It has been an absolute privilege to share Heart Math this past year. I learn so much each time I do and from my own practice, and also from all the continued reading and learning I do along the way..

I was very grateful to have been introduced to Kimberly Snyder’s work a couple of months back and have really enjoyed diving into her new book ‘The Hidden Power of the Five Hearts.’

In the book she invites us all on a journey to access more of our hearts power through 5 stages of heart awakening, inspired by the work of the yoga mystic Yukteswar.

There is too much to share in this blog but I would like to introduce to the concept of the first three stages which are the dark heart (incoherence) the propelled heart ( the beginning of coherence) to the steady heart (coherence and connection)

The aim of Heart Math practices are to back our heart’s into coherence. HeartMath Institute describes coherence as;

‘An optimal state in which the heart, mind, and emotions are in-sync and in balance.’

We can all relate to a time when we feel in sync, when everything flowed effortlessly. This is coherence.

Kimberley’s book refers to incoherence as being in ‘darkness’ and coherence as to stepping into the ‘light’. I think everyone can relate to the feeling of moving from darkness into light. It is something that is ingrained in many cultures and traditions and it was wonderful to learn a little of the Diwali festival of light during my yoga class just this morning as our teacher led us through a beautiful candle meditation.

I love the concept of opening and accessing our hearts as ‘letting the light in.’ I imagine we can all think of a time when our hearts shut down or felt dark at times, and this analogy can be helpful to enable us to open our hearts and access more light ….

The Dark heart

So often many of us can get lost in our overthinking brain, and negative, anxious thoughts, and this can have a really detrimental impact on our health and our wellbeing. Kimberley describes this as the dark heart stage. When our negative thoughts dominate we are often disconnected from our hearts; it is dark because we simply can’t see clearly. Cutting off from the heart blocks us from feeling alive or joyful.

This is incoherence.. the heart and the brain are not communicating and we cannot access all those wonderful heart qualities such as gratitude, love, compassion. Instead we are consumed by negative thoughts and emotions which deplete us of our energy.

The dark stage is challenging but it is also an opportunity to become self- aware, and to grow.

When we start to nurture our hearts back, to practice Heart Math techniques, we start to open up communication between the heart and the brain again and to ‘let the light in’. We send powerful messages from the heart to the brain and can start to see more clearly again. This is coherence; it is simply when the heart, brain and emotions are all working in synch and in harmony with each other.

The more we practice the more we often we experience and are able to access and sustain Heart coherence and the many benefits it brings…

Again as Kimberley describes beautifully;

‘The more coherent you become, starting with your heart and flowing out, the more energy you have to maintain your physical health- you have more vitality and you put less strain on your organs.’

‘When you feel coherent, you feel calm, clear, focused, intuitive, energized, and in sync with yourself and the world around you.’

‘As your systems become more in sync you make better decisions and have more awareness. You start to see more in the way of a deeper understanding. You see situations more clearly, and understand people more clearly. ‘

There are more lights turned on!

As the heart starts to open and we start to take action in the ‘propelled heart stage’ we start to bring ourselves back into coherence; our hearts and brains start to communicate and bring harmony and synchronisation to all our systems. We start to experience more lightness, health and happiness again.

However it can take time to move from darkness into light and it is important to check in with ourselves often. To notice when we are feeling incoherent ( in the dark heart) and choose to bring our focus of attention to our heart, and practice Heart Math techniques moment to moment to bring us back into coherence.

With practice and commitment we may reach the next stage; the ‘steady heart stage’. At this stage we start to experience more peace and steadiness. We are no longer reacting to outside influences, we are centred and start to let go of control of everything.

The mind is no longer leading your life but your heart is. …

It takes time but Heart based living is possible for us all. With awareness and practice we can all start to open up our hearts, access our own heart’s intelligence, and experience more light!

Bring your focus of attention to your heart, and everything changes.

‘Bring the light in and you will feel that darkness never was.’