'Student Spotlight' 5 simple ways to step into the power of heart
Wow, this is actually the last of my 'Student Spotlight' posts... and today I have something a little different for you. I think you might just love it.
I'm now on module 36 out of 40 with my Institute of Integrative Nutrition health coaching course... so close to the end! It has been a crazy journey so far and I feel I've grown so much mentally yet still feel I have such have a long way to go... almost as if my mind has literally opened up to the universe... and keeps expanding! I don't think we ever stop learning, do you?
My fellow student, Sarah-Jane's words speak to me on a deeper level, a place in which I am still searching on a daily basis.
As well as being a foodie, she is also yogi and adventurer... and it is this side of her life I wanted to share with you today.
Let me know if her words resonate with you too!
Now I will hand over to Sarah Jane Perman and her "five simple ways to step into the power of heart"
I don’t know about you but thinking has always leads to trouble for me. Spending too much time in my head makes me CRAZY, using unnecessary energy, worrying, rationalising and freaking out about, well, EVERYTHING…!
As a serial over thinker I’ve made it my mission to get out of my own way, get back into the flow… and live an open-heart life (which to me literally means opening myself to the power of heart).
‘Get out of your head and get into your heart. Think less, feel more’. Osho
I remember when I met my boyfriend (in a nightclub in Ibiza, as you do); it was a whirlwind 5-day romance which crescendo-ed in us deciding that whatever we did next it had to be together. We were in a full blown space of heart connection, forgetting the rational stuff like the fact that we lived on opposite sides of the world and feeling our way, guided by our intuition, completely open to the possibilities, limitless in our thinking and no doubt super charged by a whole lot of love hormones! After those blissful, inseparable first days I had to say goodbye and head off to host a yoga retreat in Formentera and I did my utmost to remain in the space of trust and heart and keep the freaking out vibes at bay… but gee wiz it was challenging!
Over the years of our evolution and the process of forgetting our true nature I feel we have lost our connection to heart intelligence, we get stuck in our rational mind which, in my experience, is far less intelligent than our heart space. The next few days of retreat were tough, I struggled to stay focused on my students, all I could think was OMG, I wonder what Joe is feeling/thinking. I hope he isn’t freaking out…I hope he hasn’t had second thoughts… I hope he’s still into me! One morning at breakfast I was having a moment and revealing my fears to a sweet student and, naturally, I had a quick look (stalk) of his facebook page and saw these words ‘Turn off you head and turn on your heart’. Phew I thought… things are going to be just fine!
When we are in our heart space, it is an awakened state where we feel expanded and full of joy. This state is 60 times more powerful than when we operate from our brain or mind alone (The Institute of Heart Math, 2013).
Traditional Chinese medicine views the heart as “The Emperor” of our body, and has long recognized how essential it is to remain connected to our heart for consistent well-being and happiness (Chinese Medicine: Rooted in Spirit, 2006).
‘A world founded on heart energy transcends violence, war and fear. Grace, peace and harmony take their place.’ – Deborah Fairfull
Sounds pretty radical right?
Imagine a world of LOVE, JOY, COMMUNITY, total FLOW where whatever you need comes to you in the perfect moment, we have NO FEAR, we can totally TRUST and we are CONNECTED to the present moment like never before. This is what it means to live ‘AN OPEN HEART LIFE’.
Do you want some of that… ?
5 simple-ish steps to help you open and live from the heart:
1) Trust – stop trying and start allowing. I’m putting this at the top of the list as I feel this is the real key. In order to step into the juicy part of life where you allow the Universe (or the energy that surrounds us) to provide we have to TRUST. I used to think this meant trusting others, like our partners to support us in times of need, but it’s much bigger than that. We do not need to look outside for trust, we have the power of the Universe within us, all we have to do and step out of the cycle of freaking out and pushing hard to make it all happen… and TRUST. Trust that the answers are coming, that the perfect person is right around the corner, that you are capable and worthy and INCREDIBLY amazing at everything you do. Just like a muscle that is tight and working overtime, we too can get stuck in this exhausting pattern of pushing and forcing. Trust me when I say I have operated form this space for much of my life. Pushing through, striving harder at the gym, at work…even at yoga! Now is the time to take your foot off the gas and let the energy of the Universe do the work. There is a whole company of energetic beings waiting to support you… Get a pen and paper and write TRUST and ALLOW in big letters and stick them on your mirror. I promise it will help.
2) Practice meditation and mindful movement daily - Yoga (or any mindful movement) and meditation are a fantastic way to get you out of your head and back into your body and a state of FEELING and EXPERIENCING, rather than mindlessly DOING and THINKING. When we quieten the mind and try to dissipate the busy and unhelpful thoughts and fears, we step into the juicy space of heart.
3) Get creative – write your way out of your head and into your heart with morning pages and journaling. By writing we clear the busy-ness of our mind. Try it first thing when you wake up, simply writing whatever comes up as a natural mental cleanse. Morning pages followed by meditation are a favourite combo of mine and will help you set a mindful and connected tone for your day.
4) Be present - In a state of presence, we radiate heart energy and are fully present in the here and now. Our mind takes us all over the place and makes us feel scattered with worries about the future and the past. The energy of the present moment is strong, deep and powerful, enabling us to create our life, as we want it to be. To get present I like to close my eyes and observe my breath, walk in nature planting my bare feet on the earth. It is in this quiet space of presence that we can connect more easily to the wisdom of our heart.
5) Practice acceptance - Anything is possible once you except where you are right now. By letting go of the feelings of duality (and running from things that are ‘bad’, ‘hard’ and ‘confronting’) and we are able to start embracing the ‘oneness’ and operating from the nonjudgmental energy of heart.
OK… I’m adding a 6th:
6) Practice love and compassion – ‘The heart is a the thousand-stringed instrument that can only be tuned with love.’ Hafiz
Love is at the heart of every remedy… it activates our heart intelligence and expands our energy. In order to tap into this feeling of indiscriminate love for all Universe-kind we must be vulnerable and courageous and keep our hearts open in the face of great pain. We must practice compassion.
I won’t pretend that this is always an easy process. Our lives pull us into our heads all too often so it’s up to us to do the work to remain anchored in our hearts. Start by noticing the subtle changes in your life as you cultivate heart awareness. I promise its too juicy not to want to stay there permanently.
‘Let's get loose with compassion, let's drown in the delicious ambience of love.’ Hafiz
And, just in case you were wondering, my beautiful boyfriend managed to stay in his heart and we are still on our open-hearted adventures together to this day. I’m grateful for every minute!
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Sarah-Jane is an open-hearted adventurer, wellness experimentalist, vinyasa yoga teacher and holistic health coach who is inspiring the world to live An Open Heart Life! Her mission is to help others find their flow, realise their amazing potential and live the life of their dreams… all from a powerful space of heart and love!
"I’d love to help you on your journey… Message me at hello@sarahjaneperman.com for a 40 minute FREE heart to heart chat. Or join me on one of my Open Heart Life retreats in Bali, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Ibiza"
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