The heart is recognized by many of the world’s ancient civilizations as a key centre and source of wisdom, spirit, and positive emotions such as love and compassion.  The sense of I dwells in the heart and notice that most of us point to the chest when we say I. The heart is where we experience the consciousness of who we truly are.  In that sense, the heart can be thought of as a physical and spiritual vessel that holds our true self, our essence, our true identity.

By opening or connecting with our heart, we connect with and live from our true self.  We live authentically.  A connection with the heart or heart opening as it is often called, means uniting one’s awareness with the heart and allowing oneself to directly experience the full spectrum of emotions, thoughts, and sensations arising in the present moment with unconditional love and acceptance of the self. 

Physically, heart opening is often experienced as openness, lightness, and expansion in the centre of the chest where the spiritual heart is said to be located (the heart chakra).  When our heart is awakened and open, we experience inner freedom and spontaneity manifested in softness, aliveness and gracefulness of the body.  We are free from shame, guilt, and self-consciousness. 

Many people are not able to perceive this heart opening however, and instead feel a contraction in the centre of their chest, or a closed heart, which is related to mental, emotional, and physical forms of suffering.  The heart is never actually closed and it continues to radiate the energy of life and love, but this energy along with the true self ends up buried under layers of tension of unexpressed feelings, fears and experiences from our past and present.  Because of hurtful experiences, inner walls are often unconsciously erected as a way of coping and protecting the heart.  When this happens, we tend to be reactive and hang on to our hurt. We end up living in a more contracted way as we close ourselves off from not only feeling pain, but also joy and love.

If you would like to develop a deeper connection with your heart and live more authentically, spend a few minutes each day resting in the heart.  Find a moment to sit comfortably, close your eyes, and place your hands over the center of your chest.  Breathe into the heart center and allow any tensions to melt away.  Come to rest in your heart.

You’ve probably heard of mindfulness.  But what exactly is it and how can it lead to emotional and physical wellbeing?

Mindfulness is the ancient Buddhist practice of being fully aware of the present moment with all of one’s being.  It is the conscious directing of our attention to the here and now. 

Let’s try a quick mindfulness experiment.  I’ll invite you to bring your awareness to the experience of reading this article.  If you are currently sitting down, shift your attention to your body and notice how it makes contact with the chair.  Do you notice any points of pressure?  If you are reading this standing on the skytrain, or crowded bus, notice your posture.  Is your body comfortable?  Where are your feet?  What do you notice about your breath?  What are the sensations in your body?  How do you feel in this moment?  Expanded, contracted, sad, happy, curious?

Our culture and daily rhythm is fast-paced and outward focused.  This can lead to feelings of disconnection, stress, anxiety, depression, and so on.  By purposely bringing our awareness to the present moment, we slow down the pace and bring our attention inwards.  When we do that, we may notice emotional or physical pain in our bodies.  If we stay with what unfolds in the here and now without judgment, the act of observation will transform that which we are observing.  For example, if we are aware that we are sad, we observe and allow the experience of sadness.  This may lead to tears, or sobs, followed by peace and calmness.  Being present with what is may not always be pleasant, but the practice of allowing the present moment experience will deepen our self-acceptance and lead to a more grounded, peaceful, and joyful inner self. 

Awareness itself has the power to bring about healing and transformation, and mindfulness practice is currently being used as a treatment for anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma, stress, heart disease, chronic pain, and insomnia.    

If you would like to enhance your emotional and physical wellbeing and deepen your self-awareness, below is a simple practice that you can try on your own.  It is important that you practice mindfulness with an attitude of openness, curiosity, and non-judgment.  If judgments arise, notice them without identifying with them.  And if your attention wanders, gently bring it back to the present moment.

You can choose to do this practice in sequence, or you can pick what resonates with you.  Feel free to experiment.  Also, the practice can be done by formally sitting down in meditation, or being mindful of the present moment anytime, anywhere, during your daily activities. You can use a calendar or a reminder in your phone that prompts you to notice the present moment.  I’ve also found it helpful to use an object like a small stone that you can put on your desk or in your pocket to remind you to be mindful.

·         Mindfulness of breath: Begin by bringing your focus to your breath.  Notice how you breathe in and out in this moment.  Notice the wind of the breath at the nostrils, how it fills your chest and belly.  Is your breath deep or shallow, easy or labored?

·         Mindfulness of body, sensations and emotions: Bring your awareness into your body.  Scan your body from head down to feet, or from feet up to head.  What do you notice as you breathe into your body?  Are there sensations or emotions in your body that you are you aware of?  Breathe into them and observe them without judgment.  If strong or unpleasant emotions surface, breathe through them and stay grounded.  Emotions come in waves and will naturally lose their intensity as one breathes through them.  It is important to be in a safe place when practicing mindfulness of emotions.

·         Mindfulness of movement: Notice your feet as you’re walking.  How do they make contact with the earth?  Notice your posture as you sit, walk, stand.  Notice the body’s movement as you practice yoga or dance.

·         Mindfulness of thoughts: Bring your focus to your mind.  Become aware of your thoughts.  What is the inner self talk?  Observe your thoughts without identifying with them – as if you are watching clouds passing in the sky.  Try journaling, or stream of consciousness writing where you allow the hand to write without censoring or editing.   

·         Mindfulness of the 5 senses: Take an orange, or a fruit that you like.  Hold it in your hands.  Notice how it makes contact with your skin.  Notice the color and texture of the fruit.  Notice how it smells.  Slowly begin to peel it.  Be aware of the sound of peeling.  Is your mouth watering?  Slowly place a piece of fruit in your mouth.  Close your eyes.  Notice.  Slowly chew the fruit in silence.  Practice mindful eating and notice all the colors, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, thoughts and feelings that are present.

The practice of mindfulness has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety, increase self-awareness, self-acceptance, personal power and resources, and bring about more meaning and life satisfaction.  Through awareness, habitual patterns become visible and we can chose to respond in the old patterned way, or consciously chose to live from our most authentic self.

If you try mindfulness and find the thoughts, emotions, or body sensations to be overwhelming or upsetting, I encourage you to seek support with your practice as certain physical, emotional, and sexual wounding experiences tend to be stored physically in the body and are likely to surface when our attention is brought inwards.  With the help of a trained therapist, mindfulness can be used to heal our physical and emotional pain, and bring about the experience of peace and happiness within us.