Did you know that the size of your heart influences how much joy flows through your life?
True story.
But I’m not talking about your literal heart, I’m talking about your heart chakra. The energy centre that sits in the centre of your chest. (If you’re not sure, the chakras are 7 energy points that run through the centre of your body from the base of your spine to the top of your head.)
I’m sure you’ve felt it before, especially at those time when you’ve been in love or been touched by a tragedy or a beautiful experience. It can feel like a radiating warmth, a steady pulsing pressure or an inner glow. Or maybe you experience it differently, but in the same place.
The sad truth is, most of us aren’t really connected with our hearts. For one reason or another – tragedy, heartbreak, disappointment, to name a few – we shut off our hearts.
We close them up tight like a flower bud so that we can protect ourselves and avoid having to feel more pain, more disappointment, more anguish. Or feeling more than we can bear.
It’s not rare. This is what most of us do as a reaction to the vicissitudes of life. I’ve done it. After a couple of heartbreaks and a lot of disappointment my heart had shut up shop and put up a sign saying, “Closed to all feeling” LOL.
But here’s the thing I didn’t know until I started dealing in joy.
[Tweet “The path to your greatest joy lies through the depths of your heart.”]
Which means it’s gotta be open.
I’m not saying you can’t have joy wherever your heart is at right now, because you can. But it won’t be able to stay around as long as you’d like. It won’t fully flow because there’s nothing for it to anchor to, a place where it can breath and expand.
I’m writing about this now because I am smack bang in the middle of a process that is helping me to open my heart – WIDE. To expand my capacity for joy to a level I’ve never experienced before. It’s a process and I’m not there yet (but I’ll be sure to share more about it as I go along).
But as I am going through this part of my journey, I wanted to share with you this nugget about just how important it is to consciously choose an open heart if you want to fill your life with more joy.
You don’t have to go through a whole process like I am. You just have to stay present to your heart, pay attention to how it feels and allow the emotion, whatever it is, to rise and release.
Your heart can heal itself, if you let it.
If you want to deepen your pursuit of joy and gently open your heart to allow more of it in, try these simple things to get your petals to open up.
1/ Breathe into your heart. The attention and focus helps to awaken the heart chakra.
2/ Listen to a beautiful piece of music and let it work its magic on your heart. Here is one I like:
Gorgeous heart chakra music – Divine Love
3/ Listen to some guided meditations. A few for your listening pleasure below.
Guided Meditation to Open Your Heart
Opening the Heart Chakra & Crystal Singing Bowl Guided Meditation
4/ Recall an experience of unconditional love and sit and enjoy. (Like what you feel for your children or a pet or when you’re out in nature.)
5/ Listen to your heart more. If you have a choice to make, big or small, ask: What would my heart have me do?
Over to you
If you have any favourite ways to get in touch with your heart, please share in the comments below. And if you know anyone who could use some tips to help them open up to the flow of life’s nectar, please share this with them.
Until next time,
Be joy.