Connecting with the heart center

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Originally Posted by InnerAthlete in another thread.

It was mentioned that one should try to connect with their heart center.

[I]It simply is an issue that pales when contrasted to other issues. A student who can deeply connect with their heart center in poses held for ten seconds brews a much stronger batch then a student who holds the poses for five minutes with no connection whatsoever. Therefore it is much more fruitful, from a yogic perspective, to consider what you are experiencing in the duration of the pose without becoming preoccupied with the time you are spending in the pose. [/I]

http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f16/how-long-do-you-hold-your-positions-3791.html#post15361

What is the purpose of this heart connection and how it is done?

#2

Namaste Keepitlow,

I think connecting to the heart centre might mean different things to each person here on this forum. So I’ll tell you only what it means to me and should not be read as the gospel truth for everybody.

For me connecting to the heart centre means to be in every moment as much as possible, not to be distracted by all the trappings of my mind about this or that, but to cultivate an awareness of my emotions during that moment. And before there is a long discussion about the meaning of being in the moment, for me it simply means to grow my awareness. It is thinking with the heart (also read love, compassion and kind heartedness if you want to) and less with the mind for me.

Let me explain: About two months ago I really had a few problems that was really worrisome to me and which caused me a lot of stress. I decided to do a yoga session at home, really trying to set aside beforehand all my worries, stresses etc by just focussing on what I felt and to be just aware during each asana. My mind told me before hand it would be impossible and reminded me constantly that connecting to what I will feel and the emotions will lead me more worry and stress. My mind attachment to these worries caused my body to manifest all sorts of physical and emotional dis-ease and illness at that time and I figured I need to cancel my mind a bit here and get around these worries with my heart or awareness (you can also read that I needed another perspective here, and inner perspective perhaps). I needed to get another perspective on those worries as they really become mountains of ego for me and the more I tried to figure them out with my mind the more they seem to stress me.

Anyway, I did my session with great difficulty on focussing just on my emotions and be aware of what I feel in every asana, I didn’t hold it for so long or that long, I just hold each asana for as long as it was necessary following my inner feeling here. Towards the end of the session I had this incredible burst of gratitude from my heart for where I am and at that moment I also felt so much compassion towards my worries and stresses that they seem to become insignificant. The amazing thing was that all of a sudden and inner peace came over me about these problems and I just felt that all will work out well. I blessed my worries then, gave praise and thanks and the amazing thing was they all sorted themselves out without me worrying and stressing further about them and within a couple of days. More importantly my physical dis-eases and illness also started to just disappear.

That is connecting to the heart centre for me, find peace and compassion in every situation and to grow my awareness of how the Divine Will manifests in my life and letting go of the mind that wants to control every outcome in my life.

These are baby steps for me and I take them one at a time, most of the times mind still get his way, but slowly I am evolving.

Hope this makes sense. :slight_smile:

#3

Thanks Pandara.

So in essence are we talking about mindfulness in your opinion?

#4

In essence for me yes, although I like to call it awareness, but that is just semantics. So yes, if you would like to call it mindfulness, that is the essence for me.

#5

The notion mindfullness reduces the full scale of emotional landscapes what might happen in one’s soul. People are usually too mindful in a wrong way. We are predisposed to deal with our life using our minds alone.

That’s why I like InnerAthletes words better: heart centered.

Keepitlow, your question was a very useful question, an opening question, so I did not even answer not to chase the bird of this opportunity away.

But now I felt the need to. Even the most rational thinkers are ruled by unrealized emotions. Like the need of objectivity, a longing for uncompromised truth and freedom. These souls have been “burned” by a too emotional, idealistic, naive aprroach in this or a former life, and thus are afraid to open their hearts because they unconsciously know that is being exposed to suffering.
Being open to the world and to other people is being open to suffering. It is suffering to see they are sleeping, to become one with their fears, anguishes, anger, conditionings, unfree nature, ignorant actions resulting in suffering for their kind, and I am not talking about strangers here, but the very people next to you, parents, wives and husbands, brothers and sisters, children, the people you are the closest to. Destructive forces are there in the souls of every one of us.
That is why there is no advancement on the spiritual path for many people. We often do not realize the inner hindrances. These are the lack of equnimity, patience, courage and trust in good. These qualities need to be developed to superhuman levels, othervise how is one expected to become one with the world, what is just another name for knowing the world ? Equanimity si not lack of compassion or empathy, rather is watching everything from a higher perspective. This takes superhuman patience, courage, and trust that all happens for a very good reason. Faith in good, and the purpose in everything. Without this, the heart cannot open, or it is done, it will be subject of great terror, anguish and restlesness, and it will be shut again.
Life is a school verey we are repetents. We need to face the exams of our karma so we develop what is lacking in us. For some of us it is laziness of thinking, for others it is a ceirtain weakness of character, for another one itis cowardrice, untruthfulness, pride, selfishness, you know all the panoply of our afflictions.

To be heart centered is to be along our purpose. During an asana, it just means that we are along the purpose of that posture. But on a higher level, to be heart centered is to rest in the center of the heart chakra, having found the balance in the activity of it’s various petals. Each petal carries some activity of the soul as described in Dhyana-bindu Upanishad:

[I]“Now I shall give a description of Atman. In the seat of the heart is a lotus of eight petals. In its centre is Jivatma of the form of Jyotis and atomic in size, moving in a circular line. In it is located everything. In knows everything. It does everything. It does all these actions attributing everything to its own power, (thinking) I do, I enjoy, I am happy, I am miserable, I am blind, I am lame, I am deaf, I am mute, I am lean, I am stout, etc. When it rests on the eastern petal which is of Sveta (white) colour, then it has a mind (or is inclined) to Dharma with Bhakti (devotion). When it rests on the south-eastern petal, which is of Rakta (blood colour), then it is inclined to sleep and laziness. When it rests on the southern petal, which is of Krishna (black) colour, then it is inclined to hate and anger. When it rests on the south-western petal which is of Nila (blue) colour, then it gets desire for sinful or harmful actions. When it rests on the western petal which is of crystal colour, then it is inclined to flirt and amuse. When it rests on the north-western petal which is of ruby colour, then it has a mind to walk, rove and have Vairagya (or be indifferent). When it rests on the northern petal which is Pita (yellow) colour, then it is inclined to be happy and to be loving. When it rests on the north-eastern petal which is of Vaidurya (Lapis Lazuli) colour, then it is inclined to amassing money, charity and passion. When it stays in the inter-space between any two petals, then it gets the wrath arising from diseases generated through (the disturbance of the equilibrium of) Vayu, bile and phlegm (in the body).”[/I]

To be correct, there are more than eight “petals”, but the above mentioned ones are already existing, and developed. The other four are undeveloped, “dormant”, and “opening the heart chakra” means developing them to present the same clarity and activity as the other eight. This development is done through various spiritual exercises, depending on school.

#6

[QUOTE=Pandara;15696]Namaste Keepitlow,

For me connecting to the heart centre means to be in every moment as much as possible, not to be distracted by all the trappings of my mind about this or that, but to cultivate an awareness of my emotions during that moment. And before there is a long discussion about the meaning of being in the moment, for me it simply means to grow my awareness. It is thinking with the heart (also read love, compassion and kind heartedness if you want to) and less with the mind for me.

Anyway, I did my session with great difficulty on focussing just on my emotions and be aware of what I feel in every asana, I didn’t hold it for so long or that long, I just hold each asana for as long as it was necessary following my inner feeling here. Towards the end of the session I had this incredible burst of gratitude from my heart for where I am and at that moment I also felt so much compassion towards my worries and stresses that they seem to become insignificant. The amazing thing was that all of a sudden and inner peace came over me about these problems and I just felt that all will work out well. I blessed my worries then, gave praise and thanks and the amazing thing was they all sorted themselves out without me worrying and stressing further about them and within a couple of days. More importantly my physical dis-eases and illness also started to just disappear.

Hope this makes sense. :)[/QUOTE]

As far as I know, asanas should be performed with concentration.

#7

Shall we thus presume you disregard Patanjali’s eight limbs or merely ascribe to them avoiding Dharana.

#8

Yes you are right, but I know people who perform asanas with great concentration but no awareness at all. Again, for me the difference between the mind and the heart, mind is concentration, heart is all about awareness. Ideally we should combine them, then I think the true essence of Dharana will manifest.

IA, to whom did you direct you question?

#9

Either I read it incorrectly the first time or it was edited after I read it.

I thought Oak said “asana should be performed without concentration”. My ooops.

#10

Thanks for [B]ALL[/B] the feedback.

And yes Hubert, life is very complex and lots of distractions on the brain. I sometimes keep a pad and pen next to my yoga mat so I can relieve my mind of thoughts of ‘needs’ that pop up in my head to get done.

Something that helped me was getting as timer that gonged gently when the pre set time was up with my position. But it never quite worked 100% for some positions took longer to get in so it had to he done with flexibility of time.

I guess that is why concentrating on breathing is so important, helps relieves the mind of some of its baggage.But the foundation of a quit mind has to come away from the mat with how we live.

As an offshoot to my simple living work, I now use the practice of “voluntary solitude” to give me a more peaceful life. The same way I pick and choose which complexities of living I allow in my life, I now do the same with noise and commotion.

I first learned of this concept when reading a book by the granddaddy of backpacking Colin Fletcher. He described the benefits of pure solitude by walking alone. It occurred to me I was addicted to noise and commotion.

I felt like my mind was going to explode some days. Music and noise kept repeating in my brain all night and my sleep was fitful. I had the TV blasting all day with the stock channel or the news or whatever. It didn’t matter if I watched it or not, I just liked the noise.

I had the radio or CD going whenever I was driving. Even on the trail when hiking or biking, I had on earphones and at the pool a radio blaring. My mind was full of noise and I could never seem to get any escape with noise even in my sleep.

Once I started with voluntary solitude and shut off the noise, I went though a period of noise withdrawal for a few days, but gradually could see things were getting better. Sometimes our peace is disturbed by other means than noise. I’ve seen persons going out to be alone in nature and they bring their computer or paperwork with them.

Maybe they have removed some of the fuel for their stressed life but cannot let go of it all and must still feed their addiction even while in nature. Be aware of peace disrupters in your life, irrespective of whether they make sounds or not.

I now am very choosy when it comes to noise pollution and other disruptions entering me that can be cured by using solitude, deep quiet and renunciation. When we are quiet within we are in an easier position to find peace.

I’ve known some people that have a completely quiet day once per week seeking quiet for their mouth and speak to no one in addition to seeking quiet for their ears.

Other persons I have talked with just make an effort to lower the volume of the noise they intake as well as lowering the volume of the noise they output…lowering their voice.

#11

I can relate to Pandara’s words about being with the body and emotions and having health problems resolved and new perspectives gained through Hatha practice.
[I]The issue is in the tissue[/I] and your whole body expresses what you feel in your heart and your head. So connecting with the heart for me is feeling all the flaws in my body as a reflection of what’s happening in my mind. Asana practice is bringing awareness to the whole self. Body, mind and emotion.

Brooke

#12

I can relate to Pandara’s words about being with the body and emotions and having health problems resolved and new perspectives gained through Hatha Yoga practice.
[I]The issue is in the tissue[/I] and your whole body expresses what you feel in your heart and your head. So connecting with the heart for me is feeling all the flaws in my body as a reflection of what’s happening in my mind and vice versa. Asana practice is bringing awareness to the whole self. Body, mind and emotion.

Brooke

#13

I’ve recently been looking at sutra I.14, and I feel that this thread provides a clue to the meaning. In I.14, Patanjali talks about the conditions needed for yoga practice to become firmly established. Yoga must be practiced:
[ol]
[li][I]dirgha kala[/I] - for a long time,[/li][li][I]nairantarya[/I] - without interruption[/li][li][I]satkarasevita[/I] - performed in a correct manner[/li][/ol]

The difficulty with this sutra is the word [I]satkarasevita[/I], which I’ve interpreted here as “performed in a correct manner”, but I think maybe that’s a little too mechanical of an approach. Others translate [I]satkarasevita[/I] as “with devotion” or “with reverent devotion”, but I think the sutra is talking about the same thing that is being discussed in this thread; i.e. practicing yoga with a connection to the heart center, or with mindfulness, or awareness. Everyone seems to have a hard time hanging a name on it, but idea seems to have something to do with the quality of practice, which is more than just mechanical.

#14

I believe the answer to the OP’s question cannot be fully found in Patanjali’s work as it, by the very nature of the school of thought it stems from, is mechanical or “organized”.

However the works of Sri Aurobindo are far more revealing. Or you could find a teacher who teaches from such a paradigm.

#15

Yes, Yes! Sri Aurobindo…and the Mother…they have such an eloquent way of revealing the heart centered path through their writings. Their words are inspiring and poignant…and are the founders of “Integral Yoga.” There are so many wonderful books he and the Mother have written! I enjoyed Integral Yoga , but there are others you may enjoy even more. His language is deep and poetic, but when you breathe into the message, it opens you to the profound depths of their wisdom. Highly recommended reading for a better understanding of Yoga and the heart centered journey…

Namaste