Living From the Heart

"The heart is the size of an ocean.

Go find yourself in its hidden depths."

Rumi

Though we have probably heard that living from the heart is the greatest way to find the Love, compassion and joy that we long for in our lives, it can also feel incredibly difficult to break the spell of our busy mind so that we can actually do that. With fear and anxiety levels at an all-time high, most people are finding themselves lost in the madness of their thoughts, and completely unable to settle down into the heart space. The scientist's at the HeartMath Institute are showing us that, when we drop from our chaotic minds and down into the space of the heart, we access a field of intelligence that is far greater than our thinking minds. In fact, research shows that the heart emits an electrical field that is 60 times greater than that found in the brain, and an electromagnetic field that is 5000 times stronger than the brain. This energy can be measured as radiating from the body up to six feet away. The good news is that, through a very easy technique, we can harmonize the mind and heart into a deep coherence; where the guidance, Love and compassion we have been longing for can be accessed at will.

For most humans at this time, this connection between the heart - mind is completely disconnected, as we live almost entirely out of the rational and logical part of our brains. We feel cut off from the Love, joy and even gratitude that make life a wondrous and joyful adventure. Scientific research now tells us that there are very easy ways to reconnect to the heart, and bring the brain from it's chaotic state of over-thinking to a coherent space of clarity. The way to do this is through a technique that has been around for thousands of years and used by practitioners (especially in Buddhism) to connect to the heart of loving-kindness and compassion. The most miraculous thing about this technique is that, according to science, it heals the neural pathways between the heart and brain, and reconnects them in a healthy and balanced way. And it does it in just 72 hours! So, if you're feeling traumatized by life; depressed, sad or completely cut off from your heart, you can heal that connection very quickly by just committing yourself to the technique that I'll be giving below.

This doesn't mean you need to practice for 72 hours straight; just do this technique for 10 minutes a day, and then use it whenever you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, stressed-out or disconnected from your heart. Do it when you wake up in the morning, while you're at work or before you go to bed. Again, science has shown that;, after you practice this consistently, you'll be able to drop down into your heart in as little as three minutes. Science has also shown that, people who practice some form of this technique, also radiate a powerful energy from their chest area, that impacts the people and events around them (see the blog from Oct. 5, The Power of Loving-Kindness).

Here then, is the what you do:

Close your eyes and touch your heart. This could be with your palms, your finger tips, or by putting your hands in a prayer position with them touching the middle of your chest. Don't overthink it!

Come to your breathing and allow it to soften and slow down, as you drop down and feel into the area of your heart space.

Now get a sense of breathing the breath as if it's filled with Loving-kindness, compassion, gratitude and joy down into your heart, and even through the middle of your chest. You might repeat one, or all of these words to yourself as you breathe the FEELING of the words into your heart (Loving-kindness, compassion, gratitude and joy). You can also think of someone or something that you feel grateful for, and love unconditionally (even a pet).

Do this for at least 10 minutes once per day, and do 'tune-ups' of three minutes whenever you feel you need it.

Commit to doing this for three days, which will reconnect and re-establish the neural pathways between the heart - brain; and then continue to do it everyday to keep that connection intact and strong.