Kind and Open Hearted

It takes courage to protect our tender hearts and remain kind and open.

“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart.” John Lewis is an inspiring example of open heart and courage. He did hard things his whole life.

It takes courage to protect our tender hearts and remain kind and open. Our primitive brain drives a shutting down and shutting out defensive strategy. You hurt me this time and I’ll make sure it never happens again. The obvious problem with this is that we end up isolated and alone.

Last week we explored the dynamics of keeping an open kind heart. We did some beautiful heart chakra practices, resting in the stillness and light. We practiced appreciative joy — feeling happy for the good fortune of people we love and then experimenting with extending our good wishes to other people too.

Inquiry can help us track when our hearts harden. What exactly is happening? Clues might include a tight upper back or judgmental thoughts in our mind. How can we recognize the signs sooner and come out of fight/flight/freeze and into a state of trust and connection? We suffer…