4 Ways to Connect with the Wisdom of Your Heart.
We have all experienced great flashes of insight. Those moments of genius that seem to appear out of nowhere. They are best described as moments of clarity.
We suddenly know the answer, which way is up, or have a great idea for that painting, song, or project. But, why do these gifts fall from the stars so intermittently? And, how can we tap into this well of hidden knowledge on the regular?
Many recognize flashes of insight as a heart-based phenomena. If you pay close attention, you may even notice changes in your heart rate or beat that occur alongside these moments of brilliance. While we love to associate great ideas with our mind, recent research indicates the heart has a “brain” of its own, and this “heart-brain” may be even more powerful. So, how to connect to this heart-brain?
Here are four powerful ways to connect with the wisdom of your heart and easily access the insight you are looking for.
Breathing. Yes, it is vital for life and many of us now know it can play a vital role in relaxing physiological symptoms. But, do you also know the role your breath has in accessing your heart’s intelligence? It is essential. Why? Because to access information in the heart-brain, we have to first turn down the noise in our head. And the easiest way to do this is through breath.
HeartMath developed heart-focused breathing as a quick and easy way to shift our energy into a place of ease. It goes like this… Take a couple of minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breath. Breathe in to a count of four, and exhale to a count of four (or whatever is a slow but comfortable pace for you).
After you begin to feel comfortable with the pace, turn your attention to your heart, and the area in the center of your chest. Keep up the steady breathing, and imagine the air is entering and exiting from this area. As you do this, try to recall a memory that feels happy or peaceful. Continue this for 1-2 minutes.
Being in this place of ease is essential to receiving insight. That is why we so often have flashes on intuitive thought when in the shower, or while driving… when we finally release the grip our mind has on whatever issue we have been playing in our head.
Once you are feeling at ease through heart-focused breathing, go back to that issue and ask for some insight. You may be surprised by the wisdom that emerges.
Writing. We are far more conditioned to read in an effort to gain information than to write. However, that only works when accessing brain intelligence. To access our heart’s intuitive guidance, we need to be open to finding the information from within while ignoring the multitude of information coming at us from the external world.
One of the best ways to gain clarity on what is in our heart is to write. Free-write, automatic write, just write. And, when you finally drop out of your head and into your heart, you will find the answers emerge on the paper like magic.
Meditation. Similar to breathing and writing, meditation helps us leave the flurry of ideas, worries, thoughts, and chatter that is almost constant in our head and blocking our ability to hear messages from our heart. While some people have trouble with traditional sitting meditation, any form of meditation or mindfulness will get your heart space strengthened. Try yoga, tai chi, or walking meditation.
Nature. Many people are very aware of the power of nature, but I am still surprised by how many are not. Or, how many people realize how helpful nature is in producing feelings of ease and insight, but they still don’t make the time to regularly connect with this readily accessible tool.
Being in nature has a calming effect on the brain. It bombards our senses with calm in a world where we are used to being overstimulated by synthetic sensory input. The sounds, smell, and sights provide relief and can almost immediately engulf our body and mind, giving it something it craves. Being in nature allows us to drop out of our head and connect with our body, allowing those great insights to pour in.
***
Dr. Anne-Marie Conn is a holistic health coach, wellness researcher, writer, professor, mother, wife, nature-lover, free-spirit, and rebel. She specializes in helping successful, busy people integrate holistic practices into their daily routine to overcome feelings of stress or overwhelm and reconnect to a deeper, truer part of themselves. Through heart-centered holistic practices, goal-setting, and critical inner work, Anne-Marie empowers her coaching clients to create the vibrant, passion-filled life that their heart has been begging to live. You could contact her for a free introductory session via her website, Instagram or Facebook.