February 16, 2010 – 8:19 pm
February is heart month. Women are encouraged to wear red to bring awareness to physical heart health and, of course, Valentine’s Day is the expression of the emotional heart, love. As I was perusing my bookshelf for a bit of inspiration for my monthly newsletter, I came across a wonderful book, The HeartMath Solution. I bought it last summer at the National Wellness Conference and had forgotten about it until now. Coincidence? The intelligence of my heart knew it was time. So, here it is…. a brief (very brief) introduction to some of the ground-breaking research on the wisdom of the heart.
The Institute of HeartMath
has been the leader in research on the heart and health. The HeartMath system offers an innovative view of psychology, physiology, and human potential as it relates to the heart’s innate ability to balance emotions and thinking. In The HeartMath Solution, Childre and Martin, offer a set of heart power tools…. or behaviors that, fueled by sincerity, strengthen the heart muscle. Sincerity “powers up” the heart, motivating it and aligning it with our intentions. “Sincerity is the generator that brings core heart feelings into coherence and gives them power.” The more sincerity one can muster when applying the suggested heart power tools, the more power they’ll have.
The Heart Power Tools
Power Tool #1: Appreciation
Generally appreciation means some blend of thankfulness, admiration, approval, and gratitude. According to the research, as one sincerely focuses on feelings of appreciation, the nervous system naturally balances itself. That means, biologically, all systems in the body , including the brain, work in greater harmony. This harmonious state creates an electromagnetic fieldthat radiates and resonates an “ordered, coherent pattern” emitted from the heart, benefitting every cell in the body. AND, this emotional resonance sent out from a coherent heart works like a magnet, attracting people, situations, and opportunities. In a state of appreciation, one’s energy is more buoyant and spirited, contributing to improved mental and emotional states.
To begin: Write down all the things you can appreciate about your life.
Power Tool #2: Nonjudgment
“True heart-based discrimination is very different from head-based judgment.” To discern if you are assessing from your heart or your head, consider how “neutral” you are about your opinions. Nonjudgment is generous and allowing…that’s not the same as agreeing with everything or everyone. Rather, feelings of compassion and appreciation for ourselves and others are present and available. Heart-based discernment offers wholeness and allows one to invest less energy in the judgments and opinions that we form about ourselves, others or the situation… or in other words – less attachment to howwe think it SHOULD be.
Practicing nonjudgment: Cultivate a state of balanced neutral by surrendering the mind to the heart. ASK -What if the situation isn’t the way you think it is, or so what if it is? By not forming opinions or making hasty assumptions, you leave yourself open to the truth… and from that place, your heart can come on-line and your perceptions will shift. Once you are in neutral and your heart is engaged, activate your appreciation, generate compasssion and you’re “plugged-in” to a higher intelligence.
Power Tool #3: Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is simply the most energy-efficient option you face, and the only one that will foster health and well-being. It frees you from the toxic, debilitating drain of holding a grudge. Don’t let villians live rent-free in your head. If they’ve hurt you in the past, why let them keep hurting you year after year in your mind?” Here’s more…. “Ultimately, the one thing – the only thing – that can dissolve old resentments and hurts is love, the mother of all heart power tools. Approach forgiveness by increasing the power of love you send to yourself, and then apply that love to forgiveness.” AND “above all, don’t hesitate to turn the power of your love inward if you need to. As hard as it is to forgive someone else, it’s sometimes much harder to forgive ourselves.”
Caution: Watch out for compromised forgiveness. While it is great to make an effort, going halfway doesn’t get the job done. If you find yourself saying… I’ve forgiven ___, BUT…. , you may discover years later that the memory of the situation continues to cause discomfort. That’s because the forgiveness was not complete and old patterns are repeated.
In closing, I hope I have aroused an interest in further exploration of the heart’s wisdom. Certainly we do not require research to prove what we intuitively know and have known – that the intelligent heart has always been here, waiting for us to awaken to its presence.
May your mind be of service to your awakened heart….
Peggy
http://creatingheartconnections.com
Posted in Creating Heart Connections, Heart, Self Care for the Soul, Wellness | No Comments »
Wisdom.
healthcare professionals, alternative healers, the world wide web, and your best friend’s cousin’s grandma who knew someone who is dealing with a similar malady. I find myself surrounded by well-meaning experts advising me on the best practices or healing modalities. I don’t deny the truth of their claims or experiential knowledge but instead of helpful advice, I hear a litany of “shoulds.” and I shut down.
his ride. As an occupational therapist I have often been impressed by the different ways people adapt their self care tasks, work and leisure activities.
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