You may hear the idiom “listen to your heart” when seeking advice or when wondering whether to go left or right at a fork in the road of life. But this illusive advice may be harder to grasp if you don’t know what listening to your heart entails.
The heart operates in terms of energy and frequency. So rather than trying to audibly hear the whispered desires of your heart, you can actually feel what is it saying. But where does the heart get the information it relays to our brains? Your intuition (gut brain/2nd brain) is your inner compass and your direct connection to your higher self. This knowing is communicated to your heart so that it can communicate with your human self through energy.
However, the channels of communication can get clogged up when we think of what others want for us rather than what we want for ourselves. Societal pressure, expectation from loved ones and conditioning are all things that make following our inner compass hard. But the heart is here to recalibrate our beings and remind us that everything we’ve ever sought out has always been within us. The guidance we need is literally hardwired at birth, we just have to update the “software” every once in a while to ensure it is operating at the highest level.
Scientists have discovered that our hearts (and brains) emit an electromagnetic field that can be measure up to 5 feet away. They have also discovered that the frequency of the heart is 5000 times stronger than the frequency emitted by the brain. Wow, right? We spend so much time up in our heads spinning in circles when really it is our hearts that hold the answers we seek.
“Negative emotions, such as anger or frustration, are associated with an erratic, disordered, incoherent pattern in the heart’s rhythms. In contrast, positive emotions, such as love or appreciation, are associated with a smooth, ordered, coherent pattern in the heart’s rhythmic activity.”
—HeartMath Institute
Listening to your heart is actually much easier than you may think. Your heart also has your best interests in mind because it is receiving information from your intuition, and so it will not steer you astray. As you develop a clear channel of communication with your own heart, you’ll be able to tune in easier and more frequently.
How to Listen to Your Heart
Sit comfortably in a quiet place and bring your attention to your breath. A calm body and mind are essential when calling on the wisdom of the heart.
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Place your hand on your chest, over your heart and simply feel it beating its natural rhythm as you breathe in and out normally. Take note of this neutral baseline energy.
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First, think of something that you unconditionally love like a family member, pet or even music. Notice how your heart opens and expands with this thought and seems to beat with more vigor.
- Now, think of a situation that you know is not good for you (a job you left, a person you removed from your life etc). Feel it as if the situation were really happening. Notice if your heart seems to slow, beat slightly erratically, or feel slightly “less” vibrant than before— if it contracts as opposed to outwardly expands.
What you feel in your chest is your heart responding to your reality. It speaks the only language it knows: energy. These steps will help you form a gauge for a “yes” and a “no” to use in the future.
Whenever you need guidance from your higher self, notice how your heart beats when thinking about your options. This is listening to your heart.