DAY 287 - SECRETS OF THE HEART

Day 287

No one can argue the importance of the heart.   It is the most precious organ... When the heart stops beating, life ends.  It is the engine that runs the body.  It is also the place where we feel emotions.  When we feel love, anger or sadness, the heart reacts.

From the field of medicine to poetry, from psychology to visual arts and music, the heart has been analyzed in many angles.  However, we are still making unbelievable discoveries about its functions.

A couple of years ago, I read about a man who had gotten a heart transplant from someone who had been assassinated.  A few weeks after getting his new heart, the man began having nightmares about a murder.  After further investigation, he realized that, in his dreams, he was witnessing the assassination of his heart donor.  With his help, the police was able to identify and prosecute the killer.

That story and other heart transplant stories have led some to believe that not only the brain, but also the heart has the ability to retain information.  It has a memory.

A couple of days ago, my friend and colleague John posted a link on his facebook page.    It's a video about the latest findings about the heart.  It first talks about the importance of having a coherent heart, a heart that beats at a regular rate throughout the day.  Positive emotions (love, compassion, gratitude) are said to create that "coherent" rhythm, which synchronizes all the neurons and other bodily organs.  On the opposite spectrum, negative emotions (anger, irritation) create an incoherent heart and, according to some scientists, can lead to an array of health problems.

I personally found fascinating one experiment in which researchers asked participants to look at positive and negative images.  Strangely enough, before the images were seen by the eyes and processed by the brain, the heart reacted appropriately, as if it knew what kind of image was coming.  However, the knowledge only entered consciousness when the participant saw the image a few seconds later.

Researchers conclude that the heart may have access to a universal knowledge... found in a place outside of time and space.

It is often suggested to focus on feelings of love and compassion when you meditate.  It helps quiet your mind and bring happiness and peacefulness to your soul... I guess concretely it also helps get the heart in a coherent state and, by doing so, helps promote health and give a sense of wellbeing.


"The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."

Buddha


You Tube Video about the Heart


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