Welcome to this heart coherence meditation for first responders.
My name is Erica Gaines with Tach Mobility.
Before we begin,
It really helps to understand what heart coherence actually is,
And why it's important.
Throughout your day,
Your body is constantly responding to emotional signals.
Irritation,
Frustration,
Hypervigilance,
Anxiety,
Overwhelm.
And these negative emotions create an incoherence inside of your body.
Irregular breathing,
Chaotic heart rhythms,
And a nervous system that's stuck in survival mode.
And over time,
That incoherence starts to become your baseline.
The place in which you operate.
You start your day from a state of coherence when you reach for your phone and you look for bad news,
All the way to the end of the day when you're looking at the news or you're looking at your phone and there's plenty of negativity on social media.
But heart coherence is the opposite.
It's a physiological state where your heart rhythm becomes smooth and organized,
Where your breathing slows and steadies,
And your brain receives a clear,
Regulated signal from the heart.
When your breath,
Your heart,
And your emotions are aligned,
The body shifts from defense and into balance.
This practice trains your body to recognize that coherence is safe,
Especially after a chaos,
And it helps you to form a new baseline.
So you can do this meditation either seated or lying down.
So take a moment to settle into your space.
If you're seated,
Let your feet be heavy on the ground,
Or if you're lying down,
Let the surface fully support your weight.
Now begin breathing slow and steady,
Inhaling through the nose for four seconds,
Exhaling through the mouth or nose for four seconds.
And let's repeat this a couple of times.
In through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth or the nose.
Now gently bring your awareness to the center of your chest,
Your heart space.
Imagine the breath moving in and out of the heart.
Inhale through the chest,
And exhale through the chest.
This rhythm signals safety to the nervous system.
This rhythm,
It's telling your body you're allowed to slow down.
Now notice any tension in your chest or in your body from gripping life in the jaw,
The shoulders,
Your hands,
Your stomach.
Don't analyze it.
It doesn't matter why it's there.
On each exhale,
Soften this grip by 5%.
And now we're going to shift into heart coherence.
We're going to practice three emotions that will bring this coherence into our body.
Start with gratitude.
I want you to bring to mind one thing that you're grateful for.
It doesn't have to be big or extravagant.
This can be a loved one or your pet or a favorite hobby that really brings you joy.
And maybe this is a win that you forgot to acknowledge this week.
Let that feeling settle into the chest.
Notice how your body responds to gratitude.
This is the beginning of coherence.
Now shift your attention to the emotion of appreciation,
Appreciation for your body,
For showing up,
For always adapting,
For carrying you through things that most people will never see.
Let appreciation spread through your chest like you're standing outside and you're feeling the warmth from the sun.
You may sense a subtle expansion,
A softening,
Change in your internal signals.
Next we'll invite care and compassion.
Maybe you think of caring about someone that you feel protective over.
Maybe a friend,
Spouse,
Or a child,
Or maybe it's compassion for yourself.
Given everything that you've experienced,
You are doing amazing.
And even when you're disappointed in yourself,
You're still acknowledging that you believe in yourself.
So soften any parts across your chest and your shoulders that might resist self-compassion.
It's okay to care about yourself.
It's what keeps us human.
Imagine the heart sending a steady,
Coherent signal through your entire body.
Heart to brain,
Brain to body,
This infinite loop.
Staying with the breath,
Staying with the heart.
Notice that subtle electromagnetic coherence that's buzzing beneath your skin.
Don't think about it,
Just feel it.
Feel the steadiness.
And this is your body learning a new baseline.
One that doesn't require urgency to function.
And this is what regulation feels like.
This is what ease feels like.
Just stay with this feeling for a couple more breaths,
And when you're ready,
Bring your awareness back to the room that you're in,
Gently moving fingers and toes.
Carry this coherence with you throughout the day,
And remember that you can always come back to this feeling simply by remembering positive emotions like gratitude,
Care,
Compassion.
Have a great day.
