Heart Opening

A person in my life who is so special and very important comments casually over dinner, ‘I try to not get close to people who might be leaving - dying, moving away, or not available. That helps me from getting hurt.’ 

I let the comment glide by, intuitively knowing it was a time to listen, to be present, and allow for this confession, of sorts, to be as it is without trying to change any part of it. 

And, it does seem much easier to avoid letting the heart feel fully, to not become involved, connected, attached. It is a well-worn protection mechanism yet often not recognized and articulated as clearly as it was last night over dinner. 

My mind recalls a time, 25 years ago, a couple years after my decision to end an engagement, newly entering a possible relationship. A sister commented on my courage. This surprised me and I inquired. She shared that it would be easier, and potentially less painful, to not again put my heart at risk and that it took courage to do so. She shared that she admired this. 

How about you? What’s your philosophy for relationships? Consider if there is a natural tendency to hesitate, to hold back a bit or a lot, and perhaps to even avoid the possibility altogether.  Or, do you jump in with the whole heart and find you are often caught unaware by the hurt of being with someone who has a different approach? 

Guarding our heart is a protective mechanism. It is often learned when we are very young, and at the time it served us. The thing is, we continue to hold on to this heart guarding without even realizing it. This does not allow the natural movement of energy to move freely in our body.  In turn, this limits our ability to tune into the feeling, knowing body.  

We can release, bit by bit, some of the protective habits and patterns, as we tap into our intuative knowing with more ease. We can more readily access our discerning nature and allow that to be our guide as to when to allow the heart to open more and more. 

Take a few breaths into your chest area. All the way into the center and gradually, over several breaths, see what might be here to breathe into. Here is a guided breathing practice to support this chest breathing exploration.