We have enjoyed a heart focussed yoga practice this week. The heart is considered the major chakra point in all yoga disciplines. It is seen as a bridge between the lower half of the body (the more physical chakras, your ability to survive in this world) and the upper three chakras (your spiritual connection to intuition, God and Divine wisdom). So opening up the heart and being aware of how your heart resonates with your world, is one of the keys to living a healthy, joyous, fulfilled life.
Your heart is as intricate as your brain and is often referred to as “the little brain.” The heart-brain sends more communication to the head-brain than the other way around. The heart has 40,000 neurons and the ability to process, learn, and remember and has its own emotions. Your heart’s energy can reach about 1.5m outside your body and can be detected via an electrocardiogram (ECG). Do others love to sit near you? That’s your heart’s positive electrical energy radiating out into the world.
Emotions such as compassion and love generate a harmonious pattern (coherence) in the heart’s rhythm, leading to emotional regulation, improved learning and resilience. Conversely, emotions such as anger and anxiety produced an erratic rhythm (incoherence) and flood the body with stress hormones.
Just as neuroplasticity trains the brain through learning, we can train our hearts using heart based physical practices such as yoga, meditation and prayer so that your heart- brain consistently releases chemicals that support your well-being.