6 Ways to Restore Faith in Your Heart’s Guidance
“It’s easy to fool the eye but it’s hard to fool the heart.” — Al Pacino
Every single life form in the universe orbits around a core nucleus. Whether you’re an atom, a human, a planet, or a solar system, you revolve around a magnetic pull in an ecosystem of existence. That nucleus for us, humans, is our heart.
Our heart not only affects us biologically, emotionally, and energetically, it connects our body, mind, and spirit. On a physiological level, our heart lives in the center of our body and, without fail, day in and day out pumps blood supply which carries oxygen and nutrients to every inch of our body so our brain can think, our mouth can speak, our arms can move, our skin can feel, and our legs can walk. Every nerve ending has a way of connecting back to our heart. If our heart ceases to function, our body would stop being alive.
From an energetic level, the heart chakra is at the very center of all 7 major chakras. It connects the upper chakras of communication, intuition, and wisdom to the lower chakras of power, desires, and stability so that our energy is balanced in order to come together as a complete being.
So you see, everything that happens in our physical body, as well as our energy body, affects our heart. Conversely, everything that happens in our heart affects our physical and energy bodies.
How could we ever doubt that our heart knows what’s best for us?
For me, the seed of doubt began the first time I experienced a major disappointment, then more disappointments, and finally a painful relationship that made me associate following my heart with a miserable life. My ego’s voice became louder each time saying: “How could you be so stupid in believing that people were actually going to come through for you?”
All the voices from people calling me “naive” were confirmed and I gave in — perhaps I really was that stupid and naive.
I made a decision then my heart wasn’t to be trusted and I was only going to listen to my rational mind from that point on.
I didn’t realize the cause of my misery was not that of my heart but of my ego. While my heart led me on a path of growth and experiences preparing me for a great purpose, my ego, fed by the negativity of my environment, sabotaged that journey by labeling it “good”, “bad”, “smart”, “stupid”, “winner”, “loser” every step of the way. I fought it but felt defeated. My pain was undeniable and all I wanted was to never feel that way again, so I closed my heart to anything or anyone who gave me hope. That cold and lonely chapter of my life would last for the next 10 years.
Like how most of my epiphanies occur over the years, as I unraveled the mysteries of my soul, this one hit me suddenly one day in the midst of a daydreaming episode — Who am I if I am not my heart?
Am I simply a product of a pile of facts and logic? Am I a resumé of skill sets and credentials, or the value of all my assets on paper? No way. No human being should ever be reduced to that. We are recipients for higher messages. We are each here for a different purpose, each of us uniquely designed, evident by our DNA. No two of us are exactly alike or are on the same exact personal journey. And no two can be interpreted by facts and logic alone or categorized by external possessions.
When I took the next few moments to truly feel myself, I felt a numbing sensation and an emptiness that shook me to the core. This was not who I remembered myself to be.
I missed feeling like ME.
Look to your heart as your true North on a compass and let it point you in the right direction. At the same time, your rational mind is not without a purpose. It is the captain and crew of the ship, navigating through all the obstacles and storms to bring you safely and successfully to your destination.
My mission for the next phase of my life was clear — to restore faith in my heart and support my heart’s desires in a safe and empowering way.
And to do that effectively in our confusing and complicated society, I knew I needed to have the utmost clarity. I wanted to provide a safe environment for my heart while allowing it to lead the way. So I put together a list of mindful practices with the tools I’ve acquired over the years that I’m going to share with you below:
1. Get to know your heart once again
If you’ve ever felt your heart racing, skip a beat, or ache, then you can understand how attuned your heart is to your senses. It knows when something doesn’t feel right, how much a special someone means to you, or even at times premonitions that something is about to happen. How well do you understand what each signal means? More importantly, what do they mean to you personally?
Think of it as forming a new relationship and getting to know someone brand new. Does your heart react to the sight of a certain person in your life? How does it feel when you think of a loved one who's passed on? Does it feel warmth and openness when hearing certain words or phrases? How does it feel when you experience joy?
Make a mental note of what happens right before you feel something or notice a sensation from your heart. After a while you will be able to understand better what your heart is trying to tell you. For example, I’ve noticed my heart races whenever I’m about to get into an unwanted situation, and the pace progressively increases as it gets closer to the situation taking place. I’ve written it off as just me being nervous, being fearful, or having cold feet, when in fact it is a warning sign from my heart with all the signals gathered from my body telling me it’s not a good idea.
2. Trust your heart’s voice
As an adult who has been through a fair share of failures and betrayals, this can feel scary. Following your heart seems like such a childish and impractical idea. While you might think following your heart could look something like abandoning your responsibilities and running off to an island paradise, that is most likely not what your heart truly wants, in fact.
You may very well be needing a vacation from all your responsibilities, but your heart serves a deeper function in this case — to guide you down the path you are supposed to be on. That doesn’t mean there won’t be hurt or disappointments. It also doesn’t mean you won’t face setbacks in life. What that means is you were meant to have each of those experiences in order to become the person you were truly meant to be.
At the end of your journey, you would be the sum of all your experiences and learning, and that is ultimately what you are here to become and to leave with.
3. Don’t compare your journey with others
There isn’t a one-path-fits-all journey for everyone like many of the false beliefs we were taught in this world. You are a unique soul with a unique purpose, meaning you are here to do your own thing at your own pace. Whenever you tell yourself: “I should be making a lot more money at my age, I should switch careers” or “She’s happily married with 2 kids, I should do what she does so I can have that too” you allow your ego to interfere and possibly take you on a long detour from your true path.
4. Allow your rational mind to support your heart
Look to your heart as your true North on a compass and let it point you in the right direction. At the same time, your rational mind is not without a purpose. It is the captain and crew of the ship, navigating through all the obstacles and storms to bring you safely and successfully to your destination.
Whenever your mind starts to make plans or formulate what makes sense, listen, but remind yourself to stay on your heart’s course.
5. Practice being vulnerable
In order to open your heart to the many amazing possibilities life could bring you, you need to get somewhat comfortable with being vulnerable. I will readily admit this is an area I have the most trouble with. Starting this blog and sharing my personal stories is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but in a way has helped me overcome my fear of vulnerability little by little.
If you also feel uneasy toward being vulnerable like I do, taking baby steps will help. Slowly open up to a few people you are close to, and when you feel safe you can begin sharing more of your inner world. Increase that circle as you become more and more comfortable. Don’t be discouraged if you come across a judgment or criticism. When we practice being open and vulnerable initially we feel especially tender. Even the slightest disagreement from others can feel hurtful sometimes. If you feel that way at first, just take a small step back temporarily but keep practicing.
6. Take good care of your heart
This includes taking care of your heart physically and emotionally, and in some cases they’re one in the same. Knowing your heart affects every part of your body and vice versa, wouldn’t it be wise to take good care of it?
That involves eating heart-healthy, exercising to activate and strengthen your heart muscle, and taking it easy when your heart feels tender and needs a break from heavy emotions. All you have to do is let it tell you what it needs.
Simple mudra to soothe and warm the heart: Overlap your palms and place on top of your chest. Move slowly in a clockwise circular motion over your heart. Feel the subtle warmth on your chest and in your heart while taking deep breaths. Do this for at least 12 repetitions or for as long as you would like. This mudra can bring comfort when your heart feels a little heavy.
Reference: Anodea Judith, Wheels of Life: A User’s Guide to the Chakra System.
