21-Day Sadhana - Day 8 - Cultivate Open Heart Awareness

Day 8 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

In this session we begin the work with the Heart Chakra, the heart space and our emotional nature. 

This meditation shows a process of how to engage with the heart from a place of no expectation, non-judgement, letting go of the past patterns and embracing freshness and openness in the heart. 

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Meditation Transcript

So let's get ready for meditation now.

Thank you very much. Please join me in the inner space, taking a few deep breaths and centering yourself from a deep place of self observation, self awareness.

And as we engage in our meditation today, let's remember I am held in a divine place. I am held in a place supported by the source. I am not doing this alone. That spiritual power within me is with me.

As I open up to deeper experiences, as I open up to self transformation, I have support from the deeper part of myself and center in that place of support.

Breathe into there. Breathe into that feeling, into that awareness.

Let's focus at the point between the eyebrows. Breathe through that point to stabilize the mind, to clear the mind.

I've taught you how to energize the brain using your breathing. Use this

just to bring the thinking into a place of stability, to create deeper focus.

Breathe out the distractions, clearing the mental space. Breathe in to the peacefulness, the spaciousness, the boundlessness of your mind.

Don't be scared to open up the mind.

Embrace the possibilities of an open mind.

Now take a deep breath in. And as you breathe out, move the energy down, all the way down the body, to the root, to the base. And use your exhale to move the energy down. And gently squeeze the perineum. Activate the root to increase stability.

Do this for a few breaths, squeezing the root.

You're creating grounding, and you're anchoring the potential and possibilities of your mind in the physical, all the way through the energy axis.

Then you notice that brow connection to the root. Try to hold them both together. That gives a strong awareness of the central energy channel, that axis, and you can use your breathing along that channel.

On the inhale, observe the flow of energy upwards. On the exhale, observe the flow of energy downwards and concentrate your power into the central channel. Some masters of yoga call this magnetizing the spine.

As you stay with your focus on the central channel, your energy awareness opens up and you might begin feeling the different chakra points.

You might also notice that deepening observation coming into the posture of the witness.

Stay anchored to your breathing. It will help you to go deeper and seek to open up the observation, the witnessing. I am open to seeing more, to experiencing more within my being.

To open up that space of witnessing and seeing. We need to let go of the judgments.

We need to let go of the expectations, the likes and dislikes of the ego. Just want to see as clearly as we can, the most neutral space that we can and stay fully in the present. Our healing and transformation is not coming in the future. Don't look for it there.

It's coming now with this breath, with this moment. So you have to embrace it totally in the moment.

And the past cannot limit you or hold you. The past can inform you.

But drop all the patterns of the past, be free of it. Choose differently in this moment and choose my freedom beyond any past circumstances.

And embrace totally the present.

Bring your focus to that point at the center of the chest, or in the middle of the back, between the shoulder blades. Wherever you feel drawn to, breathe into the chest and use a few breaths. Really exploring the capacity of the lungs and energizing the nerve plexus.

That will give you more power to explore the heart space and bring the mind. Bring the attention from the brow down to rest in your heart. Giving permission to the heart to open, giving yourself permission to observe. What am I holding in my heart?

Let me observe that space.

Breathe into the chest. Breathe through that point and ascent of the chest.

You might feel some heaviness, perhaps some tension, or even some pain there. That's okay. Don't judge.

Observe. Breathe through the point. As you hold your awareness there.

As you breathe out, be willing to let go. Be willing to clear the space. As you breathe in, feel the depth, feel the vibrations of your heart.

When you breathe out, give yourself permission to let go of the old emotions, the old emotional patterns, all the emotions that do not serve you.

And as you breathe in, embrace the freshness of your heart, newness, the excitement of exploration and opening up the heart to higher possibilities.

That's what you truly want, isn't it? The freedom of the heart.

Stay with it. Stay with the breathing.

It doesn't have to unburden totally right away, but just look for a small measure of expansion, a small measure of new consciousness that shows you are going in the right direction.

If you begin feeling uncertain about the emotions there, take your awareness to your gut. Use two or three deep abdominal breaths to strengthen your resolve, to give yourself the courage and the willpower to work through the emotion.

You have the strength. Tap into it there, and when you feel stronger, come back into the heart.

How does it feel to center yourself in the heart? Notice the impact on your body and on your mind.

As you open the heart and you become more aware there, there's a deeper intelligence that surfaces. The soul can express its intelligence through your heart as a soul desire.

Observe what desire you hold deep in your heart space. What does your soul really want? And gently affirm it. Acknowledge it without judgment, without fear.


Let's take a deep breath. All the way in, all the way out. Ground yourself with the root chakra.

Open up your awareness to your entire body and use the whole body breathing, feeling the expansion of the body with each breath and allowing the energy to circulate freely through the entire body.

Take the time to energize your senses just by noticing and being attentive to each of the senses.

Now pull yourself all the way back into the body, feeling the weight of the body and mentally preparing for the activities of your day.

And as we come to the end of our meditation, let's affirm in the mind:

I stay centered in the source of my being.

I engage with my world with an open heart as I become the master of my emotions.

Thank you very much. Coming all the way back, fully alert and ready. And when the moment is right, gently opening the eyes.

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Reflection

1. What did I observe in meditation? What did I observe in the body? Heart? Mind? Energy?
2. What was striking in the meditation experience that I want to remember? 
3. What was challenging for me today? What can I do to work with that challenge? 

Feel free to ask your questions and post your reflection in the comments if you wish for some feedback.