Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. ~Siddhartha Gautama
Peace begins with you. It’s an internal state that is energetically contagious. Where does this internal state of peace come from? One idea is it comes from the heart.
The heart has been thought to have a steady beat like a metronome. It is now known that a healthy heart actually beats in an irregular pattern. The measure of time between consecutive heartbeats varies and is called heart rate variability (HRV). The variable state of beats is due to the interaction between the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). These two parts are the sympathetic, which makes heart rate faster, and the parasympathetic, which slows the heart rate and calms the system. Both act in concert calming and speeding up the body systems and heart rate.
HeartMath Institute has done research showing that feelings/emotions have a very powerful influence on HRV. Stressful emotions like anger and anxiety create erratic, rhythmic, “incoherent” heart patterns, indicating that the two branches of the ANS are out of synch with each other. Being in a constant “incoherent” state stresses the body. Contrarily, positive emotions like love/ gratitude/happiness create more orderly “coherent” heart patterns, indicating the ANS branches are operating together efficiently. Positive emotions create heart rate coherence/ANS synchronization, which leans into parasympathetic dominance causing 1) the heart and brain waves to be more synchronized, 2) body systems overall to synchronize with the heart’s rhythm (entrainment), and 3) breathing to automatically synchronize with the heart, supporting system-wide coherence and well-being.
The heart is also the most powerful source of electromagnetic energy in the human body. The heart generates an electrical field 100 times stronger than the brain’s electromagnetic field and can be detected up to 3 feet away from the body as measured by SQUID based magnetometers. Research done at the University of Arizona has confirmed findings that when using heart-focused attention on positive emotion there is an association with increased heart-brain synchrony. This improves cognitive performance and effects energetic communication between individuals, producing emotional and physiological coherence. According to the research, when individuals are in a coherent state, they are more sensitive to receiving information contained in the magnetic fields generated by others.
Research indicates that heart-rhythm synchronization can occur in interactions between people and their pets as well. So, based on preliminary research, a bio-electromagnetic field radiated by the human heart and brain of one person can affect other people and even the global information field of the environment, suggesting that an energetic field is formed among individuals in groups (a “group field”) that connects those individuals and transmits information.
What does this have to do with peace? We have all entered a room and “sensed” the vibes around us. Research shows there is something reliable about this experience. When using certain skills and techniques, it is conceivable that we can generate peace internally through heartrate coherence and then radiate it into our environment and out into the world.
Here are two techniques to do this:
1) Loving Kindness/Metta Meditation:
(10-15 min)
Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Focus
on your breath, releasing tension
throughout the body. Visualize yourself in your mind’s eye.
Tell yourself:
May I be happy. May I be safe.
May I be healthy. May I be peaceful.
Allow yourself to float away. Picture someone you love.
Tell them:
May you be happy. May you be safe
May you be healthy May you be peaceful
Allow them to float away. Picture someone you feel neutral about or don’t know well.
Tell them:
May you be happy. May you be safe
May you be healthy May you be peaceful
Allow them to float away. Picture someone you don’t like.
Tell them:
May you be happy. May you be safe
May you be healthy May you be peaceful
Allow them to float away. Picture the world coming into view. See the planet, focusing on nature, animals, people, countries…
Say:
May there be joy
May there be safety and protection
May well-being prevail
May there be peace
Allow the planet to float away.
End the meditation seeing yourself again and repeating:
May I be happy. May I be safe.
May I be healthy. May I be peaceful.
Sit with those feelings in silence. When ready, open your eyes.
2) Heart Meditation: (5 min)
Close your eyes. Focus on breathing into the heart chakra. Imagine a time you felt a positive emotion like love or gratitude. Sit with the feeling as you remember. Breathe into your heart.
Release the feeling. Open your eyes.
Take these skills into the holidays and beyond. Be an instrument of peace. It’s contagious!
Milissa Castanza Seymour M.S., InnerSoul Coach specializing in Stress Management/Well-being. She is a professional/practicing Numerologist helping clients find their soul/life purpose. Her certifications include: PranaYoga/ IntegrativeYogaTherapy/Holistic Health Educator, Aromatherapist, Applied Positive Psychology Practitioner/LifeCoach/ Resilience Trainer, AddHeart Facilitator, Reiki Master Teacher, NYS Licensed teacher, and Certified Chopra Ayurvedic Health Practitioner/Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher/Well-being Coach. innersoulcoaching.com.
