Speaking From The Heart

Within your heart there is another brain. This is a scientific fact first discovered in 1991 and published in the Neurocardiology Journal a few years later. Studies show that the heart contains a neural network very similar to the one in the brain which is composed of around 40,000 sensory neurites and, has a magnetic field that is 60 times stronger than that of the brain.

The heart’s brain not only stores memories but can act independently from the cranial brain. Heart transplant patients have shown this over and over again.

It is also proven that when the brain waves are in coherence with the heart waves, magic happens. It’s what we recognize as those moments of wonder, of deep knowing, of creative inspiration, of connection with the Spirit.

Like the brain which is often a field of incessant chatter, the heart is continuously flooded with feelings that are a product of these thoughts. These feelings are meant to come and go enhancing our human experience. However, because most of them are emotions that we perceive through stored memories of past experiences and are reluctant to fully feel them, they get stuck within our energetic body.

Just as grief and sorrow when not allowed expression lodge in the front of the heart area, anger and resentment are held behind it creating tension in the upper back, shoulders, arms and hands and blocking the flow of energy in our bodies. In order for the heart energy to flow freely and be able to be expressed in a coherent mind-heart manner,  these stuck emotions need to be released in some way. Healing Yoga is just one of the ways this can be done. Quieting the mind and focusing attention on the heart area allows for spontaneous releases to happen.

New science is showing us that there is a field of consciousness through which we are all connected. According to Gregg Braden who has closely worked with these studies at the Heart Math Institute, “this field is the incubator for our reality. Together we create the healing or the suffering, the peace or the war.” And while often it may be difficult to accept that we are indeed the creators of our own reality, it might also be our saving grace. The power of our awareness can create all the changes we choose, the instant that we choose them. However, Awareness and Ego cannot coexist. One ends where the other begins.

Human emotion is the language that communicates with this universal field of consciousness.  Emotions such a compassion, gratitude, appreciation and care create the coherence needed for these states of awakening. And bringing awareness to the heart is the first step in establishing that connection.

Speaking and acting from the heart, from the place of heart-throat-mind connection, is a formidable tool for change. It is more powerful than any weapon or forceful action.

You can use this tool to bring about change in whatever way that moves you. Once you make the connection, you begin to walk the talk. You can effectively tap into the field and act in areas that inspire you, relating emphatically with others in ways that you cannot through your intellect alone.

It is up to each one of us to discover our purpose in this greater scheme of things. I, for one, choose to disconnect from toxic political dialogue. I feel that how I can best contribute to creating a better world is by maintaining a positive vibration and rather than using my energy to fuel anger and resistance, use it to inspire others to step into their own power and elevate local causes. I believe change can be most effective where it impacts us most. Reconnecting as neighbors and communities and working for a common good, while using our individual abilities to their best potential, is a win-win for all.

 

 

Opening the Heart

Evolution is currently taking humanity from masculine dominance to feminine empowerment. As the pendulum swings from the yang to the yin, we must shift from the mind to the heart, from thinking to feeling. There is no other way to come into balance.

For many of us this is a difficult transition that requires letting go of ingrained patterns and preconceived notions as to how to approach certain situations. Our thinking mind desires gratification for the ego and that means separation, being better, being more than another. The ego must always be right, therefore the other must be wrong. In this space of thinking there is no place for empathy nor compassion. Competition trumps cooperation.

The heart on the other hand just is. It doesn’t require reciprocity or recognition. And it is always right. Here there is no separation and love rules. It is proven that there is a direct line of communication between the heart and the brain. When it is the heart that commands the action, the results are very gratifying.

In order to move from one mode to the other, there is no better way than to quiet the mind. Once the thinking has stopped, presence takes over. In yoga we use poses to target specific areas of the body. By moving into these areas in full awareness, we can begin to release holdings allowing energy to flow freely.

The front of the heart is the repository of grief. Sometimes the reason for grief is easy to identify,  but at other times we carry grief from situations that are not so obvious. This emotion when thwarted is the main cause of problems with the heart and the lungs. It is also a huge depressant of the immune system. Grief that is not fully experienced, gets stuck and begins to fester like an energetic wound.  The heart is  contracted and in attempting to protect itself, cuts off the flow of love. And since you can only receive that which you project, a cold, distant and hard individual begins to feel very unloved, creating a vicious cycle that eventually manifests as disease.

In order to be released grief needs to be, either acknowledged and expressed through conventional therapy or, addressed in a less painful way through Yoga Therapy. By focusing attention on sensations in the chest  area, you can target this emotional block in a non mental way. Quiet awareness of what it is you are physically feeling moves the energy stuck here. Releases are often accompanied by tears, sometimes intense sobbing. At the time you might not even know where it’s coming from but more often you will glimpse the exact reason behind the tears. By remaining as the observer of what your mind projects without attaching to the story and attempting once again to suppress the feelings, you will allow the emotion to flow through you, lightening and opening the heart.

One of the main heart opener sequences is the Cobra, Locust and Bow. In each of these, the heart lifts expanding the chest area and creating space for breath. Breath moves into the blocks and when the pose is held, begins to dissolve them.

In each of the three poses, the main press point is the pelvis. It is the grounding of the pelvis that creates the foundation for the energetic lift. The extension points vary from the crown of the head in cobra, to fingers and toes in locust, and a complete lift of the body in bow. Moving consciously into each pose and then holding it in quiet awareness, expands the heart area. There is a sense of spaciousness that emerges opening the heart to compassion, the fine balance of the lower and upper Chakras. Supported Fish and Supported Diamond are alternate passive poses that also facilitate this process.

If we consider that love may indeed be the most important element of well being, then any impairment in finding love is a certain path to illness. Bringing attention to your heart area opens it to love and supportive relationships.

Below is a summary of a pertinent study on the subject of happiness and well being.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ted.com%2Ftalks%2Frobert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness&h=ATOXTSRF_FU-yTY0hlWD5yJZqFoWqTwh9rWg3U-i3fIGsYFHgEy98sWqXLsogal2QLiVIBNFZ_VWaRt_kRkUBubg1Nxcog0R_yV_vRTawlGZndFoy_I96bFR0H1PiOCzXqrn6J8T