If you want to choose one mindfulness practice as a foundation for health throughout your life, you need look no further than the Heart Breath.  Within a few moments this simple technique brings you back to center. It calms your nervous system, raises your frequency, and integrates your mind and emotions.

Conventional thinking in the western world has led us to believe that our mind exists in our brain. Consequently we have been taught to run a great deal of our life force in our brain, isolated from the rest of our body.

This is a misunderstanding of how the Mind actually works. Science now can demonstrate what the mystics have always taught: it’s actually our Heart that runs the show and tells our Brain what to do.

The heart communicates what the body needs through feelings and emotions. The brain responds to these signals by regulating the body’s chemistry. It’s our thoughts and emotions, coming from the heart, that tell the brain what to do.

When the connection between the two is clear and coherent, you experience calm well being. The good news is that it only takes three minutes of the following Heart Breath practice to reboot your Heart-Brain connection and return your body to full coherence. When the connection happens it creates a cascade effect of health throughout your entire body.

As soon as the Heart-Brain connection is established, the brain immediately begins to release:

• chemicals to boost your immune system,
• healthy hormones for anti-aging,
• and gamma waves associated with high intuitive and spiritual frequencies.

Here are the three simple steps to the Heart Breath practice.

1. Step One: Move your awareness into your Heart.
   Your life force always follows intention, so the simple awareness will begin to move your consciousness here. If you physically touch your heart with your hands your attention will move more fully. You can focus within on the area of your physical heart or your heart chakra. What matters is the intention to bring your awareness there.
2. Step Two: Breathe.
   Slow your breath; count 5 seconds in and 5 seconds out. Imagine that you are breathing directly from your heart. Take several breaths until you feel the rhythm and then relax into it.
3. Step Three: Intentionally Shift Your Frequency.
   Once you feel yourself fully in your heart, then  feelings of appreciation, gratitude, care, or compassion. As you breathe from your heart, choose one of these feelings and amplify.

Scientific measurements have shown that the effects of just three minutes of focused Heart Breath can last up to six hours. Taking a few minutes throughout your day to breathe from your heart can have a dramatic effect on your ability to maintain equilibrium throughout your day.

Over time your Heart Breath practice will strengthen and help you build health and well being into your life.

For more information on the power of the Heart Breath and the science behind the Heart-Brain connection see Gregg Braden’s wonderful series on Gaia TV called Missing Links, Episode 11.