How To Energize Your Heart!
The heart's energy is at high tide in this early summer fire season. This energy (Qi) affects us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The heart's energetic pair is the small intestine.
Physically, we work with the heart and small intestine's meridians in our practice by strengthening and stretching the arms, where their meridian runs through to create a strong, smooth Qi flow.
We observe the emotions of anxiety and mania, which show up when the heart's energy is maladapted and when we experience peace and joy when the Qi is balanced.
The fluctuation of the energy being in and out of balance can shift throughout the day and is often the result of what we eat. The small intestine's job is to turn what we eat into us and rid the waste. Depending on if we're eating junk food or nutrient-dense nourishing food, we will feel it energetically and emotionally through the heart.
The spirit of the season is the light inside of our hearts, known by many different names in various religions and spiritual practices. In yoga, it is referred to as Purusa or Jyoti Smati; in Chinese medicine, it is known as Shan Shen.
Rod Stryker explains this beautifully; he states: "In the heart is where our individual essence meets Divinity."
The heart Lotus is the highest state of yoga, where the individual meets the universal self. The yoga sutras state:
"A radiant stability of mind can also be produced by perception free from sorrow."- Sutra 1.36 Visoka Va Jyoti Smati
Joyti means light, and Mati relates to the mother, the divine essence of creation.
Swami Hariharananda writes about accessing this light; he says imagine in your heart a limitless sky.
Yogis focus this inner light emanating from the heart as an object they want to know.
This light is not considered a big light; it’s small, yet the flame never dies. It is known as the eternal flame. Even though this light is not huge, it is steady and unwavering. Even the strongest winds cannot extinguish it. It is the light from which other greater lights of inspiration are lit. Some of these lights may grow huge over time and eventually die out. This light of Jyoti Smati keeps on burning.
In the yoga practice, when the tension from the body and mind has been released, there's a newfound space to tap into a deep remembering and an innate longing to meet our source, this divine light. It’s the deepest longing to meet our maker. The deep determination to know our true SELF is a journey.
The most clarifying lucidity is in the mind, the third eye. The So-hum meditation on the breath brings us from the third eye to the heart. (So Hum translates as I Am in Sanskrit)
The light in the mind is the access for the lotus in the heart to open.
First, we need to get past the obsessive thinking mind, the darkness, the fear, doubt, and aggression. Allow the consciousness to move back from the front brain thinking to the image of a full moon in the back brain.
Inhale - So, Exhale - Hum.
When we practice this, we illuminate everything.
During times of illuminating unprocessed emotions, negative patterns, grief, etc., is when people often drop out of yoga practice because it’s shifting from unconscious to awareness. But little do they know they’re on the verge of freedom in their minds.
Often, we start to see our shadow areas, and suddenly, we don’t have time for yoga. When we shine the light on our shadow, it gets uncomfortable. These are the early stages of self-observation.
The sacred light in our hearts is our lifesaver. It provides a deep sense of joy that’s not conditional or circumstantial. It’s a deep trust, being with what it is. This light provides self-confidence and self-assurance, an enduring joy. It reduces the obstacles and recognizes doubt as the biggest, darkest shadow that blocks our light. Doubt is the ultimate poison, which is a condition that spins and creates more doubt.
On the night before the Buddha's enlightenment, he sat under the bodhi tree and meditated. He faced all of his afflictions, fears, and insecurities; one after another would rise, he would observe it, and it would dissipate. The biggest one that he struggled with was doubt.
Buddha named his afflictions Mara, and when they would arise, he would notice the discomfort and invite Mara to tea. Doubt arrived, saying, “Who do you think you are trying to become enlightened?” At this point, the Buddha allowed his brow to get smooth and wide, lifted the corners of his mouth, and softened his belly. And he said, “Ah, Mara, let’s have tea.” So he sat with his doubt. He looked it in the eye and allowed it to be. He breathed with his doubt. He included his doubt and was curious about it. He rested in the heart light, and it slowly dissipated.
Meditation on the heart light cures doubt. This is remedial, healing, and nurturing.
From my heart light to yours~
Namaste,
Maggie