Meditate on the heart
By Mindy Arbuckle, E-RYT
Many of us go through life with a sense of openness and love for others. We offer our love and compassion to others easily yet can find it difficult to refrain from placing conditions on that love or offering that same amount of unconditional love to ourselves.
There are many ways in which we can connect to our hearts in order to feel a sense of freedom. We can reconnect to nature by taking hikes in the mountains. We can go camping with our friends and family. Getting outside for a run or a bike ride can also help us connect with nature. When we connect with nature we connect with our source. We feel rejuvenated and reconnect with the larger picture of life. It helps us to let go of the small stuff.
Connecting to our vital life force, our prana, is also a great way to free the heart. Our breath is the closest physical connection we have to our prana. So take a deep breath. Breathe in light, life and love. Feel with each inhale the heart expanding its energy and with the exhales let go of things that bind the heart, old emotions that no longer serve you, hatred, anger, anxiety, etc. Feel cleansed with the exhales.
A simple meditation that can help us connect to our hearts though nature and our prana can truly inspire the heart’s energy and your love of life and Self.
Find a lovely place outside in which you can meditate. It can be a garden, a park, a spot overlooking beautiful mountain vista or anywhere that gives a sense of connecting with nature. If practicing outside isn’t possible sit near an open window with fresh air. Sit comfortably in a meditative posture and place the hands in Gian Mudra
(gently touching the tips of the index finger and thumbs while extending the other three fingers) resting on your knees. Gian Mudra connects us to the Heart Chakra, the element of air, and the ability to unite with expansion in the body, mind and spirit. Feel the breeze as it gently touches your skin.
Allow the eyes to close and turn your attention to your heart center. Feel each breath coming in and being released. Notice what comes up for you as you breathe and focus on the heart, honor both positive and negative sensations. Relationships, emotional wounds, things that need to be forgiven, sadness, love for others, love for yourself? Whatever comes up allow it to flow freely, do not repress it or push it aside. Feel the flow of your emotions like the free flow of the air that surrounds you.
After a few minutes of feeling the heart use an affirmation to express the change in energy you need at your heart. Some examples are:
- I know great joy and therefore have great energy.
- I am firmly rooted in the earth and free like the air.
- I feel light and carefree.
- I am confident and full of hope.
This meditation is like taking a breath of fresh air and frees the energy at your heart. It helps you to move beyond self limiting boundaries. It helps you to develop you inner beauty and personal magnetism by making you mind and body feel much lighter and carefree.
About the author:
Mindy Arbuckle is the owner of Green Mountain Yoga in Arvada, CO. She has been studying and teaching yoga for most of her adult life and is passionate about helping people through positive and intentional self transformation.
