It’s a Good time to Check in With Your Own Heart Space on the Florida Suncoast
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is one with the biggest heart thanks to St. Valentine. It’s a good time to check in with your own heart space and discover new skills to help build resilience within your heart. When I’m asked what I do for a work and I respond that I’m a HeartMath coach, the reactions are varied. Usually, it’s something like, “Math? Do you work with kids?” or, “On my recent visit to my doctor my cardiologist said my heart is functioning very well.” While HeartMath may indirectly touch on these issues, it does not address the true picture of what HeartMath truly is, and hundreds of independent studies confirm the effects these simple skills have on individuals.
The mission of HeartMath, founded in 1991 by Doc Childre is “to help activate the heart of humanity by helping people live more heart-based lives.” I believe this is especially relevant in today’s social climate. Learning to be more heart based not only helps us in our personal lives but in our everyday encounters with others and in the world. In fact, there is research to support that when you are in coherence of your own heart the heart radiates a measurably more coherent electromagnetic signal into the environment that can be detected by the nervous system of other people and animals which extends up to three feet outward from yourself. Imagine! It is especially interesting to note that more information travels from our heart to our brain than the brain to the heart. In fact, a research study done with adults viewing traumatic events on a computer -such as photos depicting people involved in a car accident -demonstrated that the first organ affected was the heart and secondly the brain, followed by other organs.
I teach simple HeartMath techniques which help to build resilience in your heart. There are four domains of resilience-physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. HeartMath addresses the emotional domain. As we know, some emotions rejuvenate while others are draining. When we waste energy unnecessarily it impacts our energy reserves and therefore our resilience. Resilience, as defined by HeartMath Institute is “the capacity to prepare for, recover from, and adapt in the face of stress, adversity, and challenge.” When we become aware we are being triggered emotionally we can choose in the moment to respond differently to what is normally an automatic response. I have always considered myself a resilient person, able to bounce back from the challenges I’ve faced. What I most admire about these techniques is that they offer a “reserve” so that when you are experiencing stressful emotions you can call up these reserves. Balancing energy drains with energy renewals are intelligent energy management skills. These tools help you self-regulate in a healthy manner. The goal is not to repress your emotions, but the ability to actually change your physiology. An optimal state is when your heart, mind, and emotions are aligned and in sync. The most unrecognized source of stress is when you are out of alignment.
Getting into heart coherence is a greater predictor for future outcomes and determines our resiliency. When one is incoherent, performance is inhibited, creating frustration, irritation, impatience, and worry. When you are coherent, there is better cognitive functioning, your performance is in an optimal state-you are more appreciative, calm, patient, and confident. By learning the art of heart coherence, you can increase your ability to maintain composure during challenges, increase family and social harmony, increase your body’s natural regenerative processes, increase your coordination and reaction times, think clearer, and form better solutions, increase your test scores and intuition, and decrease fatigue and exhaustion.
In my practice, I have witnessed these simple, yet impactful techniques reconnect a woman and her boyfriend after a two-year separation. I have seen a couple speak more respectfully with each other and “check in” to see where they were emotionally after their long days working. In my own life, I find that I’m not as reactive to life’s stressors- such as traffic congestion or other stressors that arise.
In conclusion, HeartMath’s research is focused on the Heart and its impact on the brain and body and the “Math” is considered the nuts and bolts or the “how to’s” to achieve coherence through self-regulation. If formulas are more your style, I loved this perspective in the form of a mathematical equation which was shared with me. Event + Response = Outcome (E+R=O). When you add the “Heart” you become a HERO…. H+E+R=O. Be your own hero and cherish your heart, this month and always.
Brenda Green, M.Ed., is a Certified HeartMath Coach. She is a former educator in Sarasota, FL., and Sedona, AZ., and enjoys working with both adults and children to create a more heart-centered world, which aligns with the HeartMath mission. She may be reached at (941) 356-5481 or beegreeninsarasota@hotmail.com. HeartMath is a registered trademark of Quantam Intech, Inc.
Photos from Brenda Green