Connecting the Heart and Mind Through Creativity
"Let your heart talk to your brain as a way of life so that you can experience flow, ease, clarity, and connection"
It is easy to become clouded by the many distractions of life. We close our hearts in self-protection and try to "think" our way through situations. When we take the time to gently open up and give ourselves kindness, acceptance, and love, we are able to get in touch with the clarity that comes from being present in our hearts. Practice the exercises below often so that you can learn to listen to and feel the wisdom of your own heart. Once we connect to our own wisdom, our heart can inform our mind.
Research shows that our heart is the first organ to form in our bodies, and that our brain is formed from our heart. Our heart actually has it's own nervous system that operates independently of the brain! Research also shows that the heart responds to information intuitively before the brain. Therefore, it is our true nature to have our heart inform our mind. Somehow we have become disconnected from this truth.
Our heart is at the center of our energy system. This means that everything within our body runs off the fuel of our hearts. Our heart is our life force, pumping blood throughout our bodies. Without our heart we do not live.
Our heart informs us intuitively, it gives us a felt sense about whether or not something is a good choice for us. When we speak and make choices from the truth within our hearts, we live from a truly authentic place. Our heart speaks the voice of our true "Self" and always leads us in the right direction.
Our mind often speaks to us from a voice of fear and judgement, so it cannot lead us in the healthiest direction unless it is checking in with the feelings in our heart. Our negative thoughts and beliefs can lead us astray, but our minds are not useless. Our intellect helps us to create meaning. It is important that we increase our ability to align our thoughts with the feelings being given to us from our heart. Often, we just need to work at having our minds take a pause while we adjust to how we really feel, our feelings are often ignored and not honored.
Our subconscious minds communicate to us through inner imagery and color. When we take the time to train our minds not to focus on our thoughts we can begin to increase our relationship with our inner world and our inner imagery, which also gives us guidance but is often ignored. The way we understand the imagery that comes to us in our minds is by creating it through art and developing a relationship with it by noticing what we feel in our hearts when we view it. Our mind can then create meaning from this felt experience and we also have created an anchor to remind us of this experience so that we can continue to grow this awareness.
When we take the time to shift our awareness to our hearts and learn to live life from here fully open, we are also able to experience the unity connection. This is the experience of the reality that everything and everyone is energy and is connected. It is important for us all to get out of our heads and into our hearts so that we are able to experience this feeling of our interconnectedness. This can only be felt and experienced to understand, not intellectualized.
Exercises to practice:
Bring your attention to your heart region. Place your hand over your heart to remind you to bring loving attention to your experience. Feel the gentle pressure and warmth of your hand. Find your breath in the heart region. If you like, make small circles with your hand on your chest. With each breath in, imagine the color pink entering in through your heart. Continue breathing, with each in-breath breathe in the color pink to represent love and compassion, let it fill up your entire body. With each breath out, release negative thoughts and negative self-talk that you are aware of as it arises. Continue this process until you feel yourself filled with love and compassion for yourself. Sit with this feeling.
Rub your hands together with the intention of creating love. Think about someone you love if it is easier. Pull hands a few inches apart and feel the energy of love and compassion between your hands. Close your eyes. Place your hands gently on your cheeks as you would do for someone you loved very much. Stroke your hair. Gently stroke your arms. Cross your arms and give yourself a gentle squeeze. Gently direct love and kindness to any uncomfortable parts of your body by simply placing your hand on that place.
Gather pastels and paper. Choose a vibrant color. Hold this vibration of love as you swirl the bright colors onto the paper. Practice drawing with your heart open, sm iling, breathing deeply.
Gather watercolor paper, watercolor paints, a brush, water and a paper towel. Imagine that your heart is a flower, wide open. Create and image of your own heart flower. Hang in a special place in your home so that you can sit with this image in contemplation and meditation daily to remind you to live your life fully from your heart.
