Roadmap to the Heart.
In some chapters of life it can be incredibly difficult to connect to a sense of love for ourselves. Whether it be because of external circumstances or internal struggles, in one way or another I believe we all go through a period where it is harder to access the light within.
During one of my darkest chapters, where anxiety and depression felt all consuming and I was struggling to feel any sense of warmth within me, I was introduced to a really simple practice.
Ram Dass describes this notion of connecting to the heart by loving that which you love and expanding it.
Let’s explore this concept.
THE PRACTICE
Find a quiet spot to sit. Get comfortable, wrap up in a blanket or put a pillow under your hips, maybe lean against a wall. You can either do this practice by closing your eyes and moving through the following prompts as a meditation, or if the mind is incredibly busy and closing the eyes is a challenge, you can get out a journal and elaborate on each prompt in writing.
Now invite into your awareness something/someone you love. It could be a person, an animal, or a particular spot in nature. Now, tune into the essence of this person/place/being that you love. What does it feel like to be in their presence? What aromas are lingering in the air? Whether it be sea spray off the ocean or the perfume of a loved one, tune into the physical, tangible sense of this person/being/place here with you, in this moment. Visualize them in front of you. And extend to them the most love and tenderness you can possibly muster, expressing to them through the visualization of touch, or any tender words how much love you have for them. As you are doing so, note any sense of warmth you may feel within you. As you feel this first glimmer of warmth, this first ember of light, I invite you now to fan it. Blow on it a little. Wherever you feel the warmth + light in your body, no matter how subtle, focus on fanning that flame. This may be through visualizing that light expanding out into all parts of the body. If this is a stretch, keep focusing on the person/place/being you love, and continue to feel the warmth that is evoked as a result. Love evoking love.
Take note of this warmth, this light. Acknowledge it- that it is coming from within you, although prompted by the thought of something outside of you, it is not coming from anywhere outside of you. It is coming from you, for you. The prompt of someone + something you love is simply a pathway home to your very own heart. This is the power of love for others to serve as a mirror and guide us home to our deepest sense of self.
Ram Dass said,
“How do you open the heart?
You start to love that which you can love
And just keep expanding it
You love a tree
You love a river
You love a leaf
You love a flower
You love a cat
You love a human
But go deeper and deeper into that love
'Til you love that
Which is the source of the light behind all of it
Behind all of it.”
Love is the most powerful force in the entire universe. Now go fan the embers.