It’s easy to get torn between the heart and the mind. And when you don’t know which direction you should take, you can’t help but to imagine every possible what-if scenario, with most of the outcomes ending in some kind of pitfall. Which leads us to worrying even more and we’re still not any closer to getting a solution, especially one where we win.
But, when you develop your heart brain coherence, you align the heart and mind so you don’t have to question which one to listen to. It’s also not difficult because our heart and brain are already communicating with each other. It’s just about developing awareness so we can get them to work together in a harmonious way.
If you struggle with trusting yourself and have a tendency to outsource your internal wisdom, this exercise will help you to come back to yourself. You can also do this when you feel stuck, when you’re at a crossroads, or even just to get into the habit of consistently syncing your heart brain connection.
I’m going to start with the science of the heart because it gives us an understanding of why we want to align our heart-mind connection. Then we’ll get onto how you can develop your heart brain coherence. If you haven’t already, grab a cup of coffee or tea and get comfy.
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SCIENCE OF THE HEART:
Our hearts have 40,000 neuron receptors that think independently from the brain, with the heart having its own nervous system.
It also possesses the ability to learn, make decisions, store both short and long term memories, feel, and sense.
The heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain to the heart.
WHY YOU WANT TO ALIGN HEART AND BRAIN:
Our brain and heart are in constant communication with one another, so it isn’t about listening to one or the other. It’s about strengthening the connection between heart and brain.
It helps us to regulate our emotions, and as a result, we become less reactive to our external environment.
We create new neural pathways, and the more we practice heart brain coherence, the stronger those neural pathways become. Eventually, we’ll create a new reality instead of being stuck in the one we want out of.
RELATED: IMAGINING A BETTER LIFE FOR YOURSELF IN SOBRIETY
How To Come Into Alignment:
- Place one or both hands on your heart. Our awareness shifts to where we feel the sensation.
- Inhale and exhale deeply and slowly. You can try inhaling for a count of 5 and exhaling for a count of 5 to keep it rhythmic. This will help you to feel safe in your body.
- Find gratitude for one thing. This is a deep level type of gratitude, not the kind where we mindlessly say it just to say it. Feel your gratitude.
- You’ll feel something stir in your heart. When you feel that sensation, you’ve reached the connection. Hold it for as long as you can, even if it’s only for a moment.
- You’ve unlocked your heart brain coherence.
You can do this a few times a day to make it a regular practice. Or, if you’d prefer to dabble first, do this when you feel the need to sync your heart and mind. Eventually, when you get into the swing of things, you’ll find yourself regularly coming to this exercise as a tool.
I’ll see you soon…in the meantime, love yourself so much that even a Hallmark Christmas movie would be jealous.
