Squirrels seeing squirrels…seeing squirrels

Heart: “ooh, shiny!” Brain: “ugh, here we go again…”

“My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I’m going to let it do all the talking,” Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstull.

Are you observant? Sometimes I notice the most minute details, and sometimes I see a squirrel seeing another squirrel…who sees another squirrel. You get the idea. What I have been noticing the past few years are hearts. There are hearts in my box of pseudo-healthy crackers, hearts in the leaves on the ground, heart-shaped stains on the garage floor, heart-shaped clouds, and a (literal) heart in a kid’s project at school. My hope is that the Universe is saying: dear heart, be kind to yourself, love yourself, and don’t lose heart. Once after a particularly powerful meditation at Kripalu, I saw a baby pink color, and knew it was rose quartz, which is associated with the heart. There’s now a beautiful mala in my collection. (That’s a necklace for meditation, or intention, or both.)  I wear it to remind me to work on unconditional love: for self, and others. 

The heart chakra, Anahata, is the bridge between the upper and lower chakras. This swirling vortex of energy is right in the center: halfway between your root, and your brain. It bridges lower and upper chakras. (Many systems recognize 7 chakras.)  It’s right in the center between the apana vayu, or downward current of subtle energy, and prana vayu, or upward current of subtle energy. *Technically, the samana vayu is actually below the heart, radiating  like a bellows, which doesn’t really fit the picture I’m painting. To be continued in another post. 

I digress…the heart chakra is green, which happens to be my favorite color. For me, green symbolizes Spring, growth, renewal, and smells like fresh-cut grass. Its element is air, which makes sense, since we need to have space to expand this amazing organ when we fall in love with another, a pair of shoes, or most importantly, ourselves. 

When in balance, it allows for unconditional love. When not, there is depression, pessimism, and self doubt. 

The body areas of the fourth chakra are: heart, lungs, shoulders, and arms. We use our lungs to take in air, to make space. We use our arms to hug, to embrace others. We often shoulder someone’s burden out of love. *Inspired by The Yoga Toolbox by Joseph & Lilian Le Page* 

How many of us are quiet, really quiet, and can hear our heart’s desire? Not the mushy-gushy, greeting-card-channel movie marathons that are really just the same plot in different seasons to sell Kleenex and themed sweatshirts, not the hormone-drenched teenage years of angst, nor the wear-it-on-the-sleeve-ness, but real, honest-to-goodness heart’s longing? 

If you are still long enough, you will be able to figure out what really lights your fire. Just don’t forget to take your brain with you.

If this resonated with you, please feel free to comment below or drop me an email. Until our mats unfurl again, be well.

-M

PS Is anyone else feeling extra Vata-y lately? Comment on that, too, whether to agree or ask!