about. Now as a grown-up, living a thousand miles away from my sister and genuinely missing her company during the holidays, I am finally beginning to understand what my parents meant.

While the festive period can easily feel like an invitation to open our wallets and spend money like crazy, it is in fact a time of the year to open our hearts instead and spend quality time with those who matter most to us.

The end of the year also offers a natural pause and an opportunity to reflect not only on our personal lives, but on our leadership journey so far, and find areas of improvement for the new year. We may discover that cultivating more compassion, kindness and trust is the next step in growing from a good leader into a truly great one.

Yogic science speaks of seven chakras, spinning energy centres along the spine, each governing key aspects of our physical and emotional wellbeing. In the West, the idea of chakras is sometimes dismissed as 'esoteric humbug'. If I can't see them on an MRI, then surely they can't be real, right?

But what if chakras are simply a visual representation of our endocrine and nervous systems, the (almost) invisible control centre regulating most of our body functions and emotional state? That is how I like to view them.

Situated in the centre of the chest, the fourth of these seven chakras is the heart chakra, or anahata. In Sanskrit, anahata means "unhurt, unstruck, unbeaten". This refers to the concept of the “unstruck sound”—a vibration that exists without two things clashing. It is the sound of pure, unconditional love, a state of harmony that is possible even amidst the conflicts of life. When this chakra is balanced, we gain access to a deep sense of inner peace and wholeness.

The first (root) chakra provides grounding and stability. That stable root supports the flow and movement of the second (sacral) chakra, feeling safe enough to freely explore our self-expression. The third (solar plexus) chakra works as the body's powerhouse, providing the energy to manifest your purpose in the world. However, power without love is just aggression, so as the fourth chakra, the heart centre governs our ability to give and receive unconditional love.

As the fourth of the seven chakras, anahata is the beautiful bridge connecting our earthly, physical chakras below with our spiritual, celestial chakras above.

Element: Air

Colour: Green

Physical body: Heart, lungs, thymus gland

Processes: Blood circulation, respiration

Emotional Wholeness

This energy centre governs our ability to love unconditionally, practise forgiveness, experience compassion and build healthy relationships with one another.

When the heart chakra is in balance, we are able to form deep and meaningful relationships without attachments and dependency. We are also able to trust those around us and feel comfortable with our own vulnerability.

Since Brené Brown's powerful TED Talk in 2010, vulnerability in leadership has increasingly been understood as being authentic, open and emotionally aware, which builds trust and psychological safety rather than signalling weakness.

A compassionate leader creates safe spaces where ideas can be shared freely, collaboration can flourish, and people feel genuinely seen and valued.

Bridge

The anahata chakra acts as the bridge between the lower and upper chakras. The first three chakras (Root, Sacral and Solar Plexus) govern our physical existence and sense of self in the material world. The upper three chakras (Throat, Third Eye and Crown) connect us to higher wisdom, intuition and spirituality.

The heart chakra is where these two worlds meet. It allows us to live with both feet firmly on the ground while keeping our hearts open to something greater than ourselves.

Benefits of a Balanced Heart Chakra in Leadership

Trust – Enables leaders to empower those around them.
Vulnerability – It builds trust and psychological safety rather than signalling weakness.
Inclusivity – Compassionate leaders create inclusive, safe spaces for their colleagues to thrive.

What Happens When the Heart Chakra Is Out of Balance?

Physically, imbalances may manifest as:

Heart-related issues
Poor blood circulation
Respiratory diseases
Asthma

Emotionally, a blocked heart chakra may present as:

Isolation or loneliness, feeling disconnected from the world
Difficulty trusting others or opening up emotionally
Holding on to resentment or old grudges, unable to find forgiveness
Lack of compassion for others and a feeling of bitterness

On the other hand, an overactive heart chakra can result in:

Lack of healthy boundaries in relationships
Jealousy, co-dependence and possessiveness
Putting everyone else's needs before your own, leading to emotional exhaustion

How to Bring the Heart Chakra Back into Balance?

There are many ways to support the rebalancing of the heart chakra, helping you to find emotional clarity and cultivate kindness and compassion.

Try a few of the tips below, stick with what feels right, and let me know which ones work for YOU.

🟢 Bring the colour green into your home and wardrobe.

🥦 Introduce more green foods into your diet, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, avocado, green apples, and green tea.

💚 Perform small acts of kindness, without expecting anything in return.

📖 Practice gratitude, for example by starting a gratitude journal.

🧘‍♀️ Meditation Practice:

Begin any meditation by grounding into your physical body. Direct your breath into your lower abdomen, and let the rhythmic rise and fall of your belly be your anchor. When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to this flow. I found the practices outlined in Deeper Mindfulness especially valuable for this.
Using your hands, form one the hand gestures for this energy centre, for example the vayu mudra, the gesture for the element of air, by using your thumb to press the tip of your index finger to the base of your thumb, while keeping your other three fingers extended.
Chant the seed mantra of this chakra (YAM), or find a track on your favourite music player with this chant. Alternatively, use a track with the Solfreggio frequency of 639Hz, which is said to resonate with this chakra.

😤 Breathing Technique: Practice alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), which fosters emotional peace. Sit comfortably with a straight spine. Gently close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, lift your thumb, and exhale smoothly through the right nostril. Inhale back up through the right nostril. Exhale left, and continue this rhythm, ensuring the breath is effortless and smooth.

💬 Affirmation Practice: Choose an affirmation to repeat to yourself daily, saying it aloud to yourself while looking into your own eyes in a mirror. Repeat this until you start believing it. Or turn it into a piece of lettering art to put on your wall, desktop or phone lock screen to keep reminding yourself. Some examples:

I am open to giving and receiving love.
I forgive myself and others.
I am worthy of love.
I live in a state of grace and gratefulness.
I am in harmony with myself and others.

🙏 Yoga Practice: Regularly include the following heart opening poses in your asana practice. Camel Pose (ustrasana), Cobra (bhujangasana), Bridge (setu bandhasana), Dancer Pose (natarajasana), Seated Twist (ardha matsyendrasana), Bow Pose (dhanurasana), Wheel (urdhva dhanurasana), Wild Thing (camatkarasana).