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It’s more important now than ever to listen to your heart – surviving a global pandemic has stirred up feelings of loneliness, separation, and anxiety for countless people. More and more of us are looking for a way to remedy these feelings, and feel more connected and alive. One way we can do this is by rediscovering the power and wisdom of the heart – something the mystics knew all along.
Although ancient cultures like the Chinese and Egyptians have known about the power of the heart for thousands of years, science is only now catching up and confirming that sayings such as “follow your heart” and “listen to your heart” aren’t just pretty metaphors designed to make us feel good, but they are actually scientifically accurate.
Scientific research from HeartMath Institute is confirming that the heart isn’t just an organ that pumps blood throughout the body, but also has its own unique nervous system called the heart brain, which is in constant communication with the head brain. This means that the heart is actually an information processing centre in the body, sending important signals to the brain and the rest of the body.
While scientists used to believe that the brain communicated with the heart and not the other way around, science is now confirming that communication between the head and heart is bidirectional, meaning it is a dynamic, two-way communication.
Research has shown that the heart communicates with the brain in four ways:
Remarkably, the bioelectricity produced by the heart goes to every cell in the body and produces an electromagnetic field that is measurable up to about 3 feet outside the body.
The heart is responsible for some of our highest emotions such as love, appreciation, kindness, empathy, and care. These emotions determine what we care about and how we show up in the world. Our emotions are also connected to our state of resilience at any moment, as they affect our ability to self-regulate and bounce back in hard times. By learning how to tap into our heart’s intelligence, we can learn to better regulate our emotions and can become more resilient.
Neuroscientists have discovered that the heart sends signals to the amygdala, which is the emotional processing centre of the brain, and the hypothalamus, which is responsible for synchronising our cortical functions.
This means that by bringing our heart, mind, and emotions into alignment, we can access greater wisdom, intuition, creativity, listening ability, mental clarity, and better decision-making. When the mind and emotions are in sync, we make decisions that are aligned with our core values and feel more self-secure.
Coherence is the alignment between the heart, mind, and emotions. The feelings we label as positive reflect a coherent state, while the emotions we label as negative reflect a negative coherent state.
Higher coherence is a healthy state that regenerates and balances us.
This state can be tracked by measuring heart rate variability (HRV), which is a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat. This can be tracked on an EKG, or the many HRV tracking apps now available.
The higher your HRV, the higher your coherence. The lower your HRV, the lower your coherence. Higher coherence is associated with greater memory, focus, improved reaction times, better decision-making, and positive emotions.
What’s fascinating is that if you wear a heart rate variability tracker for long enough, you will realise that you are not at the whim of your emotions or nervous system. You can deliberately and consciously regulate your emotions by using the quick coherence technique to put you in a state of coherence.
Bring your attention and awareness to your heart, to the centre of your chest. Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart (or chest area), breathing a little slower and deeper than usual. Find an easy rhythm that feels comfortable.
Activate a positive, renewing feeling by remembering a time you felt love or appreciation for a person, pet, a moment in nature or an accomplishment, or just breathe concentrating on a feeling and attitude of love or gratitude.
This technique only takes about 2 minutes and can be done anytime, anywhere. You can do it in the morning to set your intention for the day, or whenever you are feeling depleted, frustrated, angry or disappointed. You can also do this before or after a tough conversation, or before or after making a big decision. The bottom line is, you can use this technique to refill your tank. Pay attention to how you feel throughout the day, and when you are feeling depleted, it’s time to get into coherence.
Heart coherence teaches us that we are not victims of our emotional state. We can take control and decide at any moment which emotions we want to experience. Higher coherence gives us access to greater wisdom, clarity, and focus, which can help us to make better decisions. It also helps us reduce stress by tapping into emotions like love and appreciation. Try this technique consistently for 6 weeks and you will start to see the benefits everywhere.
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Originally from Barbados, Crystal Nicholls is a Professional Dancer and Nutrition Coach, based in London. She has performed on tv, the high seas, and Disney’s The Lion King. Through her 1:1 coaching programs, she helps high level performers overcome stress, to find balance in their lives and achieve their goals.
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