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.
