Hello.
Liz Doyle,
The Positive Change Coach here.
I first shared this exercise on my course here on Insight Timer called Open Your Heart 10-Day Challenge,
But I have been asked to share it as a short,
Empowering stand-alone practice in opening the heart.
The exercise was developed by the HeartMath Institute,
And it's simple and short.
It's called the Heart Coherence Technique.
So first of all,
You just want to take some deep,
Easy breaths and calm yourself in whatever way you choose.
You may wish to close your eyes,
But this isn't essential.
You really can do this anywhere.
So now you're feeling a little calmer.
I'd like you to choose something you appreciate and radiate the feeling of appreciation to it for about two minutes.
I'm going to make some suggestions over the next two minutes or so.
While you breathe and allow the feeling of cooperation between your heart,
Your mind,
And your emotions.
And if you wish,
You can close your eyes.
But as I said,
It's not essential.
So I will start now,
Just breathing in and out.
A beautiful sunset,
Wildflowers in a meadow,
A peaceful place in nature,
People that make you laugh,
An invigorating shower,
A relaxing bath,
Cuddling your favourite furry friend,
A warming cup of tea or coffee,
Your home,
Listening to your favourite music,
A night out with friends,
Your amazing body,
A walk in the woods,
The aroma of lavender,
Your loved ones,
The crunch of the first snowfall under your feet,
The sound of birdsong,
The sight of waves rolling onto the beach,
The food in your fridge,
Children's laughter,
A cold drink on a hot summer's day,
Coming into a warm home on a cold winter's night,
Red and gold autumn leaves,
The first signs of spring,
Help from others when you need them,
The smell of pine trees,
Helping others when they need you,
A great film,
A starry night,
A full moon,
Weekends just relaxing,
Reading a good book.
And if your eyes are closed,
You can gently open them now.
This simple exercise is very powerful.
If we give ourselves the time and space to connect to our hearts and listen,
We realise that the answers we seek are right here inside of us.
When we focus on gratitude,
Our brain and heart begin to work coherently.
When our brain mirrors our heart,
We know what to do.
Our actions become informed by our heart and harmonise with our heart.
And that's pretty cool when you think about it.
I really hope this exercise helps you to really feel that gratitude in your body as much as it helped me.
Share your thoughts on it.
And if you practice gratitude in any way,
I love to hear from you.
Sending you much love.
