The Heart Math Institute out of California has developed a scientifically sound method of calming your nervous system through what is called heart focused breathing.  Heart focused breathing involves the focus of the mind while breathing, more specifically it involves heart focus and heart breathing.

Your heart obviously is not doing the breathing your lungs are but the mental focus is on your heart, let me explain a little more.  This psychophysiological coherence is about creating a rhythmic coherence between the heart and the brain which allows many wonderful outcomes such as a sense of wellness, calmness, better connection to other people, better problem solving abilities, and physiologically speaking it helps to lower blood pressure and reduce physical stress.

1. Heart Focus – this involves bringing your attention to the area of your heart, about the middle of your chest.  Begin breathing a little deeper and smoothly where you breathe only through your nostrils for a 5 second count inhaling and 5 second count exhaling.  If it helps you to focus better place your hand over your heart as you breathe.
2. Heart Breathing – this part involves your imagination where you imagine yourself breathing through your heart.  Imagine yourself breathing slowly and rhythmically breathing in through your heart and out through your heart.

We understand that when we practice something we get better at it.  If we consistently go to the gym we gain momentum and our strength and fitness increases.  By practicing Heart Coherence breathing at least twice a day for a minimum of at least 5 minutes per session you will begin to see over time that your ability to manage emotions will improve giving you greater resilience.  Plus, by doing this breathing you will help your body to be healthier.

The Heart Math Institute (heartmath.org) has done numerous studies that shows that the heart itself emits an electromagnetic field around it that can extend to approximately 6 feet out from a person.  This electromagnetic field tells us a few things, but in particular that it helps us to stay physically and mentally healthy if we keep it strong.

The only two organs in the body that have the greatest nervous system connection is the brain and the heart.  The heart also contains brain cells and synapsis, this tells us that the heart indeed holds memory.  Therefore, the following phrases actually contain truth because our heart can have clear communication with our brain being in sync (coherence), and our heart and brain can have chaotic communication as well.  Here are some of these sayings:

• I have a broken heart
• From the bottom of my heart
• Have a heart
• To have a heart of gold
• To lose heart
• To have a heavy heart
• Light hearted
• To wear your heart on your sleeves 

Heart-focused breathing isn’t time consuming nor laborious rather it is refreshing, it helps reset your mind and mood besides adding other benefits besides.  Begin and end your day with heart coherence breathing.  

HeartMath has various tools and devices to help you these you can purchase through New Hope Counselling Centre.  These tools are beneficial as they give you guidance, give you feedback, give you resources, record keeping, and as I say keeps you honest.  This is an essential tool for mental health.