Brave Heart
by Lai Morris and Sara Siegelman
Meditation at the heart center is one of the surest ways of cultivating a peaceful, loving heart. The Divinity within is described as a pure light residing in the lotus of the heart and the experience of this inner light at the heart center is common to many spiritual traditions.
The Anahata or “Heart” Chakra, is considered to be the first Spiritual level of our development. The opening or expansion into Anahata can be recognized by the qualities of compassion, empathy, charity, universal love, generosity, and balance of mind.
Also known as the Hridayakasha or the “space within the heart where purity resides” the Anahata Chakra is located in the spinal column directly behind the center of the chest.
The chakras can be seen as archetypes, or levels of
consciousness that guide our spiritual growth through the different stages of
our life. Our ego needs to be robust and well developed, enabling us to
function well in the [physical] world, preparing us for the [later expansion]
into the heart center.
The awakening of the Heart centre is a new level of psycho-spiritual growth that gives a deeper meaning to our lives. When our heart center opens, we experience a new sense of inner abundance and generosity. Strong feelings of empathy and compassion can arise creating in us a desire in us to reduce the suffering in our fellow human beings.
It may be that there are times when we feel at one with another person, often we feel deeply connected to nature. We may feel expanded beyond our ordinary ego boundaries, enveloped by a sense of awe and wonder. We may even have a mystical experience. In these moments we experience the underlying unity of all things and these events become touchstones in our life’s journey.
We become more open and receptive to others, more accepting
of ourselves, more insightful and far less reactive.
Often service, the desire to give something back to society, may become an imperative in our life. Serving others not only benefits the people we give to but we benefit with lowered stress levels, a stronger immune system, and a reduction in feelings of anxiety and depression. It is important to honour the flow of this energy of generosity rather blocking it, as it keeps us open and receptive to the world around us.
Many traditions provide an example of this generosity of spirit, the desire for service. In Buddhism the Boddhisatva ideal is expressed as an evolved soul who is ready for nirvana but who refuses to leave as long as there is still suffering in the world. Instead he chooses to remain behind, to teach, heal and inspire.
Santideva, the 8th century Bodhisattva wrote,
in one of the most important texts of Tibetan Buddhism, this verse, in which
the essence of the Bodhisattva path is beautifully expressed:
“For as long as space
endures
And for as long as living
beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel
the misery of the world.”
Love is the territory
but where is the map?
Joseph Campbell in “the Power of Myth” says that ritual can give us clues to a spiritual life. “A ritual can be defined as an enactment of a myth. By participating in a ritual you are actually experiencing a mythological life. And it’s out of that participation that one can learn to live spiritually.”
“…you’ve got to have a clue, you’ve got to have a road map of some kind and these are all around us……But they are not all the same……………….. those that are given as revelations of the Great Goddess mother of the universe and all of us, teach compassion for all living beings. There also you come to appreciate the real sanctity of Earth itself, because it is the body of the Goddess.”
John E. Nelson MD in “Healing the
He goes on to say that collectively we need a new mythology “….the new myths will exalt the receptive image of the goddess as sensuous guide and emphasize nurture, compassion, ……….and co-operative effort….”
Goddess of Love
We are familiar in Western culture with the mythology of Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful of all the Goddesses. She is associated with the beauty and grace of the swan, sweet smelling roses, golden apples and sensual pomegranates. Conceived in the foam of the ocean from the seed of Uranus, her name means “foam born”.
The Roman Goddess
Venus is the name for the planet and also the Goddess of love and beauty. She
derived her characteristics from the Greek Aphrodite who in turn appears to
have been based on the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar
The Greeks called this planet Aphrodite and also the 'bringer of light' when it appeared as a morning star.
In
Origins of Lakshmi
The Indian Goddess Lakshmi, like Aphrodite is born out of the sea.
In this instance the birth is out of a churning of the milky ocean.
Her name means goal, “the goal of life.”
Lakshmi is considered the sustainer and nourisher of the soul.
She is the Goddess of material and also spiritual prosperity. Venerated by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike for her ability to bestow the wealth of liberation (moksha), her presence is marked by the development of noble qualities such as compassion, renunciation, charity, universal love, purity, generosity, and balance of mind.
The energy of Lakshmi in our life enriches our spirit and brings balance to our mind.
Lakshmi is also seen as the highest form of nature,
the mother of all beings.
Worship of the mother goddess has been a part of Indian tradition since its earliest times. Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as mata (mother) rather than devi (goddess). She is also called 'Shri', the female energy of the Supreme Being. Lakshmi is associated with the symbol of the lotus on which she is always seen seated or standing.
How can yoga and
movement prepare the ground for the opening of the heart ?
Interestingly Swami Satyananda Saraswati in his writings on the heart chakra advises that music, art, sculpture, literature, and poetry are all important in the development of the heart center.
Western society’s emphasis on technology and information emphasizes the use of our left brain. To grow and move forward we will need to develop our right brain, which involves the ability to create not only artistic but emotional beauty as well as more sensitive connection with other human beings.
The higher cognitive functions of the brain are situated in
the Neocortex which is divided into the left and
right hemispheres. Generally our right brain is thought to be the more creative side, more abstract, musical
and artistic, while our left brain is more concerned with the linear, rational
and verbal. The right side allows us to see patterns and
the whole picture and helps us be creative.
Creating connections
The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.
Cross-lateral movements stimulate the development of the corpus callosum (the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain)
Activities such as Yoga, dance, and swimming develop
co-ordination by getting both sides of the body working together, thus
strengthening communication between the two hemispheres and enhancing our creativity and our ability to
think clearly.
Movement and yoga
return you to a space of connection and oneness with your self and the world
around you, allowing you to feel as if you have come home to yourself. Yoga is
a very practical tool to center you and bring you back to an experience of your
true self and of your heart.
As with anything
the right brain becomes stronger with use, so doing something creative
regularly like painting, creative writing or dancing is useful.
The treat at the end
Regular practice of
Yoga Nidra is also something we can do to enhance the
connections between the left and right brain.
Yoga Nidra is a yogic
practice promoted by the Bihar School of Yoga. It is described as a systematic
method of inducing deep mental, emotional and physical relaxation. It is
usually performed lying in the supine position (savasana).
One of the characteristic features of yoga Nidra
is the systematic rotation of consciousness through the parts of the body. Yoga
Nidra brings simultaneous activation and relaxation
in both hemispheres of the brain.
Practising
Yoga Nidra at the end of our physical asana practice
is a great way to integrate the changes our practice has initiated in our body
and mind.
How do we cultivate
these noble qualities and experience our full potential as loving and
compassionate human beings?
"Meditation generates power that needs to be put to constructive use, particularly in healing our relationships." 'Eknath Easwaran'
Forgiveness is an important aspect in opening our heart.
Can we move past our hurt and forgive?
This in itself is our choice.
Eknath Easwaran, author, teacher and lecturer of world mysticism says, "not only will resentment wreak havoc with our emotional well-being; it will gradually break down the functioning of our physical system as well."
For our own benefit and others, it is best to rise above the past event, let it go and move on.
When we forgive, we bring compassion into play. When someone does something hurtful, there are always underlying feelings of hurt, insecurity and fear in their action, however hurtful their behaviour is towards us.
His is an important point to remember. If you are not acting from love then you are acting from fear.
We may not understand with our minds why we are feeling pain, but how can we let go of hurt? This is where we need choose forgiveness and this is where yoga and meditation can support us by helping us to help ourselves.
Quite simply, yoga and meditation can readily assist us to let go of past hurts with techniques which enable us to bring balance and alignment to our body and mind. Its practice brings to us a deeply grounded inner sense of self and reveals to us our gifts of greater understanding, compassion, peace and love.
Yoga and meditation prepare the ground for the opening of the heart by connecting you with your self, and giving you more internal space to see clearly and act wisely. Like a good house cleaning, clearing out the old junk and putting everything in its rightful place, then we can move forward.
Meditation and yoga train and discipline the mind and body creating clarity and inner peace.
Yoga means union.
This inner balance is a valuable gift you can give to yourself and all you come into contact with.
The following simple exercises are designed to activate the
Anahata chakra and
incorporate hand postures, which are called mudras
and arm poses called hastas. They are often used in
classical Indian yoga and dance. Gertrud Hirschi, the
author of "Mudras, Yoga in Your Hands"
describes mudras as a gesture, a mystic position of
the hands, a seal and even a symbol. She states that mudras
engage certain areas of the brain and /or soul and exercise a corresponding
influence on them.