Lighten Your Heart

In this current moment when our lives are changing at lightning speed and many of our worlds have been flipped upside-down, how do we move forward? Coronavirus has affected everyone in some way, and it’s easy to focus on the negatives. Losing people we love, jobs, certain freedoms we took for granted… all these things are challenges, and some of us will get stuck in suffering. Let’s help each other move through the challenges and find new beginnings. Suffering should be temporary – not the new normal.

The other day, I was reading an article about a medical technique called “proning”. This is where patients with acute respiratory diseases are encouraged to lay on their stomachs for a certain amount of time each day. The article was showing that this technique has kept some patients from needing to be on mechanical respirators. The doctor being interviewed explained that the technique works because the lungs can get increased expansion when they aren’t compressed by the weight of the heart.

LIGHTBULB!! Energetically speaking, this makes so much sense!

The heart and the lungs are energetically entwined. When your heart lightens, you have more expansive breath. Think about how your body feels when you are stressed or anxious, and then how it feels when you are joyful and having fun. One is tense, shallow breathing, and the other is deep, oxygenating breath. Our bodies not only respond to our emotions, they store these emotions. Time to release the stress and invite the joy!

Be silly! Get creative! Send kindness to someone who needs it. Do something that brings joy to your heart, then do something that brings joy to someone else.

Too many people are focused on the suffering. Let’s lighten our hearts and amplify the energy of joy. When you start to feel lighter, take a deep breath of gratitude.

Spread joy, not germs. Wash your hands. And don’t touch your face!