Heart Centered

When we hear the phrase “the heart remembers” most conjure images of romance novels, flowery poetry or earnest but flawed chick flicks. What doesn’t usually come to mind are the basic biological principles of the body. The heart does remember, along with learning and making independent decisions, using mechanisms similar to other organ systems – the brain, the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system. Beyond cellular memory, the heart shares a second trait with the brain: it generates a powerful electromagnetic field, one that is 60 times greater in amplitude (measured via ECG/EEG respectively).

The heart’s magnetic field, which is the strongest rhythmic field produced by the human body, not only envelopes every cell of the body, but also extends out in all directions into the space around us. The heart’s magnetic field can be measured several feet away from the body by sensitive magnetometers.

The significant difference between electromagnetic field size of the brain vs. the heart begs the questions – should we be following the advice of our heads or hearts? Additionally, if the heart ‘remembers,’ how do life events and emotions impact heart health?

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In recent years, science has begun to uncover the effect the heart has on both physical and spiritual health – and it is far more ‘energetic’ than previously acknowledged in western medicine. Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a real diagnosis. An individual suffering from broken heart syndrome presents with symptoms similar to heart attack, including shortness of breath and chest pain. While heart attack is generally caused by a complete or near complete blockage of a heart artery, in broken heart syndrome the heart arteries are not blocked. Although blood flow in the arteries of the heart may be reduced, the condition is often preceded by an intense emotional event:

• The death of a loved one

• A frightening medical diagnosis

• Domestic abuse

• Losing — or even winning — a lot of money

• Strong arguments

• A surprise party

• Public speaking

• Job loss or financial difficulty

• Divorce

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Traditionally, the study of communication pathways between the head and heart has been approached from a rather one-sided perspective, with scientists focusing primarily on the heart’s responses to the brain’s commands. Emerging science has demonstrated that communication between the heart and brain is actually a dynamic, ongoing, two-way dialogue, with each organ continually influencing the other’s function. In fact, researchers have discovered the heart communicates to the brain via four distinct means. Communication along all these conduits significantly affects the brain’s activity and the messages the heart sends to the brain can also affect human performance.

• neurologically — through the transmission of nerve impulses

• biochemically — via hormones and neurotransmitters

• biophysically — through specified pressure waves

• energetically — through electromagnetic field interactions

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As far back as the middle of the 1800s, it was recognized that the heart, overtaxed by constant emotional influences and thus deprived of its appropriate rest, suffers disorders of function and becomes vulnerable to disease, which takes us full circle to broken heart syndrome. From a psychophysiological perspective, emotions are central to the experience of dis-ease. On a near daily basis new research is published, highlighting how stress and negative emotion increases disease severity and worsens prognosis for individuals suffering from a range of diseases or conditions. In contract, there is a growing base of evidence supporting how positive emotion and effective emotional self-regulation can prolong health and significantly reduce premature mortality.

The graphs below show the average power spectra of 12 individual 10-second epochs of ECG data, each reflecting heart-field energetic patterns of emotion, comparing appreciation to anger.

The difference in the patterns and thus the information they contain, can be clearly identified. Given every cell in the body is bathed in the invisible energetic frequency, it becomes strikingly clear that we must demote our brains and start living from our hearts.

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“We are so used to letting our heads be in charge of our lives that when we start reacting with our hearts instead, it feels like a miracle, like a whole new existence. And it is! The heart is the center of our body's universe and the center of our feelings. This is as it should be. Your head is way off at the edge of your body. You can't balance when you are living from there. Your head isn't grounded in the reality of your body. Let your heart be the center and watch your whole life transform.” ~Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, Cardiologist

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Every aspect of our lives will influence our hearts. The word healing comes from the Old English word haelan meaning “whole” and thus signifies the process of becoming more whole. And so the question becomes – are you ready to step toward wholeness? To figure out exactly who you are, knowing what makes you happy, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and understanding that while you are not perfect, you can be as perfect as possible? Are you ready to empower yourself with your own personal heart handbook? Are you ready to take over the wheel of your life, to be in the driver's seat, to propel yourself forward toward greater self-care, self-awareness and wholeness?

Energy healing and Qigong are such powerful practices for supporting you in coming home to your heart, connecting in a more profound way with your true Self and moving toward wholeness. While scientific validation is demonstrating what so many of us have witnessed or intuitively recognized, no amount of research will ever surpass personal experience! And do not dismiss the potency, if after one application you do not notice an astonishing, long-lasting change. Just as you cannot control high blood pressure with a single dose of medication, it takes time and consistency to get your body, and ultimately your energies, reorganized.

For those who are interested in starting or continuing to build your energy healing tool box, take a moment to practice these three easy and effective heart balancing exercises.

“It was when I stopped searching for home within others
and lifted the foundations of home within myself
I found there were no roots more intimate
than those between a mind and body
that have decided to be whole.”

— Rupi Kaur

Fight Flight Freeze

With the beautiful Spring sunshine, the new season brings the energy of change, growth, momentum and movement. Spring carries Yang energy, meaning outward, active and masculine. We already exist in a society of perpetual motion and this surge of “take action” energy, can easily stress the system and transform sunshine into rain!

Many adults, and an ever-increasing number of adolescents, are living in perpetual “stress-mode”. As the demands of constantly-connected careers and modern-day parenting skyrocket, unreasonably high levels of stress have become the “new norm.” According to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), job pressures, money, health, poor nutrition, media overload and sleep deprivation rate as top stressors in the US.1 Most notable is that nearly 66% of Americans reported they were likely to seek help for stress management!

Frequent or unresolved stress can result in significant physiological changes that can be unpleasant in the short-term, and greatly impact health and well-being in the longer-term. According to  Linda Gallo, PhD, Clinical/Health Psychologist and co-director of the San Diego Institute for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, “stress can negatively affect health and even contribute to chronic health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.”2

In bringing the Eden Method (EM) and energy medicine to a broader population, including cancer survivors and those impacted by chronic health disorders, practices to promote relaxation and stress-management have become a central theme. Many feel powerless in changing stress-inducing circumstances and/or environments, and instead, the goal is to support you in changing your stress response! 

There are many effective strategies to help mitigate the effects of stress: meditation, yoga, reading, spending time in nature and journaling. Another approach, which is not as well-known in the Midwest, is balancing your body’s energy system. 

The experience of stress has an immediate impact on every system of the body. Often before the onset of a physical symptom (i.e. headache, fever, heart palpitations) an individual will experience an emotional symptom (anxiety, sleeplessness or even anger). From an energetic perspective, prior to feeling the emotion, there are quantifiable changes in the body’s biologic and energetic pathways, including: biofield, biochemical, cellular and neurological processes.3In other words, the very first response to stress in felt in your subtle energies!

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“The meridians not only feed vital energies to their related organs, they also reflect any pathological disturbances in those organs, thus providing a convenient and highly accurate tool for diagnosis as well as therapy.”

~Daniel Reid, The Essence of Chi-Gung

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used the meridian system for thousands of years to help calm the stress response and restore energetic balance. Meridian energy is an integral component of the EM and you can easily tap into this system to repattern your stress response. According to Donna Eden, founder of the Eden Method, the triple burner or triple warmer (TW) meridian is primarily responsible for helping to better manage stress. In addition to its role in stress, TW is also responsible for immune system function and is therefore a critical pathway for maintaining vitality. When TW becomes activated, the body switches into high alert, to prepare for battle or flee from the hungry wolf. Because these primal behaviors were wired into humans thousands of years ago, they continue to impact the body. Blood is shifted away from the forebrain (which is responsible for reasoning, learning and emotion) to the amygdala (the part of your brain that governs your survival instincts) and stress chemicals flood into the bloodstream.4  This biologically programmed stress response results in the mind/body feeling as if there is an imminent threat; when in reality, you are just dealing with an overbearing co-worker or rush hour traffic.

Are you tired of feeling like your constantly facing mortal danger? Are you ready to start repatterning your stress response? You have the power to reprogram your energetic body to no longer switch into crisis mode when faced with the stresses of modern life. And in doing so, your chemistry (cortisol) will follow, your reasoning skills will stay intact and your body will hold less tension!

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Triple Warmer

Meridian tracing to release excess energy

Release Energy from Triple Warmer Meridian

By tracing TW meridian backwards, excess energy is released and the body’s stress response is calmed and relaxed. This is a very helpful technique to use when you notice your unique response to stress, such as emotional anxiety, neck or upper back tension or increased heart rate. 

1.   Place your right pinky finger at the inside edge of the left eyebrow. Relax your abdominal muscles and take a deep breath in through the nose.

3.   On the exhale trace your pinky over the top of the eyebrow, over the top and around the back side of the ear, down the neck, along the shoulder to the elbow and off the end of the ring finger.

4.   Trace 3 times and repeat on the opposite side.

Triple Warmer Smoothie

A second exercise is the Triple Warmer Smoothie, which amplifies the energy release by tracing TW backwards + holding a specific acupressure point + tapping into Heart Chakra energy.

Take a few moments to watch Donna Eden demonstrate, so that you can add this quick and easy practice to your energy balancing toolkit!

Nourishing Yin Energy

For me (& possibly you?), the end of the year could not come soon enough! After months of action - endless doing, constant creation, perpetual motion – my body and soul are calling for deep rest and replenishment.

January is the month for stillness and reflection, ruled by Water and Winter. The Water Rhythm is the first rhythm of life. Infants emerge from the watery womb and remain in the Water Rhythm for the first years of life (regardless of the season they were born!). In both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Tibetan medicine, a balanced Water Rhythm allows you to “go with the flow”, feel a general sense of well-being AND easily connect into childlike joy. 

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Revel in the deep nourishment of the season. Do not deny Winter’s gift of renewal, trust and hope.

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Most years, Minnesota offers full opportunity to layer-up, make snow people, fly angel wings, and play snow mountain. And yet, rarely do adults engage in these joyful activities. With winter blues effecting many in the northern region and seasonal affective disorder impacting ~5% of the population, taking a slightly varied strategy may offer significant value. 

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, a treatise on health/disease written ~300 BC, reminds us that seasons affect all living things and suggests in the winter we should

“retire early and get up with the sunrise. ... desires and mental activity should be kept quiet and subdued, as if keeping a happy secret.”

One of the simplest energy exercises you can practice is a rhythm wisdom meditation. Say what!? Yes, you read that correctly! Being still is an exercise. And one that does not come naturally in our current culture! In Tibet, ‘taking the 3 precious pills’ is a meditative practice using silence, stillness and spaciousness. You can practice for as little as 7 minutes a day and all you need is a quiet place to comfortably lay, sit or stand. 

In this exercise, you will be sinking into the 3 precious pills to more deeply connect with the rhythm/season wisdom. Begin by taking several deep breaths, allow your shoulders to settle and your chest to open. Now, add a gentle smile on your lips and call in the feeling of gratitude. Recall positive elements of your life. It can be as simple as “I am thankful for a warm house.” or “I am grateful for my ability to read.” The important component is feeling the gratitude in your body. If at first you aren’t ‘feeling it’, don’t fret – trust and practice. 

Next, invite your body to be still and your mind to be silent. If your body twitches, gently call it back to stillness. If your mind wanders, welcome it back to silence. Again, no stress, no straining – just go with the flow. As your mind and body settle into the present moment, allow a sense spaciousness and expansiveness to push away any last tension. Now, recall the Winter season / Water rhythm. You can envision snow falling from the sky or a large body of water, like the majestic Lake Superior. Remembering the wisdom of this season is a state of calm, peace and comfort with the ability to flow around obstacles and easily respond to changing situations. With each inhale, allow this energy to enter your body. As you exhale, release any discomfort and invite blockages to dissolve. Continue for 7 minutes or as long as feels right. As your meditation ends, return to your statements of gratitude. Offer an additional expression of appreciation - to yourself - for taking a few minutes to connect to the healing energy of the season.

Every season holds divine wisdom! By practicing this meditation regularly, you will open to this natural wisdom provided by the five rhythms. In doing so, your spirit will be lifted, your heart will be lighter and your cheeks will certainly be rosier!

Toward Wellness

Recovery from a significant health event using holistic health practices motivated me to redefine me journey toward wellness. 

I was raised in the woods.

Quite literally, my childhood home was located in the middle of 180 acres of pasture and woodland. As a child, I spent endless hours outdoors - running barefoot through the woods, caring for the plants and animals that resided near our home. The closest neighbor was miles away. In lieu, Mother Nature became my full-time playmate, fostering my deep respect for the natural world.

Nursing school was a natural fit.

My first nursing job was in Oncology/Hospice. During this time. I was introduced to Healing Touch. A colleague and I began partnering when patients came in to receive chemotherapy. I was fascinated by her ability to sense the sensations experienced by patients – the heaviness, stinging, burning that occurred during infusion. I returned to the University of Minnesota and completed my Master of Science, with a heavy focus on complementary therapies.

A health event inspired me to return to energy-based healing.

What started as a need to heal my body, has become my passion! Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) combines techniques from multiple modalities, including acupuncture, yoga, kinesiology and qi gong. Using EEM, balance and harmony can be non-invasively restored to the body and mind. And, EEM readily complements both western medicine and other healing modalities.