Hi,
I'm Dr.
Jonathan Fisher.
As a cardiologist,
I've come to understand the heart as much more than a muscle.
It's physical,
Emotional,
Social,
And spiritual.
This is session one of six in the Living Wholeheartedly course.
In this first practice,
I invite you to explore what it means to live wholeheartedly,
To bring these four dimensions together into one integrated way of being.
So when you're ready,
Find a comfortable posture,
Both alert and relaxed.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Notice your spine rising gently,
Your body supported by the ground and the chair beneath you.
Letting your shoulders soften,
Loosening the jaw,
Relaxing the muscles around your eyes and face.
Now taking a deep breath in through the nose,
Letting the belly soften and expand,
And exhaling fully through the mouth.
Once more,
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
Allowing the breath to return now to its natural rhythm,
Nothing to control,
Simply letting it be.
If it feels comfortable,
Gently closing the eyes or softening your gaze on a point in front of you,
Letting yourself fully arrive here,
Letting go of the past and pressing pause on the future.
Now simply noticing any sounds around you,
Letting them anchor you in this moment.
No need to name the sounds,
Just letting them come and change and fade away like waves.
Now gently noticing what's happening inside,
What sensations are here,
What emotions,
If any.
What thoughts are drifting through?
See if a quiet intention arises,
A wish you might have.
Maybe it's toward kindness,
Curiosity,
Or the desire to just be with what is.
Right now you're shifting from doing to simply being.
If it feels right,
Placing a hand on your heart,
Feeling the warmth there,
The breath beneath your palm.
This heart beats over a hundred thousand times each day.
It doesn't ask if you're worthy,
It simply gives.
Breathing in awareness of your heartbeat,
Awareness of this body,
Breathing out any tension or worries about the future,
Feeling the strength of your physical self.
Now breathing in a sense of kindness towards yourself,
Breathing out any judgment or harsh self-criticism.
This is your feeling heart,
Capable of tenderness,
Grief,
And love.
Now breathing in connection and breathing out any loneliness or isolation.
This is the part of you that longs to belong,
To be seen,
And to care.
Now breathing in a sense of purpose and meaning in your life,
Breathing out any confusion or self-doubt.
This is your inner compass speaking.
Now breathe with all four,
Physical,
Emotional,
Social,
Spiritual.
One heart,
One whole you.
If the mind wanders,
Which is what minds do,
That's okay.
Just noticing and gently returning to this next breath in and out.
Letting your awareness widen again now,
Feeling your body seated and present.
Notice if anything has shifted in your breath,
Your body,
Your emotions,
Your thoughts.
Tuning into the sounds around you again,
The room,
The world outside,
Staying grounded and gently awake.
Congratulate yourself.
This was an act of self-care,
A moment of reconnecting.
If someone else comes to mind,
Maybe dedicating this practice to them.
When you're ready,
Gently releasing your hands,
Allowing your eyes to open in their own time,
Taking one more breath and carrying this sense of wholeness into your day.
This was the first of six sessions in living wholeheartedly,
The four dimensions of the human heart.
When it feels right,
I invite you to continue with session two,
Where we'll explore the physical dimension of the heart in more depth.
