Connecting to your heart’s desires
With less than three weeks left of 2019, perhaps you’re already thinking about what you want 2020 to look like. If you find it a bit tricky to know what you really want, today’s tips are just for you.
Last week I told you a little bit about your heart brain, so today I’d like to share some more cool facts about your heart brain and in particular, how to tune in to your heart’s desires.
A few cool facts about your heart’s intelligence
- Your heart has around 30,000 - 120,000 neurons (approximately the same number as the brain of a lobster).
- Your heart’s electromagnetic field is about 5000 times stronger than your brain’s magnetic field and can be detected several feet away from the body.
- The heart manufactures a number of hormones and neurotransmitters, including oxytocin (often known as the love hormone). In fact, the heart produces about the same concentration of oxytocin as the brain.
Your heart has different ways of processing the world to your brain, and different ways of communicating with you. When you reflect on some common words and language, you’ll gain some clues about what’s important to your heart brain:
“She wears her heart on her sleeve”
“Follow your heart”
“A heart-warming story”
“It made my heart sing”
As you can probably tell, your heart is the seat of emotions and relationships, of values and desires.So if you’re not clear on what you truly desire in your life, or your work, start tuning in to your heart and pay attention to the messages it might be giving you.
How to tune in to your heart’s desires
Here are a few ways to practice tuning in to your heart’s desires:
- Start paying attention to your heart beat. Sit comfortably in a quiet place and breathe evenly and gently. Allow your thoughts to come and go and notice them as an observer, from the outside. Focus your attention on your chest area and begin to tune in to your heart beat. If you like, place your palm across your heart so you can feel it beating.
- Your heart often communicates through emotions, so begin to pay more attention to emotions that come up for you, especially things like unexpected tears. Be curious and lightly ask yourself ‘what message is coming from my heart?’
- Notice what words and metaphors you are using in relation to your heart. For example, notice when you find yourself saying something like ‘my heart’s not really in it’ or ‘I don’t really love this idea’. What clues are your words giving you?
- In a quiet and relaxed state, place your hand on your chest and ask your heart what it truly desires. Notice what comes up. It might not make logical sense and that’s okay - you’re talking to your heart, not your head! Pay attention to the messages you get from the heart.
- Practice gratitude and compassion. Resourceful and loving emotions are powerful for your wellbeing overall and have a positive effect on others around you too. The more you practice these emotions, the easier it can be for your heart’s desires to be heard.
Curious to learn more? Set up a time to talk to me about multiple brain coaching and how this can help you identify your heart’s desires and take action to achieve them.
With love,
Ruth