February is a month for hearts! We celebrate loved ones on Valentine’s Day and during the month we recognize the importance of keeping our physical heart healthy. In our modern world we have the tendency to compartmentalize things, especially our health. We often have a very disconnected mind set of the impact one part of our being has on another. I remind my clients that we are spirit beings with a soul, housed in a body. People many times will seek healing for the bodies but not understand the connection that the spirit and soul have on their physical health. Let’s take a minute to exam heart health from a holistic view point.
Research is proving the heart may be as intricate as the brain, referred to as “the little brain.” In November 2020, an article written in Psychology Today, titled The Heart’s Electromagnetic Field Is Your Superpower, had some interesting research that I want to share with you. The heart-brain actually sends more communication to the head-brain than the other way around. The heart has 40,000 neurons and the ability to process, learn, and remember. The Heartmath Institute has been leading research related to heart-brain coherence. According to Research Director Dr. Rollin McCraty, “Coherence is the state when the heart, mind, and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation. It is a state that builds resilience.” When the parasympathetic and the sympathetic system are out of sync from emotions such as anger, anxiety, or frustration, this produces an erratic rhythm or incoherent state. The brain receives this input which affects whether higher cognitive functions can be accessed to self-regulate. Positive emotions such as love, joy and peace generate a harmonious pattern in the heart’s rhythm, leading to coherence and greater emotional regulation. Spiritually, these positive emotions flow from the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law, (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).
When harmonious interactions exist among the body’s systems, this is referred to as physiological coherence. As this increases, so does the brain’s alpha activity which supports stress relief and creativity. With an electrical component about 60 times greater and an electromagnetic field 5000 times greater than the brain’s, the heart has a significant influence on the body down to the cellular level. The brain’s rhythms along with the respiratory and blood pressure rhythms entrain with the heart’s rhythm. The heart’s energy is said to reach about three feet outside of the physical body and can be detected in another person sitting nearby.
Additional benefits of heart-brain coherence include:
- Reduction in stress
- Adaptability to change
- Psychosocial well-being
- Higher cognitive capacity
- Performance improvement
- Resilience/Problem-solving
- Mental clarity/Emotional stability
- Access to intuition and creativity
- Regenerative process/Anti-aging
As we begin to practice staying in this balanced flow of life that keeps our hearts and brains connected, we can enjoy the increased energetic health in our spirit, soul and body.
Steps in Pursuit
- There are several ways to use relaxing breath techniques. Try breathing in for a count of 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and slow exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat four times. This will lower your heart rate and bring relaxation.
- Bring to mind something that makes you feel love, joy, or thankfulness. Be aware of the positive feeling that this brings to your body. Allow your spirit to engage with the love of God.
- Visualize sending these feelings from your heart to your brain. Be as creative as you’d like, such as picturing them as healing light flowing.
Practicing these simple steps can bring deeper levels of health in every area of our lives.
Continue the Pursuit,
Denise
