Drop into Heart Coherence

Here I introduce myself and how I got into Heart Math. I am a certified Heart Math Mentor and I have been running workshops and conducting corporate training in Bali and Shanghai. Furthermore, I introduce you to the HeartMath Institute and the beginnings into their research on the physiological effects of meditation. They have over 400 papers published in reputable peer-reviewed journals, all of which are freely available to view on their website. What you are about to experience is the Masterclass I usually deliver at corporations. I, and many others, have realized that mindfulness provides countless benefits, and bringing it to the corporate space is challenging because it tends to be lumped in with spirituality. There are not many executives or engineers that are willing to subscribe to the practice, deeming it a waste of time, because they do not reap any tangible benefits/results. This approach is grounded in science and measurement, making harder to argue that it's spiritual woo-woo, and easier to take on the practice and reap measurable benefits. By the end of this video, and subsequently this course, you'll have a better idea of what HeartMath is, and whether it resonates with you.

Here I discuss the concept of the Inner Battery. Our energy is either being renewed or it's being depleted and we're constantly being triggered by our environment, and our habitual thought patterns. Knowing this, we have choices and we can make wiser decisions. Charging up the inner battery is not something that is done just once, it's a practice, or a routine, similar to plugging a phone into a powerbank when it's running low on juice, and charging it up a few times during the day. Moreover, I touch upon the two parts of the brain that every one of us must be aware of. The Amygdala which activates our survival response serves us in moments of danger, but when this part of the brain is triggered, the Neocortex - the rational part of our brain becomes inactive, and this leads to uncalculated actions that we tend to regret.

Here I discuss the two tones of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). it would previously thought that these settings were automatic, and indeed they are, but we do have the ability to influence which tone we habitually activate. This is the art of self-regulation. By becoming aware of and regulating our thought processes, and therefore our emotional state, we are choosing which tone we wish to visit and which we wish to live in. Furthermore, We look at the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic tones of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) through the lens of evolution. These days, because of our devices that offer never-ending information designed to stimulate dopamine and our amygdala, as well as the size of the groups (particularly on social media) that we find ourselves interacting with, we seem to me constantly triggered, constantly in Sympathetic dominance. This is not how we evolved. Our bodies are not designed to navigate our environments in this state. We need to set up mechanisms to consistently reset our ANS.

Here I discuss Resilience, the ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt in a stressful or challenging situation. This, and the ability to self-regulate are the two biggest benefits of this practice. The more resilient we are, the more able we are to perform and achieve success in our endeavors. I also discuss Coherence, a physiological state where healing is facilitated. Optimal signaling occurs within the body, as all of its subsystems become aligned and streamlined. This state is associated with sustained positive emotion and a high degree of mental and emotional stability. And finally, I discuss the electromagnetic signals generated by the heart frequency-shift the brain. It's the heart's field that dominates the brain's field. A wonderful example of this is shifting from a beta brainwave state (12 to 30hz) into an alpha brainwave state (7.5 to 12hz).

Here I discuss the changes in heart rate between every single beat. The misconception that some people have, that a steady heart rate means someone is healthy, and an irregular heart rate means someone is not, was brought about because of the instruments we were using to measure heart rate. When the sensitivity of the instruments improved, we realized that healthy people have variability in their heart rates. At first it was thought that the instruments were at fault but it was later confirmed that the theory was at fault and that yes, healthy people do indeed have variability like the instruments display. Research is demonstrating that stress ages us, there is no doubt about this. Measurements of HRV predict a lot, including how fit a person is, regardless of their chronological age. There are people in their 50s or 60s who have used a regiment of HRV training to reduce their biological ages to the 20s and 30s. This has an impact on their overall quality of life.

Here I discuss the Corpus Callosum, the large bundle of nerves that enable electrical signaling between the left and right hemispheres. The practice of raising HRV, getting into heart coherence, allows for more electrical signaling between the two hemispheres thereby simulating 'Whole-Brain Activity' and greater creativity. Furthermore, we look at the Hippocampus, associated with memory, learning, and emotions. We cover the relationship between the Hippocampus and clinical depression, as well as how to reverse this diagnosis. I also address the Hippocampus' role in learning and remembering knowledge and distilling it into wisdom.

Here I discuss the Parietal Lobe, the part of our brain that becomes electrically active when we feel lonely, isolated, and socially disconnected. As Humans, we're social animals, and it's an understatement to say that we need to feel connected to others. Using a HeartMath technique is a powerful way to calm the Parietal Lobe. In addition, The Temporoparietal Junction is the part of the brain most associated with Emotional Intelligence. By increasing the electrical activity in this part of the brain, we open the door to a spectacular bundle of traits including self-awareness, social awareness, emotional stability, adaptability, self-motivation, and conscientiousness.

To practice getting to Heart coherence, breathe in through the nose, for 5 seconds, and out through the nose, for 5 seconds. Find a nice rhythm and smoothly transition from your in to your out breath and back. This equal breathing balances the autonomic nervous system and increases HRV.

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this course, and will take away with you a practice of getting into heart coherence. The device is not compulsory, simply learning to maintain an equal-time-in-and-out breathing pattern is, Insight Timer offers that as a tool, simply set the timer to ding/chime at an interval of 5 seconds and follow along!