A culture of heart is emerging into the world. We are moving from a culture of the mind. The mind has gotten us where we are today. It will be the heart which leads us forward into a new era.
How can we think about the heart? The heart is physical, emotional and spiritual. The heart synthesizes and the mind analyzes. Our core self is located inside our hearts. The heart is the basis for all religion. A mystic is one who connects with the divine current through meditation practices. Anyone can do this.
I teach and practice a type of meditation called Heart Rhythm Meditation. This is a type of heart meditation. The focus is on the breath and the heartbeat. Breath awareness and control is common to meditation but concentration on our heartbeats is unique to this practice. Did you know you can hear your own heartbeat? You can. Anyone can. It’s comforting once you find it and hear its steady beat.
The first sound a newborn hears in the womb is the mother’s heartbeat. The first organ to form in a newborn is the heart. It starts to beat first. Then everything else develops from that. We have a primal feeling for the steady sound of the heartbeat.
The heart is the main clock in the body. It is much slower than the mind. So we listen to our heartbeat or pulse and synchronize our breathing with it. Connecting with this clock slows down our minds because the mind moves at a rhythm much faster than the pulse. The heart is our inner clock that we can glance at any time we want.
Exhaling 6 beats out and inhaling for 6 beats. This creates a balanced breath. And then an amazing thing happens . The rhythm of the heartbeat starts to follow the rhythm of the breath. The heartrate slows and our heart rhythms become a smooth, rhythmic wave. The heartrate actually becomes entrained with the breath rate. This is called Cardiac Coherence by scientists. It’s a state where your immune system, hormonal system, cardiovascular system and nervous system are working in harmony. The more coherence you create, the less stress.
Bio-feedback devices can show you your own heart rhythms through what’s called “heart rate variability”. Research shows that a low HRV is a predictor of early mortality. So increasing our HRV and creating our own heart coherence is healing for our heart.
Our physical heart benefits from coherence. There’s much less stress and much more resiliency. We can stretch our energetic hearts to connect with life. This is done with the breath. Breathe rhythmically and slowly and more deeply and quietly. Your blood pressure will begin to come down. Your heartrate will slow.
Our mind and body, heart and emotion become one in meditation. Stay aware of your heartbeat. It keeps you centered in the vastness. Stay present to what’s happening in your body.
There is a wisdom to how we feel about things. Feeling comes from the heart. What is your heart saying? Listen to your heartbeat. That’s how you start listening to your heart. Find its physical beat in the middle of your chest. Put your hand over your heart. That will bring your attention to your heart.
Now breathe rhythmically and imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart. This is called heart breathing. It’s very simple and relaxing.
Your heart contains a wish that has been with you your entire life. If you meditate on this, on your heart, you will remember what that wish is. It may have been covered up by life’s experiences but it’s always been with you.
To live from the heart is to listen to your heart’s guidance and trust in its wisdom and power. The secret law of attraction comes from your heart. What you send out from your heart is what comes back to you. So send a lot of love to whatever it is you want or need. It’s like a mirror that reflects back to you what you put out.
Let your heart open and expand. This is the message of the heart.
My name is Curtis Simpson and I am the publisher of the Healthy-Heart-Meditation website. One of the first things I do each morning is meditate. I go to my meditation chair, gently close my eyes and connect with my breath. 20 minutes of this practice each day is both healing, and empowering. This is an authentic meditation practice that has many benefits for us in the modern world.
For me, Heart Rhythm Meditation is the best meditation practice. The practice is easy to do. I can do it anywhere, and it gives me results. I want a healthy heart that is physically strong, emotionally resilient, and spiritually connected.