Natural Living

Change Your Life With Heartfulness Meditation

Heartfulness meditation is set to take the world by storm. Here’s how it can change your life

Do you struggle to meditate because of the constant chatter in your mind? Do you find it difficult to tune out of your thoughts? You might be better suited to heartfulness meditation, a lesser-known practice which is just coming into the spotlight. Rooted in the raja yoga tradition, it’s all about connecting to your heart, inner wisdom and guidance system. “Other forms of meditation train you to focus on breathwork or repeat mantras, whereas heartfulness meditation is about bringing your attention and awareness to your heart space,” says Raspreet Sagoo, holistic health practitioner and spiritual teacher (divinesacredsoul.com). “It allows you to access your inner guidance and wisdom and brings you a sense of peace, knowingness and wellbeing. This form of meditation trains you to listen to your intuitive centre and access that all-knowing inner guide that resides within us all.”

So how easy is it to practise? “It is much like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the easier it gets!” says Raspreet. “It is easy for pretty much anyone to do, and you can get started straight away, even if you have never meditated before. When you make the conscious decision to do it and make time for it on a regular basis it becomes so easy. The best thing about it is that it can be done anywhere, and you don’t need to have a designated area or space from which to practise it.”

“All you need are a couple of minutes a day to yourself in a quiet place for you to focus and just let go,” agrees Sarah Drai, founder of Yogi2Me (yogi2me.com). “So many people think you need to dedicate an hour to meditate properly but this is wrong. Of course you can build up to this, but even just five minutes is powerful enough if done consistently. You have to have the right intentions – don’t just sit there with your legs crossed expecting something to happen. It does require focus and a good intention.”

Try this 15-minute heartfulness meditation

“Remember, this form of meditation is about connecting to your heart, the inner wisdom that you have, in order to be able to ask it what is right for you,” says Raspreet. “There are no wrongs or rights, and no real set technique, as you follow your intuition and trust whatever you get.

1. “Set aside 15-20 minutes every day to connect inward and focus in on your heart.

At the beginning, it helps if you can be consistent with the time you are meditating and the space in which you do it. This is just so that you can begin to get comfortable with the practice, but is not necessary for the practice itself.

2. “Wherever you choose to do it, make sure you are comfortable. Focus on really feeling peaceful and relaxed.

3. “Close your eyes to shut down the conscious mind and imagine focusing in on your heart area. Visualise a light deep within your heart, and imagine this light expanding with every breath, until it expands into your heart space, and then your entire being.

4. “Keep focused on the heart area. You may have thoughts that pop into your mind. Acknowledge the thoughts and gently return your focus to your heart. The thoughts that arise will begin to slow down. Anytime one does come up, give it some attention, then focus back on your heart.

5. “Ask for guidance about any decisions that you need to make and just notice what comes up. Trust what you get.”

6. “After the meditation, you can journal your experience. Write down anything that came up, even if it is just one sentence about your experience.”