Let Your Head Follow Your Heart

The other day my teacher said it a couple of times in class and it made me realise I’m not very good at letting my head follow my heart. I’m a head person. Maybe you're a head person too? The practice of yoga has brought me into my body. It helps us open our hearts.

That’s the the key to unlocking another deeper part of your life. By allowing the heart to be part of your worldly experience. Often we imagine that the brain and mind is the most important part of us. Actually living in your body and having a heartfelt experience of life is what it's all about.

Often the reason that we close off our hearts is that we've had some emotional trauma or there's something that's broken our heart. So when something happens to our heart we close it down. We protect it. People walk around with shoulders forward and head and neck bowed. Yes, it can be because of computer screens and mobile phones, but a lot of people are protecting their hearts from perceived suffering. Closing down to prevent further hurt.

In yoga movements we practice letting the head and the heart come into alignment. letting the head follow the heart. Sync-ing them so they work in harmony. Giving your heart a voice, activating those feelings of love and connectedness. Instead of being ruled by practicality and facts, listening to the heart adds feelings of love and connectedness to your actions.

When you've got your head and your heart in alignment then it's safe to create connections. It’s the head's job is to keep you safe and the heart's job is to grow you. So trust both your heart and your head and live in aligned wisdom.

In yoga opening into a back bend can feel quite a strong internal feeling of openness and vulnerability. So keep working with this feeling, bringing your head and heart into the movement it's an authentic expression of who you are.

Sometimes when you're talking about the heart people get all mushy. But that's a kind romantic love promoted by commercialism. An authentic love comes from the true you. It comes from a place of growth and expansion in your body.

It is safe to live a heart-centered life. It gives you the ability to step out into the world and be receptive to whatever's going on. Bringing the energy of the heart helps create deep connections with other people.

Often we are unconscious of the things that are blocking our connections to others. Individualism and reliance on technology can bring isolation and a closing down of the heart. But to let your head follow your heart you're opening up and allowing that energy to flow. Opening up to a two-way street of communication brings more congruence to your life.

In yoga asana this energy flow happens naturally without conscious thought.  Just do some yoga.

For example on our YouTube channel we have a practice Let Your Head Follow Your Heart

https://youtu.be/ArSDHr33C0A

Here we start with standing poses. We need to create a solid grounding. Connecting to earth makes it safe for the upper body to be fully open. We anchor and we ground down, and then we open. A simple pose like tadasana or standing mountain pose is a good focus. Begin with feet hip width apart, open the palms, roll the head of the arm bones back, get the shoulder blades together on the back and start to lift your heart.

Begin by getting that feeling of openness. Find out for yourself by looking at yourself in a mirror. Look in the mirror in this open and receptive way. Get grounded and open your heart. Be open to receive love. Connect more deeply with yourself, with your family or with your partner. Be open and available and that's how the energy flows.

Meditation and mindfulness also brings and an awarenes of the heart. There's two guided love meditations on our Yoga to Transform Love course. You can buy this 28-day course from our website

https://www.yogatotransform.com/store

The first meditation is a focus on the love for yourself. It's about creating and building self-love. Letting your head follow your heart brings you the awareness to open your heart, removing the heart blockages and learning to love yourself.

The next meditation is opening to all kinds of love. By being open there is an easy pathway for your heart and head to communicate. This easy flow opens you to living a love-filled life.

The latin word for heart is cor c-o-r which is also the root word for courage. Courage from the heart moves into the brain and the heart then gives you the wisdom to live with more alignment.

Having your head and heart working together happens naturally through practicing yoga. When the head and the heart are both open and talking to each other it's one way of activating more love in your life. What a great thing to happen.

Namaste

Kristina and Audrie xx