Quick Coherence

Guest post by Maxima Kahn

I love this simple practice because it only takes as little as 90 seconds. I can do it just about anywhere. And it creates such a beautiful shift inside.

If I am feeling glum, disconnected, tired, cranky or out of sorts, this little practice can nourish, soothe and bathe me in good feelings quickly and easily. It’s a beautiful way to reconnect to your heart, your spirit, your true nature, and all that is truly good in our world.

This is a variation of the practice offered by the HeartMath Institute in California that brings coherence to the nervous system.

Instructions:

• Let yourself find a comfortable, relaxed, open position for your body, so there’s an easy flow of energy through the body. For instance, you might sit with feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed, spine upright and relaxed, shoulders dropping down and back. But you could also be lying down. I like to close my eyes to draw my focus inwards, but you can even do this while walking.
• Put one hand on your heart and breathe into your heart space, bringing your awareness to the rise and fall of your breath there. Feel the touch of your hand on your heart, the sensations of contact and connection between the hand and the heart. Now, imagine that the breath is flowing between the hand and the heart, back and forth.
• Bring to mind someone or something that you deeply love. It could be a person or animal or beloved place. It might be the wind, or music or flowers. Focus on that thing and feel the love, appreciation, joy, tenderness this brings up inside. Let yourself bask in those feelings. Let them suffuse your whole body, seeping out from your heart to bathe every cell of your body.
• Now, send those same feelings of love, tenderness, gentleness, appreciation to yourself, sending them from your hand into your heart. Breathe the feelings into your heart. And again, let them fill your whole being, nourishing you.
• That’s it! You can open your eyes, if they were closed, and continue your day. Notice how much better you feel.