Why connecting to our heart matters

"A brain unchecked by its heart can enter a lethal alliance with its body"

The heart is ‘the sun of our cellular universe’; it is ‘the conductor that keeps all the cells playing the same score’. The more we let the heart lead, the more harmony we can have in mind and body. For Dr Paul Pearsall, whose done extensive research on heart health and heart transplant procedures, concludes that much dis-ease is the result of the unchecked mind forcing our attention and dragging our bodies into narrow and dis-regulating agendas.

When we make the mind the seat of self we strain and limit the heart’s conducting lead. As a result, not only can the cellular communication of the body be disrupted, but a ‘stressed and stressful’ brain puts tremendous physical and energetic strain on the cardiac system. The trillions of cells of the body need organised and harmonious information-energy pulsing from a balanced heart.

Furthermore, a cerebral centric life shuts out the wisdom of the heart. While our brilliant brains excel at moving us to action, the heart provides a broader perspective that can guide us through life with a special kind of grace. What does it look like to cultivate a heart centered way of being?

Most of us will know the relief of, for example, deciding to forgive someone, dropping an unloved project or letting go of guilt. As the dis-harmonic emotion is lifted, the lightened heart can return to lead the bodies symphony. Judgement and criticism is antithetical to the heart’s broader understanding and disrupts its optimal function.

Heart centredness is to possess a greater generosity of spirit for ourselves and others; to have a softened nature, a relaxed body and an easy temperament. It means to attune to intuitive wisdom, the heart’s quiet whisper, that tells what is truly right for us; following our bliss or highest excitement is that guidance.

So, as often as you can, take a moment to connect with your heart. Breathe deeply, put your hand to your chest, feel the steady rhythm, and allow its wisdom to surface, in its own way, in its own time. The relative lightness of an option can be a helpful cue. You might be surprised by the clarity and direction it offers.