Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,
The universe is speaking to me through the heart about heartfelt living!
It began with the synchrodestiny (a Chopraism) of listening to an interview on one of my fav spiritual podcasts: Insights on the Edge. (I think I mentioned Tami Simmons in my last post and her wonderful team at Sounds True who produce this podcast.) Sarah Blondin is an author and spiritual teacher, and her latest book, Heart Minded: How to Hold Yourself and Others in Love, prompted the podcast interview that began my journey into heartfelt living. The interview is called Kneeling at the Doorway of My Heart.
Kneeling at the doorway of my heart, as a phrase, resonated with me - such a humble honouring of the heart. Sarah spoke of concepts such as 'heart mind', 'living a heartfelt life' and 'making decisions through the heart'. Heart choices rather than mind choices. During the interview she guided listeners to think, feel, see and listen using the heart.
There is so much bitterness, frustration, fear, confusion and difficulty in the world at the moment. And there is also so much beauty, brilliance, creativity, wonder and joy. With every challenge that presents itself, we have the choice to let our hearts implode or open. With this month's focus on the heart I feel equipped and inspired to face both the shadows and the sunshine with love, creativity and wonder. I choose to fill my heart with unconditional love and light.
In beginning this month of heartfelt living. I brought my attention to the heart through every aspect of my physical, spiritual, emotional, and teaching practice, using the framework and resources outlined below, some of them practised every day and some once a week.
- Nurturing and balancing the Heart Chakra: The heart chakra is the balance point for all the chakras. It governs how we interact with others, our personal values and our ethics. This chakra allows us to follow our own unique direction in life.
- The heart chakra colour is green, which symbolizes harmony, creativity, health, abundance and nature. When the heart chakra is balanced we are able to communicate with others intuitively. We are more likely to practise forgiveness and understand that we are are all one, connected with each other and the universe. We are able to let go to be present in the here and now. Supportive foods for balancing the heart chakra are leafy greens, including zucchinis, celery, beans, avocados and mung beans. Green tea and raw nuts are also helpful. Beneficial practices include deep breathing with shoulders drawn back and down opening the heart and chest, long slow walks, swimming, and shoulder and neck massages. The sacred sound of the heart chakra is Yam. The crystal is emerald malachite or jade. The essential oil is rose and I have been burning rose oil in the oil burner in our studio where we meditate and practise yoga asana. It's divine and creates a wonderful ambiance.
- Yoga Asana (physical postures) to nourish, support and open the heart chakra. I have supplied the Sandskrit name of the pose as well as the everyday name. I practised these asanas regularly three to four times a week throughout the month: Warrior 1 and 2 pose (Virabhadrasana), Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Side Angle pose (Parsvakonasanda ), Chest to Leg extension, hands in reverse prayer pose, (Parsvottansana), Heroes pose (Virasana), Camel pose (Ustrasana), Child's pose (Balasana), Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana), plus other heart and chest opening poses.
- Pranayama (Breathing exercises) - breathing deeply into the heart, raising the vibrational level of the heart chakra. Lion's breath and Full Yogic breath can both be found on YouTube.
- Podcasts: I recommend Tara Brach's 'Listening with Ears of the Heart', and Sarah Blondin's 'Kneeling at the Doorway of my Heart'.
- Gratitude: Remembering to give or find gratitude (saying thank you) when feeling resentment or frustration. This is a challenge, looking for something to be grateful for in a frustrating or compromising situation. Flipping the emotion. It works every time.
- Meditation: Using the mantra seed of Sankalpa (san kal pa) when meditating and repeating this mantra in my head to develop heart/mind focus. Sankalpa reminds us that intent is the woven thread of the universe, and our intention is the seed that is let go into the universe to grow and manifest. 'Grounding into the Heart' by HeatherAsh Amara is a wonderful meditation you may be able to find on YouTube.
- Facebook: Join the HeartMath Institute, Stateofbeingom, and the Heart Mind Institute for interesting articles and information about creating and developing a heartfelt life.
- Ahimsa: is Patanjali's first Yama from the Yoga Sutras. Ahimsa symbolises nonviolence. When you practice Ahimsa you have complete compassion towards all living things, including yourself. Ahimsa reminds us that we are all connected. When we hurt a living thing we hurt ourselves. Ahimsa acknowledges karmic living - how we treat others determines how much suffering we experience. Ahimsa asks us to relinquish irritability to make space for peace. Replace a negative thought with a positive thought!
