We are living in a time, where judgments and opinions about other persons, as well as certain other topics, are occupying our mind quite considerably. I am experiencing friendships breaking apart due to someone having been shoved into the corner of so-called conspiracy-theorists and "madmen", whereas someone else is considered to be a "sleeping sheep". From friends, I hear of arguments ensuing within families that result in different camps of political opinion being placed above the heart connection. Therefore, this post is going to be about the intelligence of the heart. For without it, our ego gets the upper hand, and our ego tends to be divisive, not of joining together.
According to recent research, to rely solely on the intelligence of the brain has become rather outdated. Meanwhile, it has been proven that by far many more nerve connections and their signals lead from the heart to the brain than vice versa. In fact, we experience this phenomenon when we realize how rarely we can free ourselves from a strong mental conviction alone through the power of thought. Yet, a powerful feeling can drive a persistent thought away. We now know that the heart has its own nervous system. It has approx. 40,000 neural inter-connections. Independent of our brain, it is able to remember, to decide, to feel and to learn.At the same time, the heart is in close inter-action with the brain. It communicates with the brain via pulse waves, hormones and other messenger substances, and through the network of our nervous system. In addition, it has an electromagnetic field significantly stronger than that of the brain, it can be measured within three meters of the body. Thus, in guiding us (with the sense of feeling), the heart is the most powerful electromagnetic field in our body.
Studies have proven that we can attain a beneficial and healing effect for our heart through spiritual orientation, such as meditation, affirmations and visualizations. Whereby, we can also begin at the heart by concentrating directly on our heart area during Yoga positions, ventilating it and relaxing ourselves through visualizations. Also, practicing the inner smile, one of the highest Buddhist practices, has a measurable positive effect when directed towards the heart. Another possibility is to start with a low hum, this triggers the heart activity. The technique can be practiced during the heart-opening position, such as the lying-down-butterfly to relax your heart and to deepen the effect of the exercise.I am convinced of how important it is to trust the intelligence of our heart during the time we are going through just now. Our heart knows intuitively that we can only get to know love when we love ourselves, and that we can only experience peace when we make peace within ourselves. The mind separates, the heart connects. We need both: brain and heart. As the wonderful, wise words describe in Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince”: “You can only see clearly with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.” And this essential is what really counts in the end.
Model and text: Ranja Weis
