Have you ever heard your own heartbeat? Amazing to know there’s this fist-size muscle in your chest pumping blood to your brain and body 24-7. Extraordinary, right? But oh, it’s so much more than that. Science now shows what meditators and mystics have always known, that the heart is the true centre of our being.
The heart is an electromagnetic generator that creates and emits a field of energy. This field attunes and entrains with other electromagnetic fields, like people and animals. Scientists mapping this energetic field found that the heart sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart.
The heart has its own 神经系统, with about 40,000 neurons, just like the ones in our brains. The heart’s electromagnetic field is created by what we feel, and this information is sent to our brains, which helps us to think and act on our feelings.
The heart is the captain of the ship, my friends. So how do we live from our hearts? How do we learn to listen, trust and act on the wise intelligence of our heartland? We can start by tuning in to our actual heartbeat to learn its language, its code, its song.
Listening to your heart
Listening and opening communication with your heart is key to living a heart-centred life. Our hearts beat in tune with truth. We can learn to listen to our hearts’ unique language. The ear is the new eye; listening is the new seeing. And deep listening is about paying attention with our whole being, wholehearted listening.
The most valuable thing we can give to anyone or anything is our attention. Attention is perceived and received as love. Let’s practice deep listening, deep loving, with the ear of our hearts from a space of equanimity. Let’s learn the language of our hearts.
A heart centred body/mindfulness exercise
Close your beautiful eyes and cozy in. Allow your breath to wash through you in waves. Feel the gentle movement of your chest and belly rise and fall as your breath breathes your body, in and out. Place your hand on your heart—not the spiritual heart in the centre of your chest but the actual organ nestled and beating on the left side. With your hand on your heart simply be present with yourself and say hello to this magnificent organ.
Now, as if your hand were an ear, listen with your hand until you feel your heartbeat. If you have any problem feeling it, place your fingers on a pulse point at your wrist or neck. You can also lie down on the floor and feel your heart beating either through your back, front or side body. Experiment to find what works best for you. When you’ve got a solid connection with your heartbeat, we’re going to play a game to open our communication and learn to trust our hearts.
Here we go. Either out loud or within, speak an untruth to yourself, something simple, like a made-up name. For example, I could say, “My name is Samantha Morningstar.” Then be aware of how your heart responds under your hand, noticing any shifts in texture, beat, pressure, presence. Just notice. Now tell yourself a corresponding truth, such as your real name, for example, “My name is Meredith Heller.” Listen to how your heart responds. Notice any difference in pressure, texture, rhythm.
Try another, such as an untruth about where you live, for example, “I live in the jungle.” Notice any texture shift from your heart. Now try a corresponding truth, “I live in California.” How does your heart respond? People experience a whole range of these shifts in their hearts, such as their heartbeat speeding up or slowing down, a thumping versus a gentle beating, a cessation of beating, a hardening versus a softening of the heart, a feeling of the heart rising to meet your hand when speaking a truth versus your heart sinking and receding from your hand with an untruth.
Acknowledge how your heart communicates truth and falsity to you. You’re cultivating real-life experiential communication with the deep intelligence and wisdom of your heart organ. Keep practicing to become fluent in the language of your heart. Thank you, heart.
Write now!
Write about the experience of feeling your heartbeat.
- What did you notice?
- What did you learn?
- How does your heart communicate with you?
- What differences did you notice in your heartbeat when you told yourself a truth versus an untruth?
- What does your heart know?
Let the words and ideas flow like blood. You’re building trust and communication with the wisdom of your heart.
Poetry examples
My Heartbeat by Korynn Amm
Tuning in to the rhythm
my heart beats, thirsty
for the subtle connection, waiting
between the threshold
of fear and vulnerability
depression lies in her bed,
breathing down my back
holding secrets
of doubt and shame.
Tuning in to the rhythm
my breath dives, deep
inside my coiled gut, snaking
its way to find Her, waiting
for me to allow this depth of love.
Tuning in to the rhythm
my hand pressed on my chest, rising up
my breath begins to fill my lungs
my throat aches to be heard
as the ancient tongues of truth
echo the secrets of my soul.
Tuning in to the rhythm
my heart radiates
the sun and moon, bridging
two worlds together,
connecting scars like stars
in this constellation of beauty,
breathing, beating, being
……………here now,
…………………………here now.
Soft Heart by Kathryn Thompson
My heart knows
when I’m here
when I’m not.
When she’s hurt
she hardens tightly
a jumbled ball, coarse yarn.
But why so tuff ?
Can’t she be strong
and also soft?
My heart knows
she can soften
to the fears that arise.
She knows how
to loosen her grip
re-spin herself
smooth as silk.
My heart knows
when I fully show up
I am a beating force of love.
And when I forget
I will place my hand
upon my chest.
And then my heart
says to me
in her own language,
soften—soften
……….soften—soften.
Box of heartbeats
We are heart warriors. Mighty warriors are taught to call up all the most potent experiences of their lives before they go into battle so they’re armed with courage and emboldened with true power. We’re going to gather all the experiences that make our hearts beat strong and true and put them in a box for later, for when we need to be reminded of what makes our heart beat strong and true. Think time capsule, but heart based.
Our second body/mindfulness exercise
Cozy in and close your eyes. Allow your breath to breathe you as you settle in, slow down, arrive. Put your hand on your heart and ask, “Dear heart, what do you beat for, what makes you say yes to life?” Notice what arises for you, which moments, memories, activities, people, places, food, animals, possessions and experiences make your heart beat. Let these things fill you with your own power.
Write now!
Write a list of all the things that make your heart beat out a strong, clear yes. Imagine you’re filling a box with all things that make your heart happy. If you have trouble choosing, put your hand on your heart and ask. Practice listening. Your heart will always point you in the direction of truth.
Poetry examples
Heartbeats Remembered by Linda B.
Painted rocks
Clay-sculpted pioneer girl
Song of Hiawatha
Walloping window blind
Harmonica collection
Autoharp and 175-year-old violin
First pair of drumsticks
First piano lesson book
Letters from Vietnam
State fair postcards from Grandpa
Wildflowers in our woods
Friend Betty’s giggle
Silica sand
Hollyhocks & morning glories
Prairies of North Dakota
Ice-cold root beer on hot summer days
Blackjack gum and walnut-crush candy bars
Family reunions
Youth groups and school activities
Yellow roses
Giant pumpkins
My Heartbeats by Jessica Ulrich
My heart beats as a warrior,
she has the strength of a bear
and the kindness of a dog.
My heart beats as a poet,
she writes love songs from within,
whistles happy tunes to fuel her journey.
My heart beats as an artist,
she paints canvases
colourful and bold, calm and patient.
My heart beats as a peacemaker,
she creates equanimity within
teaching my body to relax.
My heart beats as a lover,
she shares her stories and her secrets
appreciating the simple things.
Holy heartbreak
We’ve all experienced heartbreak. I don’t think any of us get out of here without it. I think it’s hardwired, or heartwired, into the human experience. Heartbreak comes in many forms: relationships or friendships ending; illness, injury, death of loved ones; loss or change of home, employment or mental or physical capacity.
Come with me now into the land of holy heartbreak. Heartbreak can be a doorway. Instead of bypassing our pain, let’s acknowledge it, voice it and harvest the understanding of how, rather than being an obstacle on our path, pain is our path. If we’re lucky, heartbreak arrives and dismembers everything we know, presenting us with a growth node, to deepen and be more present, accepting, compassionate, sovereign and heart centred.
Our third body/mindfulness exercise
Close your beautiful eyes and go inside. Ride the waves of your breath in and out, as your body and heart soften and open. Place your hand on your heart or pulse point and attune with your heartbeat. Ask your heart which heartbreak, current or past, is ready for your deep listening, attention, love.
When you know which one you want to work with, recall what happened. Notice all the sensations and feelings that arise for you with this heartbreak. Don’t push them away; invite them in. Allow yourself to feel all the feels, the hurt, pain and loss. Keep breathing. Keep loving yourself. Stay with it until you feel something shift, until you soften into tenderness with yourself, and perhaps until your tears come to cleanse you.
Write now!
Start by naming the heartbreak. What caused your heart to hurt and break? Next, give voice to what hurts, the loss, sorrow, depression, betrayal, abandonment, anger, illness, injury, loneliness. Give yourself space to listen to and voice all your feelings associated with this event. Give yourself your full attention, bringing your compassionate curiosity. Then write to discover how this heartbreak serves as your path to breaking open:
- When and how did it change from heartbreak to heart open?
- What is the growth node or opportunity of this heartbreak?
- How has this holy heartbreak helped you to break holy open?
- How has it changed you, the way you live, your relationship with yourself and others?
Poetry examples
Perfect Boy by Diana Rush
He wasn’t the child I dreamed of,
but I don’t think I was the mother he dreamed of either.
When he came to us as a baby,
the first words he heard me say were “I love you.”
I meant them then, and now I mean them even more.
The months passing by told us there was something different
about our boy, but it was hard to name.
He reached for a bee, got stung, cried, then reached for another.
He spoke words, beautiful words. Then they disappeared.
He didn’t grow, didn’t slow down, didn’t understand.
I was wrong when I thought time would “fix” him.
Medicine would “fix” him.
The right school would “fix” him.
What became fixed was my tendency to see only what he couldn’t do.
A new friend of mine met him and stared at him in wonder.
She watched as he hugged everyone in the room.
She listened as he talked about the green garbage truck
that drove by on Wednesdays.
She heard as he sang to the music on the radio.
In awe she said to me,
“He is the most perfect human I have ever met.”
My sweet boy.
Perfect.
I looked at him so I could see him the way she did.
What he couldn’t do paled in comparison to what he could.
He didn’t need to be fixed.
My heart did and my head did.
And it was.
Beware the Catbird by Jac-Lynn Stark
Your well-practiced mating dance lured me in
my heart unguarded
love poured out
like an unstoppable fountain
our bodies so in tune
yet our voices clashed
jarring and discordant.
Like you, the catbird has many voices.
It can sound like a robin
a tree frog
a hawk on the wing
the more voices he has
the more mates he can choose from
but which voice is his own?
You used your voices to speak in riddles
pretending ambiguity was a form of kindness.
The catbird wears a plain grey cap every day
yet you are the man with many hats
always a new persona to draw attention
posting daily affirmations to attract likes
yet you hardly ever follow them.
I tried not to see your empty soul
disguised behind colourful plumage.
The catbird flicks his tail and flashes
his chestnut belly to attract a mate
but has another in a nest nearby
like you, always another woman waiting
all of us replaceable objects
to feed your hungry ego.
Our almost relationship never got off the ground
an injured bird that could not fly
you’d fight against any perceived restriction
fly elsewhere with any whim or gust of wind
you flew away from me and my heart felt numb
the darkening days reflecting my inner sorrow.
But now time has passed
and I feel good to fly solo
knowing more about what to watch for
the next time someone’s feathers catch my eye.
Meredith Heller is the author of Writing by Heart, Write a Poem, Save Your Life, and several poetry collections. A poet, singer-songwriter, avid nature lover and educator with degrees in writing and education, she leads writing workshops online and in-person at schools, juvenile detention centres, women’s prisons and wellness retreats. Visit her online at www.meredithheller.com.
摘自书籍 Writing by Heart. Copyright © 2024 by Meredith Heller. Reprinted with permission from New World Library—www.newworldlibrary.com.
图1： Prawny；图2： susan-lu4esm；图3： Catkin
