YOU NEED IS ALL LOVE

Attuning to our own, unique vibration is an act of great self-awareness.

When we open our hearts to lovingly receive all that life has to offer, we raise our vibration to its most potent state, says Nicola Chantler

Energy is within us and all around us. We see it in flow in the natural world: the sway of the trees in the breeze, the warm sun on our face. Individually we vibrate at our own frequency, fluctuating to the tune of life’s journey. But it’s in the comfort of a warm embrace, the spark of our soul aligning with another, that our heart energy amplifies our vibration to new heights.

‘We are all made of light and energy and we all vibrate,’ says Gavin Andrews, Managing Director of HeartMath UK and Ireland, a system designed to connect us with our hearts to live with more resilience and happiness.

‘We tend to think that the brain holds all of our wisdom, but the reality is that humans are complex systems… The heart is an especially important centre of information, intelligence and wisdom.’

Love has power. It’s the driving force behind our bravest life decisions, our relationships as a partner, parent, sibling, friend or other. It radiates from the inside out, boosting our mood, creativity and ultimately, our vibration.

The higher we vibrate with love and, gratitude, the easier we weather life’s challenges. This injection of positivity into the universe acts like a magnet, drawing back to us what we emit. And when we feel in harmony emotionally, holistically and spiritually, we are able to be more authentic when navigating the world around us.

Andrews continues: ‘[When] we rebalance and revitalise, we can think more clearly, creatively and compassionately and are elevated into our higher self.

‘Practice helps us to manage stress and improve resilience. [By] practising cultivating heartfelt emotions such as appreciation, love, courage and compassion, we bring more of these emotions and behaviours into our lives.’

As Esther Hicks, teacher of the law of attraction, wrote, ‘as you think, you vibrate, as you vibrate, you attract.’ Raising our vibration has a ripple effect. With clarity of mind we can focus on living healthier, more fulfilling lifestyles that improve our wellbeing and mental health. It might lead to the possibility of a new relationship after heartbreak, or to cultivating a greater sense of compassion towards our partner. We might find we can set healthy boundaries in our working lives; commit to devoting more time to joy; rather than existing in a cycle of self-sabotage and low mood as a result of depleted energy.

The impact of this is far-reaching. We might inspire others to nurture themselves better, to invest in their health and happiness and to feel deserving of love and support.

Often when we choose to invoke heart-centred living, we consider: ‘Should I follow my heart or my head?’ Yet Andrews suggests the two needn’t be exclusive: ‘When the heart and brain are brought into alignment, new forms of awareness and intuition become available to us.’

By exploring practices that make us feel good and improve our feelings of self-worth –grounding, meditation, breathwork, affirmations and more – we can soften the edges of our inner critic and unlock the potential of our highest self.

‘Heart centres are one of the most important energy centres for people,’ explains Dr Gareth Thomas, chair of the Federation of Subtle Energy Medicine.

‘[When we give] from the heart, there are no conditions to it. It’s not a draining energy, as it comes from the higher part of [ourselves]. And that enables us to give it out truly to someone else.’

The Wisdom Of The Heart

The Freeze Frame® technique by HeartMath is a simple yet powerful way to harness the wisdom of the heart to problem-solve: l Acknowledge the rising issue and any attitudes or feelings you have towards it (note them down and then cover up) l Focus your attention on your heart space. Imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart or chest area (1 minute or more) l Make a sincere attempt to experience a regenerative feeling such as appreciation or care for someone or something in your life (do this for another minute or two while continuing to imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart) l From this more objective place, ask yourself what would be a more efficient or effective attitude, action or solution? (Don’t rush to answer; continue to breathe, keep the feeling and be gentle and patient with yourself) l Quietly observe any subtle changes in perceptions, attitudes or feelings. Commit to sustaining beneficial attitude shifts and acting on new insights

Thomas explains that by strengthening our self-identity, through vibrational work, meditation, talking therapies, yoga etc, we can clear blocks we might have in our self-esteem. As a result, we open the energetic pathways in the body directly to the heart centre.

Discussing chakra healing, Thomas adds: ‘Strengthening the solar plexus chakra [the energy centre associated with self-confidence and joy] we can change who we think we are. We can allow thoughts to come and go more freely.

‘Then if we do have blocks in that area that affect our self-esteem, our power, love energy naturally starts to flow up into our heart centre.’

So how do we avoid dense, low vibrations that threaten to knock our vibe, and make space for our heart energy to rise?

‘Finding something that you enjoy doing yourself, finding meaning and connecting with like-minded people [is crucial],’ Thomas muses. ‘It’s good to have affirmations, positive thinking. [These] set up an energy.

‘Be more aware of what is in your own thoughts, and what are the thoughts of the collective.’

The power of positive thinking has been proven to have real weight. You might take time each day to reflect on what you’re most grateful for – a reminder that joy exists in our every day. You could choose an affirmation that connects with what you want to manifest, i.e. I am open to endless possibility, or, I am worthy of love.

By embracing the high vibrations of love, we move closer to welcoming all of the parts of ourselves, and in turn, accept those of others.

As we rise by lifting others, other practices such as Metta, a prayer of loving kindness, can be a good starting point.

Derived from the Buddhist tradition, the words remind us of the power of directing positive energy inwardly and globally.

Take a moment to settle yourself, close your eyes and repeat the words: ‘May I be safe, may I be happy, may I live with ease,’ and ‘May you be safe, may you be happy, may you live with ease.’ You'll be a step closer to fully realising the power of love.