Our Greatness

From The HeartMath Institute

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Love

From The HeartMath Institute

“The heart that loves is always young.” - Greek Proverb

Holiday Cheers

From The HeartMath Institute

Take a look at your shoes. What reasons did you have for buying them? Was it the style or color? Or maybe the price was right. Regardless, there’s a good chance you bought them because you were convinced you would feel better once you owned those shoes.

Think about all the choices we make: the new job; the new cell phone; last night’s dessert; next summer’s vacation. Each choice represents a missing piece in our quest for happiness.

We all want to feel better more often. It’s what motivates us to do just about everything. Whether it’s the latest style, a tropical beach or a piece of chocolate, we’re telling ourselves that when we have it, we will feel better.

Trouble is the feeling is often fleeting. Very soon we’re on to the next ‘must have’ on the list. This is the one. This one will do it. How long is your list?

If you want to feel better more often, then feel better more often. Sound too simple? Well, the truth is you create the feeling; not the sunset, not the perfect boss and certainly not another pair of shoes. When you feel better first you get what you want first! Then something happens to your choices. They become ‘add ons’ rather than ‘must haves’. And you may be surprised to find out you really don’t need those shoes!

My wish for you this holiday season is that you discover how to create the feelings you want inside yourself and find your own peace on earth!

Imagination

From The HeartMath Institute

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.” - Stephen Covey

That Easy, Peaceful Feeling

From The HeartMath Institute

“You feel a deep sense of peace and internal balance—you are at harmony with yourself, with others, and with your larger environment. You experience increased buoyancy and vitality. Your senses are enlivened—every aspect of your perceptual experience seems richer, more textured. Surprisingly, you feel invigorated even when you would usually have felt tired and drained. Things that usually would have irked you don’t ‘get to you’ as much. Your body feels regenerated—your mind clear. At least for a period of time, decisions become obvious as priorities clarify and inner conflict dissolves. Intuitive insight suddenly provides convenient solutions to problems that had previously consumed weeks of restless thought. Your creativity flows freely. You may experience a sense of greater connectedness with others and feelings of deep fulfillment.“1

Want some? More than a decade of research at the Institute of HeartMath has shown the relationship between this state, commonly referred to as flow, and positive emotions. They call what happens to the human system during these states physiological coherence. And it’s the underlying principle behind the HeartMath® system of tools and techniques.

At first, most can’t believe achieving flow is as easy as flipping a switch. Perhaps it’s because we’ve grown accustomed to expecting that if something isn’t complicated and/or expensive it has no value. Yet all it takes to get into the flow is a little bit of practice.

For those of you new to the HeartMath System, here’s an easy way to get started. Heart focus. Heart breathing. Heart feeling.

We call this the Quick Coherence® technique and here’s how you do it: Imagine your breath coming in and going out through the area around your heart in the center of your chest. Do this slow, deep breathing for about 20 seconds. Then recall a fun or positive time in your life: A favorite vacation; a special time with a loved one; a perfect run down the slopes. And attempt to re-experience it. Hold this feeling for about 30 seconds or more. Then notice the emotional, mental and physical shift. That’s it. Three easy steps that can be done free of charge, any time, any place, and no batteries are required.

Take care, Kim Allen

1 Excerpt taken from The Appreciative Heart: The Psychophysiology of Positive Emotions and Optimal Functioning, Rollin McCraty and Doc Childre, Institute of HeartMath, 2003. You can find out more about this and other IHM research at http://www.heartmath.org/research/index.html