HeartMath Comes To The Cowichan Valley

I haven't been to the HeartMath Institute, but the institute came to me. I am brimming with gratitude after spending a good deal of time over the last two weeks with former HeartMath researcher, Dana Tomasino, who is visiting from the big island of Hawaii. She was responsible for writing many of the papers that have been featured in peer reviewed journals about their work. Work that is leading to scientists gaining a new understanding of the heart, and those with spiritual wisdom to find common ground. 

HeartMath have been studying the physiology, sociology and energetics of the heart for decades now. Their groundbreaking research into heart rate variability (HRV), and what that means for human health, has paved the way for a new understanding of the role the heart plays for us. Not only that, we are learning more from them about the role that our personal state of being plays in the world at large, through the magnetic field of our hearts as they interact with others. Their Global Coherence Initiative is being shared widely with the hope of creating a more coherent planet. This is something that meditators and yogis have known for a long time, that peace in the world is found through each of us first finding peace within ourselves. 

Coherence is a state that occurs when the heart-brain communication is said to be in harmony, and on a graph would appear as a smooth sinusoidal pattern. It results in us having better composure and a more even energy in our life and occurs during times of positive emotion such as gratitude, love and appreciation. Emotions such as anger and frustration result in disharmony between the brain and heart communication pathways. When we are stressed we tend to turn to our old conditioning for the way forward, and when we are in coherence within ourselves, we tend to listen to the wisdom of our intuition and the brain receives information from the heart instead. 

Throughout her visit Dana has said yes to offering her services to individuals, schools and groups of all sizes. As a result there have been a couple of times when I have been able to sit in and hear the same information again, picking up something different each time. What has been fascinating for myself, and many others, is seeing the heart being monitored through the emwave technology that I have heard so much about throughout the years. When you are hooked up to this you can monitor your heart rate rate and personal coherence, traced across time in the form of a graph. You can see what happens when you are in coherence, and when you are out of it. Valuable feedback for anyone who finds it difficult to hear the wisdom of the body. 

The icing on the cake was most definitely practicing some of the HeartMath techniques amongst the horses of Spirit Gate Farm in Duncan. Quickly our group was able to find a place of coherence within ourselves, and as our fields interacted across the pen we saw a visible response in the demeanour of the horses that joined us. If we had all been measured before and after it would have been quite obvious that our coherence patterns would have been enhanced. 

It is easy to measure your HRV with an emwave and they are actually quite affordable. Monitor yourself with it regularly and you will know when you are in coherence and, I am sure, you will eventually be able to know for yourself when you are in coherence without the need of the device. Awareness comes as you spend more time in states of gratitude and appreciation. The science backs it up! 

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