10 Ways To Open Your Heart

10 Ways To Open Your Heart

Why would someone even want to open their heart? An open heart offers us so many possibilities and a connection to the Creator that is our birthright. It is actually a more natural state of being. Life is simply more full when your heart is open and you are most able to bring the things you love and desire into your life. Be it financial success, loving relationships, knowing and acting upon your true calling, etc…you feel all around more fulfilled.

When your heart is open it brings compassion, love, happiness, gratitude, joy and all of the higher aspects of life. When your heart is closed, you are sad, depressed, unhappy, angry, unfeeling and uncaring of and toward others, you are basically shut down to life.

What does it mean to have your heart open? It means that you are  feeling the heart energy center at its highest health and wellbeing. You are open to life, people, animals, possibilities-the world. You have compassion and joy. You dream, plan, are in the moment and look forward to the future. Things that might bother you, such as another’s harsh words, heavy traffic, difficulties of any kind, etc. - those blips in the road no longer bother you. You see beyond them and sail through your life effortlessly. Smiling, laughing, giving and receiving are the signs of an open heart.

The most powerful aspect of the heart is openness. When your heart is open, you transcend fear. You are not restricted or held prisoner by your fears because you see beyond their futility and embrace open-ended possibilities.You are bolder, but with love and compassion rather than through aggression. Openness lets you live beyond the narrowness of the ego self. You see yourself reflected in others and you are more receptive to change.

When your heart is closed the opposite is also true. You may be sad, depressed, unhappy, angry, unfeeling and uncaring of and toward others, you are basically shut down to life.

When you live in fear and allow yourself to be enslaved by people’s actions or situations, you feel powerless. Your heart is closed and interestingly this can manifest physically as a feeling of constriction around the chest area. In extreme cases, it is also leads to cardiovascular problems and heart disease. Opening the heart comes with compassion, acceptance, caring and taking the opportunity to be courageous in moments when you feel timid.

How do you open your heart? Here are10 things you can do:

#1. Breathe.... Most of us pay no attention to our breathing. It is a function that the body does automatically. As a result, most of our breaths are very shallow and rapid. Breathing deeply and slowing your breath is profoundly healing for the heart, the body, the mind and the soul. When you breathe, you are bringing literal consciousness into your body. You are not only accepting but embracing and taking in life. Breath is the spark of life that ignites you into remembering and reconnecting every time you take a deep breath in. Breathing clears the mind and settles our emotions. The breath and the heart are deeply connected and are completely interdependent. Conscious breathing is necessary to open your heart.

#2. Play more. When you look at a child immersed in the world of play, you think of joy, happiness and sharing. Children are short on memory of woes when they are playing. Your heart opens when you laugh joyously. When you laugh and are having fun, you are completely in the moment and not focused on problems, the past or the future. Laughter actually boosts your immune system and your heart’s functions. You are completely present and being present is where the heart always exists, thus you sync your mind at this time with your heart. You can open your heart and mind by playing and being in the present.

#3. Meditation. To meditate is to expand oneself into all possibilities. It is connecting your heart to the greater consciousness, quieting the mind so that you can hear your heart, becoming one with this awareness and absorbing peace through the stillness. Simply being. Meditation brings in many elements to open your heart such as breathing and being present

#4. Holding a kitten or a puppy ...and kissing them :) In all seriousness animal companions will open your heart immediately and teach you how to give to another. Animals teach patience and appreciation. Recently health professionals acknowledged that when kids grow up around animals they build up a greater resistance to allergies, bacteria and disease and create a stronger immune system.  Even watching something as adorable as a favorite animal playing makes us smile deep inside. Don’t have an animal companion? Just go to YouTube.com and type in “adorable pets”. :)

#5. Be positive! Whenever you say or think something negative, just say “cancel” and follow it with a positive reflection on the matter. Not only is it good practice but this trains you to think and act more positively and in turn lifts others around you. Negative emotions inhibit your ability to think clearly. Negativity closes the heart and cuts you off from others. Positivity will not only open your heart but brings about the natural state of unity.

#6. Physical movement. The tissues of your body hold emotions, pain and memories in. Certain movements can allow the blocks from these feelings and memories to be released. This movement will not only open your heart but will allow more room for deeper breathing and help you get in touch with blocked emotions. Simply lie down with a pillow under your shoulder blades, length wise so that it supports your back down to your hips. Spread your legs and arms out like a jumping jack. Breathe in deeply. If you start to cry, allow it. Your heart is just releasing old sadness and crying is a good thing! If you aren’t in a place that you can lie down, like work, then simply let your arms hang to your sides loosely. Gently pull your arms back behind you like you are trying to bring your shoulder blades together. Allow your head to fall back, arching your back slightly take a deep breath in slowly and exhale with a great release. Do this several times. An extra  bonus to open your heart is to smile-it makes all the difference!

#7. Exercising kindness. Doing a small act of kindness toward another not only opens your heart but it will open other’s heart as well. It may simply be smiling at someone who seems down, or complimenting a clerk who is overwhelmed even just a: “hang in there”! This energy will even benefit the others around you.

#8. Sing! Sing a joyful and uplifting song. Something like; “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” Singing allows the throat to open and emotions to pour forth. It feeds the energy centers of the throat which in turn will open your heart and gets you out of your head. Singing with exuberance is one of the best and most effective ways to keep you in the moment and quiet negative thoughts! Not comfortable singing? Then simply listening to a favorite piece of uplifting music is another way to open your heart.

#9. Gratitude. Gratitude lifts our vibrations up to resonate with the Creator and the ever healing vibration of love. Giving gratitude for the tiny things in life that you receive everyday is an easy fix to open your heart. You can be grateful for a smile from a stranger, a free cup of coffee, or how about a green traffic light? Gratitude in the worst of times is truly the most empowering. Paramahansa Yogananda said that when you are praying to God to help you with the things that aren’t going right in your life you are closer to God than when everything is going well and you aren’t seeking God’s help.

#10. Love yourself! The most important and profound way to open your heart is in loving yourself. By loving yourself your heart opens to others and you are unaffected by things others do or say unconsciously. You no longer feel guilt, shame, judgement for the things you do but can appreciate your own foibles as well as those exercised by others. Begin by coming up with 5 things that you appreciate/love about yourself before you go to sleep every night. Want to love someone? Learn to love yourself first. This is the greatest gift you can give one another, the planet, yourself and to your heart.