Happy New Moon beautiful people (Thursday)! What does it mean to live from the heart and how can we access this inner potential? The heart is a sacred space of wisdom, intuition, and healing. Today we discuss the benefits of heart-centered practice.
The Science
Did you know that scientists have discovered neurons in the heart? This gives the heart the capacity to think, like a little brain. It has been found that the heart frequently sends messages to the brain via the vagus nerve which signals all areas of the body whether it is safe to heal and feel relaxed.
There have also been studies that show the heart's capability to intuit things from our world and that we can feel things in the heart before we know something with the mind. This is a critical information system that can alert us to danger or attract us to beneficial situations.
What this science is telling us is that we can learn about our world and connect with our intuition through the heart. We can also activate self-healing by creating a calm space for the heart. Being connected with the vagus nerve means that any deep breathing or calming practices will benefit the heart and this will affect the whole body positively. Heartmath Institute
In Healing
The heart has long been associated with love and compassion. In the vedic traditions, they associate the heart and thymus gland with the heart chakra, called the Anahata chakra. This chakra is located in the center of the chest and is place of awareness and balance. It is considered the cave that holds the divine spark of consciousness (Hridaya).
When the heart chakra is healthy and active you will be able to easily express your soul creatively. When the heart chakra is hurt or closed off a person can become resentful and rigid which can lead to disease. Heart disease is a top cause of death in the U.S. Most people have suffered some sort of heartache and heart blockage and so it is important to take time to honor and heal this area.
Herbs and Nutrition
Hawthorne berries are the most common herb for noted for heart healing. Other beneficial herbs are roses, lavender, ginger, cinnamon, and hibiscus. These are all lovely blended for tea.
Keeping your heart healthy begins with proper nutrition! It is important to have a good source of Omega 3's in your diet (fish, nuts, and seeds). Improve heart health by reducing or eliminating inflammatory foods that are fried, processed, or foods that have added sugar.
The simple act of giving thanks for your food has a beneficial impact on the heart.
Yoga
​Activate the Heart Chakra​
Heal the Heart Chakra- (email me for the video)​
Mudra for a calm heart-Prayer mudra-Hands togather in front of the heart with the thumbs gently pressing the sternum
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Trusting the Heart
The heart can give us valuable information about the world around us. When we trust our heart we can more easily navigate towards situations that are aligned with our souls. In our culture we have been taught to trust the mind first, however this is not effective without the wisdom of the heart.
Learn to listen to the heart (and weigh things out with the mind). A practice I use is to take a moment and put my hands over my heart and ask a yes or no question. There will be a feeling of expansion or constriction. An uplifted or expansive affirmation is a yes. If there is constriction or heaviness that is a no.
If we are caught in mental loops about whether we should do something or not this could indicate that we are not listening to the heart. We may distrust the heart because we have been hurt or that the world has made us fearful of following the heart wisdom.
Sometimes these wounds take time to heal, but it is important to be aware of because being closed off will limit our experience of joy and bliss, and can create health challenges.
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Living from the heart is honoring our intuition and living from the soul. This action is naturally compassionate and can lead us to greater experiences of joy and love.
With heart,
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The statements here are for educational purposes only. Nothing at Aluna Yoga is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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