Heart in Yoga and Ayurveda is called Anahata Chakra. It is a shy lotus looking down into the abdominal cavity. It is a most vital organ and the abode of mind. Mind is a flow of thought. Mind is a flow of feelings and emotions. Heart is the seat of mind. According to the Vedic system, the core of the inner equipment of mental faculties is the Heart.

—Dr. Vasant Lad on the Heart-Mind Connection according to Ayurveda—

We explored an article published by Ayurprana and its embedded video in:

The Heart-Mind Connection: How Emotions Impact Your Cardiovascular Health

By Kamille Lavani

The heart is not merely a biological pump but a complex organ deeply intertwined with our emotional well-being. In the chakra system, the energy centers of the body, the heart is called Anahata. It is the seat of immunity, vitality, joy, love, and compassion. When we have unresolved emotions such as anger, hate, worry, and rejection they accumulate in our heart and can lead to various physical and emotional ailments. 

Anger and Hatred

Did you know that anger and hatred could be causing the inflammation in your body? These emotions are associated with the fire element, or pitta dosha. When we suppress anger or hatred, it can build up as heat within the body. The liver and heart are the main organs these emotions accumulate. Allowing them to fester could lead to heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and increased risk of heart attacks. 

Worry and Rejection

Worry and rejection can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being, and ultimately, our heart health. When we constantly worry, our bodies are in a state of chronic stress, which can lead to elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and damage to blood vessels. Rejection, whether it’s social, romantic, or professional, can be extremely painful and further exacerbate cardiovascular risk factors. 

Releasing and Balancing

In order to release these emotions, we first need to recognize them. Allow them to come to the surface without shame, then do practices to release them. By releasing these emotions, it will gradually restore our natural balance. You’ll feel lighter and more whole. While this may seem challenging initially, consistent practice of a few simple techniques can gradually break down emotional barriers. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

• Focus on heart opening asanas (poses) such as Dhanurasana (bow pose). When you are in the asana bring your attention to your heart center and take several deep breaths while setting your intention. 
• Try taking 10, 3-part yogic breaths. In one inhale, bring your breath just below the belly button expanding the belly, then move the breath up to the rib and expand it in all directions, finally bring the breath to the heart and collar bone area expanding the chest fully. Then exhale starting from the belly then rib cage and finally the chest. This is one breath. This will help bring you back to your parasympathetic nervous system. Creating space for calmness, reflection, and gratitude. 
• Utilize hridayam marma point. Marma points are vital energy points in the body, similar to acupressure points. Hryidayam marma point is located on the sterman at the level of the third intercostal space. Press this point with your index finger using medium pressure for 1 minute. To enhance the experience add rose essential oil to the area before applying pressure. 
• A wonderful heart opening herb to try is Tulsi. It’s known as holy basil. This is an adaptogenic herb that helps support a calm emotional disposition. Try incorporating it into your night time as a nice winddown tea. 

The heart, as a vital organ in both a physical and emotional sense, requires nurturing and attention. By recognizing and releasing the emotional burdens we carry, we can cultivate a healthier and more balanced heart. Remember, a healthy heart is a reflection of a harmonious mind and spirit.

Modern Psychology adoptions of practices from traditions of Buddhism, Vedic teachings and more.

MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT)

• Designed for groups, also used in individual therapy
• Emphasis on daily practice of mindfulness exercises taught in session
• The process of attending to present-moment experience in a non- judgmental way
• The ability to pay attention and notice experiences in the present
• The ability to refrain from judging experiences
• The ability to accept positive and negative experiences without avoidance or
  reactivity 

SELF ACCEPTANCE – MEDITATION ON LETTING GO

1. During meditation exercises, emphasize acceptance of experiences.

“Mind will frequently wander, this is completely normal and to be expected”
“There is nothing to change, no particular state to be achieved”
“Allowing your experience to be how it is, right now”
“Welcoming all of your experiences like a friend”

2. Mindfulness of breathing

Awareness on quality of breathing (fast/slow, deep/shallow)
Abdominal breathing (inflating/deflating like a balloon)

3. Practicing full body awareness of tension/discomfort

Breathing “into” tension and letting go on exhale

SELF ACCEPTANCE – BALL METAPHOR

What if what you’re doing with these thoughts, memories, and feelings is like fighting with a ball in a pool? You don’t like these things. You don’t want them, and you want them out of your life. So you try to push the ball under the water and out of your consciousness.However, the ball keeps popping back up to the surface, so you have to keep pushing it down or holding it under the water. Struggling with the ball in this way keeps it close to you, and it’s tiring and futile. If you were to let go of the ball, it would pop up and float on the surface near you, and you probably wouldn’t like it. But if you let it float there for a while without grabbing it, it could eventually drift away to the other side of the pool. And even if it didn’t, at least you’d be able to use your arms and enjoy your swim, rather than spending your time fighting.

Every day is a new day. This day will never come again. So how can we live fully, completely, and totally in harmony with this moment, with this day? Dinacharya is a ancient vedic art of unfolding the inner balance of the body, mind and consciousness and inner balance of
observer, observation and the thing to be observed.

Dr. Vasant Lad

Dinacharya

How to Make Your Daily Routine Work for You 

One of the very first things that you are taught as a student of Ayurveda is dinacharya —or a daily routine. It’s an integral component to maintaining stability within your life, while also helping you to live according to the rhythms of nature. A strong routine can help your body stay healthy and work at its fullest potential.

Why Daily Routine Is Important

There are so many articles nowadays talking about the importance of morning and evening routines, and how both of these help to create successful and productive days. It’s easy to view this from a very mechanical and goal-oriented perspective—the more efficiently we can accomplish our day-to-day tasks, the more we can tackle and achieve in life. But we never think about how this ambitious mentality actually affects our beings as a whole. 

When we create consistent daily routines, with overall well-being as our goal, this supports our bodies in truly being great instruments to carry us through life—not just for the sake of the to-do lists that are constantly floating through our brains, but to serve our deepest dharma, dreams, and desires.

Strong routines allow our body to know exactly what’s going to happen and when. This consistent rhythm creates an inner resilience and stability that supports us in being better able to manage stress or whatever unexpected situations life may throw at us.

Creating Your Daily Routine

Even when you know the benefits of a daily routine and feel ready to dive in, it can be hard to decide exactly what your routine should consist of. Ayurveda has a beautiful list of simple daily rituals to start with—things like brushing your teeth, oil pulling, tongue cleaning, and showering. 

One thing I always try to emphasize with my clients and friends is to find the things that work for you. Is it important to brush your teeth and shower every day? Yes, you absolutely should! Good hygiene is necessary for a healthy body. But you will only feel compelled to stick to a daily routine if it’s something that calls to you, something that you believe is worth maintaining, and that you feel drawn to do because you can really feel the benefits it offers to your body and mind. 

Here are a few tricks to help you get started and actually stick to a routine, even when life feels crazy. 

• Be realistic with how much time you can dedicate. This is really important, as it will help you figure out how to create a daily routine that doesn’t feel stressful or overwhelming. If you can’t seem to find ANY time, you may want to take a look at “wasted” minutes. How much time do you scroll on the internet or watch TV? Can you go from thirty minutes on Facebook to ten? You’ve just won twenty minutes to devote completely to yourself!You may also want to think about getting up a little earlier.  Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to wake up three hours early, but maybe just thirty minutes, in order to begin your day with tending to your own self-care. 
• Take a look at Ayurveda’s traditional dinacharya. Pick out the things that you know you do anyways. This is your base. Do you brush your teeth every day? Check. Do you shower every day? Check. You already have a strong springboard to jump from. 
• What do you want to add? Look again at what Ayurveda recommends in a dinacharya. Is there anything that intrigues you but just haven’t taken the leap to try? Now is the time! Pick one or two things that call to you or pique your curiosity. Intrigue can create excitement and a natural desire to follow through—a recipe for success!  
• Fine-tune your daily routine for your weeks and weekends.Personally, since I definitely have more time on the weekends, I love to do a deeply nourishing thirty-minute abhyanga (or self-massage with oil) as opposed to a quick seven-minute one during the week. This can look like whatever you would like. Get creative!
• Lastly, know that maintaining a daily routine does require a bit of discipline. It’s not easy to get up thirty minutes earlier. Do it anyways. It’s not easy to go for that thirty-minute run. Do it anyways. Remember that your daily routine is about so much more than the actual task itself. Over time it becomes a place of deep nourishment and support, helping us to achieve our wildest dreams and goals.

What do you imagine when you picture the best version of yourself? Your daily routine should help you to get there. Spend some time asking yourself, “What kind of person do I want to be? Where can I improve? What is most important to me?” It’s not about criticizing yourself or wallowing in the things that you haven’t yet accomplished, but rather about connecting to your own unique purpose. 

For me, having a consistent daily routine boosts my ability to handle stress, increases my ability to ebb and flow with life, and simply makes me HAPPIER! It is a way to keep the bigger picture in mind even when I am surrounded by chaos. We all know that life is crazy, and busy, and wild. But you don’t have to be. Embrace your routine!

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