My intentions for the new year are not about what I want to have or achieve, but about how I want to FEEL.
I want to feel my heart open wide. I want to move through life in flow, with as little resistance as possible.
I want to live joyfully, aligned with my heart.
When I’m in this flow state, I feel the most myself, alive, and free. The love in my heart overflows to others, cycling back. I’m fully present, fully myself.
It’s such an overwhelmingly beautiful way to experience life.
To me, this is a daily practice that slowly becomes a way of being.
I’ve been lucky to experience it in its purest form once in a while throughout my life. Sometimes, it lasts only a couple of hours. Other times, an entire day. And many years ago, I experienced a surreal week of transcendent flow.
It happened again just a few weeks ago…
At Seeds of Life, a beautiful raw vegan cafe in Bali, I joined a tea ceremony with five friends and strangers. I sensed a grounded calmness at the table when I approached the group to exchange hugs and introductions .
As much as I love being with people, I still struggle with social anxiety.
I worry about what people think of me. I want to connect well. I’m sensitive to other people’s energies, so I shield myself.
But as we sipped the ancient Chinese tea at the table, the undercurrent of anxiety slipped away.
I noticed myself breathing more slowly and deeply. My thoughts quieted as I listened to the conversation, chiming in when I felt inspired to speak.
Peace bloomed in my chest as I dropped into my heart.
There was no rush. No need to be anywhere else but there. No need to check my phone. A lack of self-consciousness.
My energy was flowing freely through myself and then outward to my friends.
My friend looked at me and said, “You seem so peaceful right now. So you. It’s beautiful to see you shining so brightly.”
I was surprised, because I hadn’t been “doing” much. I was just sitting there, basking in the peace that I felt in my heart, enjoying my friends’ company.
I told him, “I FEEL like me. I feel more like me right now than I have in a long time. My heart is open.”
Another friend who I’d only met a few times before said, “This is the most I’ve seen you be yourself since I met you. It’s so nice to see you. You’re a very graceful woman.”
I felt graceful. It wasn’t necessarily that I was being graceful… I just felt grace flowing through my body.
It was so easy to be myself. All masks dropped away. It was because I let go of my protective exterior and overactive mind.
We hugged goodbye, and I flowed through the rest of my day with a smile in my heart.
I smiled at strangers, who smiled back. I walked more slowly, breathing easily with a lightness in my chest. I ate my favorite bowl that I usually get for lunch – only this time, the flavors exploded more vibrantly in my mouth.
And no, the tea was not spiked!
Why Prioritize Alignment?
In this new year and beyond, I choose to make how I feel a priority. In other words, I choose to make my own energy a priority.
When I’m aligned with my heart, everything else flows beautifully.
There is less struggle, less effort, less stress. It’s a relaxation into myself.
I am being who I truly am… Graceful. Gentle. Grounded. Loving.
A goddess. The creator of my reality. Just as you are.
It’s such a blissful state, you can’t help but overflow with love in your heart. And all you’ll want to do is share it with others… Share, and share, and share.
You’ll find that you connect more easily with others – core to core, soul to soul.
From this place, you can speak your truth most clearly. You tap into the infinite wisdom and creativity of your heart. No matter what challenges arise, you’ll experience a deep sense of trust in the unfolding of life.
Does it sound magical?
This state is not really far from your reach. It shouldn’t be a struggle to get here. It’s a release, a relaxation into your true nature.
It’s about choosing to slow down and tune into a different channel – one that is always accessible to you.
Reminders For Dropping Into the Heart
There are many ways to drop into the heart. One, which is harder in my opinion, is through the mind.
You can continue to release the ego by noticing when you’re operating from a mindset of lack, judgment, and victimhood. Observe the moments you feel inferior or superior to others, and course-correct to align your words and actions with your most loving self. What are you resisting right now?
An easier way to drop into the heart is through – obviously – the heart. Like what happened to me in the tea ceremony, you can enter this state through slowing down, breathing deeply, meditating, or sharing loving presence with friends.
Here are some more practices that work for me.
Heart-Opening Practices:
- Find a morning routine that works for you to create presence and alignment (meditation, yoga, writing, gratitude practice, etc)
- Breathe deeply to release tensions and stress. Are you breathing from the chest up or from your belly?
- When talking to people, connect in with them through present eye contact (seek to see others’ true essence)
- Even better, eye gaze with someone willing to hold space with you – it’s an amazing way to drop in
- Sit or walk slowly in nature (this makes me feel blissful, present, and calm)
- Smile warmly at strangers (especially children!)
- When you have the urge to speak from the ego (ie. to be heard, to appear smart, etc), quiet yourself and practice listening more. Speak from the heart
- Eat slowly and savor your food
- Do something that makes you feel alive and centered (listen to music, dance, call a friend, cuddle a pet)
- Listen to your body (ie. rest and sleep when you need to, leave a social situation if it feels draining, etc.)
When you feel your heart close, when you notice any emotions or thoughts that are pulling you away from the highest vibration of love, breathe deeply into your center.
Remember that there is no need to prove, please, force, fake, hide, win, boast, take, compare, rush, plan, resist, control, or own…
Underneath all of the layers of separation you create in the mind, you reach your true essence – which is love.
Everything you do, express, and create will be touched by that quality of love.
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Love,
Ashmi
