Friday, November 5, 2010

Strengthening Our Heart to Better Our World

In every moment we can take refuge in our body, which so connected and similar with our beloved earth. The simple beat of our heart can ground us to arrive here and now. Our world is filled with increased stress and constant pressure. This fast pace of life has heightened mental strain, since there is less natural balance. Simply put, we suffer from greater, illness, injury and tension unless we exercise great compassion. Just pausing for a moment can lessen anxiety. I find the eye, or “I“ of the hurricane in response to the little everyday problems, noise and increased demands.

Stress can be self inflicted and caused by our emotional reactions to events. The key is to reframe our relationship to the course of events with a new attitude based on gratitude. Things then can be transformed “its no big deal” or “no worries”. Remembering to cultivate inquiry in what is true in each second is of enormous benefit to me.

Quieting my mind and listening to my heart is how I have been reframing my stress. Awakening to my heartbeat I can learn how to manage it and reverse the damage stress and worry can cause. Can I picture a world filled with joy, love and peace? Yes. Beautiful, peaceful, compassionate, loving people are all around me. If I can step into the consciousness of the heart, I can run with the deep inner harmony.

Wise teachers from the beginning of time teach us about the power of this emotional regulation. Simply by focusing on positive feelings such as appreciation, care, or compassion, I can create dramatic changes in my heart rhythms. This process allows me to alter a series of neural, hormonal, and biochemical events. This lessens my stress and anger and leads to greater well-being. There is a chain of biological changes including lowering blood pressure and stress hormone levels. I can increase my immune system activity, and anti-aging hormones by simply focusing on my heart energy. If I can learn how to engage in my heart more, I bring my emotion, body, and mind into balance. Quieting my mind and listening to my heart brings focused clarity, optimal health, and high performance. Taking the word grace and making it happen, I find happiness not far behind.

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