“There is an ocean of infinite wisdom in you. Put your hand on your heart and feel it beating.” – Jennifer Williamson
Sometimes changes happen in our life that we don’t expect and we have no choice but to shift the direction that we were headed. The pandemic is a great example of how circumstances can create a break in our “normal” lives and we are forced to slow down and take a beat. Big shifts like the death of a loved one, a change in employment or relationship status or an illness, can throw us for a loop, slowing down our usual pace of “progress” and forward motion. Times like these can be frightening, but they can also be an opportunity. An opportunity to embrace the slower pace, to get quiet and to listen within. To prioritize and to spend more time with less noise. Whether you find yourself in a situation like this or not, now is the perfect time to check in with yourself. To hear what the subtle voices within you may be saying. To connect with the wisdom of your heart.
So often in our usually fast paced world, the head must lead. There are so many factors to keep track of, so many balls in the air, stimulus to categorize, analyze, process. Our brains are good at this work. In fact, they are made for it. One could even argue that they crave this type of activity, the busyness, the loudness, making chaos into order, whipping things into shape, keeping us from harm, out of danger. So much is happening inside of our heads and the mind that occupies that space does so much for us. But there is another type of mind besides the brain. There is within us a quieter, deeper, steady mind. A mind filled with intuition, inner knowing and truth. That mind is the Heart.
The heart and the head are friends and they’re very well connected. They communicate with each other constantly and directly. However, often the head is so busy running around taking care of what’s going on outside, that it doesn’t hear the heart, even though the heart is offering valuable wisdom. The heart is the mind of our Authentic Self. It is our anchor into meaning and truth and can serve as our compass and wise guide in times of confusion or distress.
We function very differently when we are centered in our hearts and allow our heart and head to become aligned. Our heart is where our true desires lie, not what the head thinks that we want but what our Authentic Self actually needs. When we are able to tap into and follow the wisdom of the heart, we are able to make conscious choices that make us feel good and match our purpose. This practice of listening to and feeling within the heart, allowing its wisdom to inform the head, is heart centeredness.
Here are just a few benefits of heart centeredness:
#1 – Clarity. When we slow down enough to listen to our hearts, it allows greater clarity to come through. When we’re caught up in our “monkey mind” of a million thoughts about past, present and future, things can get very muddy. Silencing the noise in the head and listening to the wisdom of the heart leads to a wise and clear mind.
#2 – Compassion. The heart is compassionate in its nature. When we feel into our hearts, it is much easier to recognize and care about others. We become more thoughtful and aware of the feelings and experience of others, more understanding, more forgiving, more at peace – and our actions reflect this attitude of compassion.
#3 – Connection. The heart is the portal to deep connection with Self and others. When we connect with our hearts we can feel deeper connection to our own experience, feelings and emotions as well as to the recognition of the deeper connection we share with all beings. The heartbeat of the universe.
#4 – Alignment. When we center ourselves in our heart, we become aligned with what really matters most to us. When we forget to check in with our heart and start following impulses rooted in fear, doubt or egoic thinking, we start to get out of balance and can begin to feel uncertain, strained and even lost. By remembering and reconnecting to our hearts, we are reunited with our most trusted guide to lead us back into right thoughts and right actions drawn from our authentic truth and wisdom.
#5 – Wisdom. The heart holds deep Truth. While the head is usually very busy and often overwhelmed processing thousands of thoughts, sensory input and information; the heart is much quieter, observing without the burden of excess noise. The heart dwells in the more subtle realms of feeling and intuition. It experiences everything that you and your brain do, but the information it receives is direct and clear from the deep source within you. From this inner knowing comes great wisdom of understanding of the truth of your experience and your nature. When we look into our hearts, we are able to access that deep wisdom and use it to inform our minds with crucial information it does not receive from the outside world.
Below are some simple steps on how to connect with the heart and find heart centeredness:
Check in – The first step is to notice yourself, to check in and be mindful in each and every moment. How are you doing right now? How are you feeling? Are you connected with your heart? Can you feel your heart inside your body? How does it feel – open, closed, hardened, shut off, expansive? Can you access your heart? Notice where are you now in relationship to your heart.
Breathe – The breath is an amazing tool that can be used to center ourselves, find calm and focus. Follow this breathing exercise to connect and center with the heart.
1. Start by taking slow, deep breaths. Notice and watch your current breath.
2. Concentrate on making your breaths as even and full as possible, without forcing it. Simply attempt to make the inhale and exhale of even length. You can do this by counting as you inhale and exhale. Allow yourself to pause naturally at the top and bottom of each breath, between the inhales and exhales. Feel the spaciousness there.
3. Watch the breath as it fills your stomach, expands your ribs and then fills your chest. Notice the fullness at the top of the breath. Allow the breath to exhale out of your body completely, pause and inhale once more.
Once you’ve settled into a rhythm of breath that is comfortable for you, bring your awareness to your heart.
4. Imagine the breath filling up the heart. You can visualize the breath as a color or a golden light and watch the breath enter the body and fill the heart with light. Imagine that with each breath the heart expands becoming lighter and brighter until that colored light fills the entire body. Keep going with this for several more breaths. As you breathe, feel the energetic light radiate from the heart center out into all areas of your body. Allow this heart energy to expand beyond the edges of your body, growing larger and wider with each breath.
Try this heart centered breath visualization for 10-20 breaths or as long as you’d like. When you are ready, return to normal breathing but keep the awareness and sensation of your heart expanding.
Open your heart – In times of stress or upset, our hearts may become energetically closed. If you’re having a hard time connecting with feelings of compassion, peace, love and forgiveness, it’s likely that your heart has become “closed”. Meaning, you have become disconnected from the wisdom of the heart and the tender feelings that reside there, most likely in an effort to protect yourself. The thing is, the heart is much stronger than we often realize. When we open our hearts, we connect with a deeper sense of strength that exists in heart centeredness and can help us cope in challenging times.
Opening the heart can happen instantly and be as simple as remembering the heart, connecting with it and being open or it can be more challenging and require a bit more attention and time.
The first step is to notice if the heart is closed – does it feel contracted or difficult to connect with the feelings within it? Place your hands on your heart and breathe into the heart. Visualize any barriers around your heart melting way, softening. Imagine your heart opening and expanding. Allow whatever comes from the heart to come. Heart opening is often accompanied by feelings so you may experience tears or even laughter or joy. There is no wrong or right way to do this, there is only your way. You will be able to feel the heart opening when it does.
Listen to the heart – The heart has wisdom. Once you have remembered your heart, opened it and connected with it, you should be able to hear what it is telling you. Any wisdom or information it has to communicate you will feel in your heart and then understand in your mind. The heart communicates very simply and clearly and you will know it is a message from the heart when you hear it. If there is confusion, complexity or doubt then it is probably not a message from your heart but a thought from your head. Release extra thoughts and be still, focus on the heart and listen. The heart’s message will be one of certainty and love. You will feel it when you hear it, your job is to keep listening.
Remember – Be mindful. Mindfulness is key in remembering to connect, open and listen to the heart. It is easy to forget and for the heart to take a backseat because most of us spend a majority of our lives leading with our brains, preoccupied with the immense amount of stimulus coming from the outside (both good and bad). We must actively remember to check in and to connect with the heart. We need the hearts wisdom to help guide us through all of the outside stimulus. So remind yourself daily, hourly, from moment to moment. What is my heart telling me? Become best friends, because if anyone has your best interests in mind, it’s your heart!
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