It's considered that the English word heart comes from the Sanskrit word hṛd.
In Sanskrit,
The breakdown of the word hṛd or hṛdaya has interesting parallels to the way our anatomical heart functions.
The first part,
Hṛ,
Means to remove.
Our hearts continuously beat,
Always pumping.
With each beat,
The heart removes blood from the body to carry it back to the heart.
The second part,
Dhā,
Means to give or offer.
And so the heart is the giver.
The organ that gives or offers blood with each beat back to the rest of the body.
The final part,
Yā,
Comes from the Sanskrit root yam,
Meaning to regulate.
Our hearts are the regulators of our bodies.
The regulators of our blood flow.
So the heart is the remover,
The giver,
And the great regulator.
The heart is the source,
The epicenter for all things.
And so we're invited to turn inward,
To turn toward ourselves,
Toward our heart,
Hṛdaya.
It's an invitation to rest and reflect on who we are at our core,
On our dreams and desires,
On where we are in life and where we long to be.
If you haven't already,
Let yourself find a comfortable position.
You could be seated or laying down.
First find a place that's comfortable for you,
A place where your spine can rest long and neutral.
And as you settle into your own space,
Let your gaze either rest on a vague point in the distance,
Or if it's comfortable,
Let your eyes close all the way down.
Let your awareness,
Your attention rest on your normal,
Natural breath.
Notice how it feels.
What does it feel like to be breathing in this moment?
Can you be with your breath all the way from the beginning of an inhale to the end of the exhale?
Without effort or force,
Simply notice what your breath is doing all on its own.
As you notice your breath more and more,
As you settle into its constancy,
Begin to notice the qualities of your breath.
Notice if it's deep or shallow,
Smooth or a little unsteady,
Warm or cool,
Long or short,
Fast or slow.
Our breath is designed to adapt to our environments,
To our present state.
So as you notice the qualities of your breath,
Notice what it's telling you about yourself in this moment.
Do you notice a reflection of yourself in this moment,
In your breath?
Maybe your mind is calm,
Your breath slow and steady.
Maybe your mind is racing,
You're feeling a little anxious.
Perhaps your breath is shallow and quick.
What can you notice about yourself?
What is your breath trying to show you?
It can be easy to get caught up in the world around us,
To get caught up in people pleasing,
To ignore our own hearts and their desires.
But we also can't really be there for the people in our lives if we aren't connected to ourselves.
Put your own mask on first.
Turning inward,
Turning toward ourselves can be challenging.
It can be an instinct to avoid being alone with ourselves.
But turning inward,
Turning toward our heart,
Facing all the parts of ourselves empowers us.
It's through turning inward that we gain the ability to radiate out,
To be there for the people in our lives in our true wholeness and fullness.
Hidden and secret,
The heart has often been described as an ancient cave that holds the lantern of awareness,
Kept protected,
Lit,
Burning.
Turning inward is a process.
Finding our way to the center of the cave requires us to move from surface to depth through the three aspects of the heart,
The outer,
Inner,
And secret heart.
So let's journey inward.
The outer heart is the threshold to the cave.
It's shaped and impacted by our day-to-day circumstances,
Interactions with the world around us.
This layer is a source of both joy and pain,
As thoughts,
Emotions,
Hopes,
And fears are conditioned by outside circumstances and situations.
This is the layer that defines our social selves.
So turn your attention now to the outside surface of your heart,
The side that faces out toward the world.
As you do,
Recall any events within the last few hours,
Days,
Or weeks that have had an impact on you.
Maybe emotionally,
Spiritually,
Mentally.
Make note of the events or the people that contributed to that experience.
The inner heart,
The second layer,
Is located in the interior heart cave.
It's where we store our inner feelings,
Moods,
Impressions.
This middle heart holds the personal sense of I,
Born from countless imprints and experiences that determine how we feel about ourselves and view ourselves.
This includes everything that is ingrained in our minds,
In our souls.
Everything we've been conditioned to believe,
Whether from things we were taught to believe as children or from the culture we belong to.
This inner heart holds our self-image,
Our personal identity.
So come back now for a moment to the events you recalled from the recent past that have had an impact on you.
As you do,
Notice how those events affect you physically.
Maybe your breathing changes.
Maybe your heart rate changes.
Maybe you notice tinglings in your fingers and your toes.
These sensations may reflect emotional states of judgment or joy,
Shame or serenity,
Irritation or excitement or any other feeling or mood that those recent events bring up.
As you notice whatever arises,
Be patient and tolerant,
Practicing non-judgmental awareness.
Simply let whatever feelings arise be what they are.
The deepest level,
The secret heart,
Is truly immeasurable.
It can't be put into language and it can never be known.
The only way to meet this deep-seated,
Enduring heart is by moving into the deepest recesses of the cave,
A true journey into the heart of darkness.
This move involves a radical suspension of self,
A direct experience of utter selflessness,
A total letting go.
So move your attention now into your innermost heart,
To the place that is outside of circumstance,
Cause,
Condition.
Imagine a feeling of space and lightness in this innermost recess of your heart.
Try not to identify or make sense of the experience.
Simply empower yourself to be absorbed into your secret heart,
Into silence,
Space and a sense of timelessness.
Gently draw your attention away from that deepest place in the cave,
In your heart.
Journey back to the interior heart cave and back still to the opening of the cave.
Gently bring your attention back to that observation of your natural breath.
Without engaging with it or forcing it,
Simply notice your breath.
Notice how your breath feels different than it did before or perhaps how it feels the same.
By surrendering to not knowing,
To the darkest recesses of the heart cave,
We see the greatness of the self.
By moving inward,
We find a greater sense of self and a greater empowerment to radiate that out to the world around us.
Feel free to stay here,
Meditating on your own heart cave for as long as you're able,
As long as you'd like.
But as you're ready to move on into the rest of your day,
Notice as your breath begins to deepen.
Your inhale filling your body a bit more with each round of breath.
Bring both hands to your heart,
Stack one hand on top of the other,
Right over your heart space.
May you listen to the whispers of your breath.
Feel into the signs of your body and lean into your own heart as you move ever forward on your path.
Thank you so much for joining this practice.
