Learning to Rest Within Yourself
The past couple of weeks I’ve talked about radiating heart, and we know now there’s power in regenerative emotions. But what about the times when activating a positive emotion can feel like too big a leap from where we find ourselves? It’s a big and somewhat tricky jump from anger to compassion or despair to joy.
There is a practice we can try in the moments we find ourselves drowning, something that meets us where we are.
As you start your Heart Focused Breathing, instead of activating a positive feeling, you can notice what is already there, without judgement. As you notice what is arising for you, begin to breathe in a more neutral feeling such as a sense of ease.
This more neutral place is not usually something we have to work hard for, or hold on to, it is something we can rest back in. A sense of coming back to yourself, resting within yourself. Sometimes you have to rest a little while in neutral in order to get to renewing positive emotions.
As we start to find a balanced state of coherence, and our thoughts and emotions begin to slow down and stabilise, we can be more receptive to our external world and choose how we react. We can also start to listen to the information our emotions contain without letting them run away with us.
HeartMath’s Inner-Ease Technique
Step 1: Focus your attention in the area of your heart. Imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart or chest area, breathing a little slower and deeper than usual.
Suggestion: Inhale 5 seconds, exhale 5 seconds (or whatever rhythm is comfortable)
Breathing through your heart area has been proved to help create coherent wave patterns in your heart rhythms, which helps restore ease and balances you mentally and emotionally.
Step 2: With each breath, draw in the feeling of inner ease to balance your mental and emotional energy.
Imagine what ease might feel like.
Ease is a state ‘active calm’, different from a state of relaxation - it’sbeing able to respond quickly while remaining calm and composed on the inside.
Step 3: Set a meaningful intent to anchor the feeling of inner ease as you engage in your projects, challenges or daily intentions.
Anchoring the feeling of ease is to make a conscious choice to reinforce or remember the internal feeling of it. Setting the intent helps you go back to the feeling when you need it, anytime, anyplace.
Inner Ease Quick Steps
Once you get the knack, you can use these simple quick steps to prompt you:
Heart Focused Breathing
Draw in the feeling of inner ease
Anchor and maintain the feeling
Here’s a playlist I love that helps me find a sense of inner ease (and you get to feel like you’re on the set of a period drama!)
