Adapted by JeriLu Breneman, RN, CHMP
- Do your best to practice every day or at least 4 days of 7 for maximum benefit
- Practice at a time when you are LEAST anxious. This gives your heart a chance to find a coherent rhythm and maintain it for a time.
- Notice how you feel when you are practicing and how long the effects of practice last.
Heart focus
Activating the intelligence of the heart
- Hand on the heart if that is comfortable. If not, put your attention on that area.
- You are not feeling for your heartbeat, unless this helps you focus.
Heart Breathing
Connecting with the heart through the breath
- For the first 3 breaths, relax into a long, slow exhale.
- Then let your body find an easy, relaxed breathing rhythm.
- Feel your chest rise and fall as you breathe. See if you can have a sense of breathing into and out from the area around the heart.
Heart Feeling
Activating feelings of appreciation, caring and compassion
- Thinking of those you love
- Going to a physical place that helps you to feel positive and/or calm
- Thinking of a word, color or image that gives you a good feeling
- Nature videos, or natural sound
Whatever you use, keep it SIMPLE. More complex memories and images can turn distracting.
You will likely get distracted. That’s how our brains work.
Just comeback to the feeling of focusing on the heart, your hand on your chest, your positive or neutral emotional focus. Know that every minute you spend in HeartMath™ practice helps your heart to find that sweet spot of coherence.
Gratitude is the most powerful emotion for producing a coherent heart rhythm.
For the Heart Lockin™ technique, end by radiating feelings of compassion, caring and appreciation to yourself, to those you love and to others.