Here’s a revisit from a heart centered post I wrote 3 years ago. Reading it again today resonated deeply with me, so I knew it would with you, too. Enjoy…
heal your heart chakra
“The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” ~ Helen Keller
With all the heart shaped chocolates and love themed cards in stores, if you didn’t know it was Valentine’s Day in the US, you’d think we were a culture obsessed with the heart and all of it’s metaphors.
In a way, we are a people obsessed with the heart…
Physically, the heart is an organ that pumps blood to our entire body system. From the moment the heart begins to work in our mother’s womb until it’s last beats, our life surrounds the heart’s ability to do it’s thing.
Symbolically, the heart is a connector between spirit and body. In yogic philosophy, where the heart lives in our body is often referred to as the unstruck or pure or burden free place. Energetically, the heart symbolizes our love and ability to give and receive love unconditionally.
Think of all the ways that we use the heart to describe our feelings, as in these idioms:
::: My hearts not in it, living with a heavy heart, you wear your heart on your sleeve, have a change of heart, a man after his own heart, you have a heart of gold, home is where the heart is :::
It’s pretty safe to say that the heart represents our inner guidance, our sense of being, and our deepest emotions, right?
I invite you take some time today to check in with yourself, and feel where your heart lives in your body. Does that area feel tight or congested? Does that area feel flexible and open? Take a few breaths and notice how your heart area feels, and in noticing ~ send yourself some love.
What would it look like if you listened to your heart’s message every day? How would your creativity flourish if you followed your heart?
Simply put, if your heart isn’t in what you are doing, you aren’t in it.
If you are not present in your life, then your ability to see your life as a vibrant and creative and valuable thing diminishes over time.
As we prepare to celebrate a day that is all about the metaphysical heart, here are some exercises you can do to strengthen your connection to your heart, both physically and energetically:
1. Write yourself a love letter. It may sound cliché or downright weird, but to be able to write a letter to yourself can heal your heart in wondrous ways. Write your love letter from the voice that you’re writing to a friend to remind her of her beauty. In your letter, include all the things you love about yourself. Open yourself to feel the unconditional love that surrounds you.
2.
Surround yourself with the color green.
In the rainbow spectrum of light, green is found right in the middle of the true spectrum. In the human body, the physical and metaphorical heart is also considered our center, our middle point between the lower body and upper body. The color green, in nature, paint, or in your foods, reminds you of the balance that resides in your heart.
3. Give appreciation. I try my greatest to let those I appreciate know it, and to know it often. Speak your appreciation to a friend at the end of your conversation. Say thank you to your cashier when she hands you a receipt. To give love and appreciation shows the world that you are open to receiving an abundance of love, at anytime and anywhere.
4.
Do chest opening exercises. Chest opening exercises not only feel great, but they energetically open your heart to give more compassion. My favorite chest opening exercise is to put a firm pillow or bolster on the floor or on my yoga mat. Then, I lie on the pillow so the pillow is positioned in the middle of my back. I stay there for a while, just breathing and letting my chest area open up-check out
this picture for a visual. If you do yoga, incorporate
cobra pose,
sphinx pose, or
dhanurasana into a morning practice.
Do a chest opening exercise everyday and start to see more compassion enter into your life.
5.Roses, roses, roses.
True, I am wild about my name, but that’s not what I’m getting at here. Give yourself some roses (as I did in the above picture!).
The smell of a rose has been known, throughout the ages, to be a reminder that you are loved. Also, the rose has been linked, in tale and image, to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Also, rose quartz is a stone known for it’s heart healing properties.
With the essence of rose as your reminder, know you are loved.
The truth about the heart of the matter: you are the heart of the matter. Your entire, beautiful, creative essence is always the heart of the matter. You know best how to unlock your potential, and follow your heart.
Above all, make sure that you stay connected to your beautiful heart, now and always, in all that you do.
From my heart to yours,
If you are looking to get to the heart of the matter of something that you need guidance on, click here to check out my latest offering.
If you are looking to process some of your heart’s emotions, claim your free art lesson by clicking here.
Thank you for that breath of fresh air.