The human heart is a muscular organ about the size of an adult's closed fist, and weighs 8 ounces if you are a woman, and about 10 ounces for men. The heart beat rate is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which has two parts. The sympathetic system is the "fight or flight" part to speed things up, and the parasympathetic system functions to slow things down. The average healthy adult heart beats about 70X a minute throughout one's life and that adds up to 2.5 to 3 billion times. Six quarts of blood are efficiently circulated through the body 3X a minute as the heart moves 2,000 gallons of blood a day through 60,000 miles of blood vessels, some the size of a garden hose, and some the diameter of a hair. The heart beats about 100,000 times a day. If you opened and closed your hand that many times, your hand would be sore long before it hit that number! We love those mathematical equations about the heart, don't we? Yet, none of our favorite songs about love include any of those facts. Let's look at what our brothers and sisters from other traditions say about the heart.
Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that the heart houses the mind and the soul. There is an ancient phrase which states that very explicitly: XIN XIANG SHI CHENG. Let's break that down.
Xin=Heart Xiang=Think Shi=Things Cheng=Accomplished
Whatever your heart thinks can be achieved.
In a literature review entitled, "The Therapeutic Role of the Practitioner's Heart in Classical Chinese Medicine and Modern Science"( Stephane Espinosa), some startling conclusions were reached. Parallels were identified with results from research showing that positive emotions, such as compassion, increase the coherence of the cardiac electromagnetic field as well as cardiac energy exchange between people and synchronized heart-brain wave patterns. Yes, one of these studies measured the heart rhythms between a boy and his dog as they just simply sat across the room gazing lovingly at each other. So, basically, there have been many studies done regarding the energy of the heart and the role it plays in healing. These studies all point to the positive conclusion that it is the focused intention of the healer and the clarity of his or her heart energy which results in the best effects. The electromagnetic energy of the heart is measurable, and extends as far as 6 feet out from the body. Now we are starting to sound more like a love song!
The Sanskrit word "Chakra" means wheel or disc. Ancient yogis have always practiced what they have intuitively known without proof. Thanks to a surge in the evolution of subtle energy technologies, the chakras are now being validated as measurable energies. Anatomically, each major chakra is associated with a major nerve center(plexus) in the body and a major endocrine gland. The heart is associated with the cardiac plexus and the thymus gland. The thymus gland plays a large role in our immune system. The cardiac plexus is located between the aortic arch and the trachea. Sparing you a Grey's anatomy lesson, close your eyes and connect with a spot that feels deep where your breath meets your back bone at the level of the second thoracic vertebra. Just below where your neck attaches to your body, level with your shoulders. From there to the 7th thoracic vertebrae is the territory of the heart chakra. The yogis and energy healers describe it as a beautiful green flower with 12 petals. There are 6 pairs of spinal nerves between T2 and T7, hence 12 nerves/petals. Those early healers were not only clairvoyant but were able to accurately use anatomical practices to find these correlations between the energetic and the physical. The heart chakra is the bridge between our earthly and divine selves.
In this world of energy, everything has a frequency a pattern of resonance...vibrations that match things perfectly, if you will. Thus, colors, essential oils, crystals, and musical notes specifically "vibe" with each energy center of the body. Stay tuned to this blog to learn a little about your energy and anatomy.
The heart chakra loves Spring green or pink clothing, massage, with sandlewood or rose oil, and jewelry made of jade, emerald or watermelon tourmaline! Please don't forget the music.....in the key of F. Try Bach's Brandenburg Concertos in F Major. Love yourself unconditionally, breathing in and out in amazement at that 8 ounce green- petaled flower that confidently circulates your blood. Send love and compassion out with each breath. Happy Valentine's Day! Peace and love Maryah
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