Last nights storm Dave has left me feeling rather discombobulated (the opposite of Heart-Brain coherence!) and it doesn’t look like tonight is going to be much calmer. I didn’t sleep well. I wrote this Haiku trilogy in the middle of the night, whilst gazing out at the bright, newly waning moon:
Moonlit sleepless night
Banshees wail incessantly
Old ropes creak and groan
Eyes closed, mind alert
Drifting in semi-slumber
Awaiting reprieve
Morning light reveals
Unwitting sacrifices
Fury takes her dues
Heart Words Meditation helps me to calm my over excitable nervous system in moments like this. It created space for these poems to emerge, turned chaos into creativity.
We are all affected by our inner and outer environment. As a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) with sensory processing issues, I am especially susceptible to dysregulation in these strong winds. I struggle with layers of sounds, especially in crowded places. Loud bangs, like balloons popping and fireworks, all incite intense responses quicker than my mind can rationalise any of it.
Placing my hand on my Heart and gently repeating my Heart Word Mantra helps me to regulate quickly, when previously I may have ended up in a full blown meltdown (intense emotional response), shutdown (going mute/lack of response) or panic attack (extreme anxiety accompanied by hyperventilation).
My Heart Word today is “Expect”. I’ll often sit with words that could be applied to multiple scenarios, to get the deeper context. In this instance, my intuition affirmed, “Expect the Good.”
Heart-Brain Coherence = When the Heart and Brain are in sync.
So what’s happening here. When we’re stressed and there’s no Heart-Brain coherence, the signals are chaotic. As we place our hand on our Heart it sends signals to the brain, the signals become smooth and coherent. As the mind aligns with the body we are brought into a state of Presence that leaves us calmer, clearer, grounded and more easily able to self-regulate.
Research suggests that hand on heart practices (as we do in Heart Words Meditation) improves heart–brain coherence and supports heart rate variability (HRV) – A key marker of emotional regulation and wellbeing.
Higher HRV = greater adaptability + resilience
The heart is not just emotional. It’s communicative. It’s constantly informing the brain. We can consciously influence this connection through:
- Attention – Consistently bringing the mind back to where the body is through placing our hand on our Heart.
- Breath – Awareness of breath as a barometer to what’s actually going on in our body-mind and deepening the breath to support regulation.
- Presence – Allowing the fullness of our conscious awareness to be felt and experienced.
- Heart Words – Reminding the mind that there is support available to it, charming the mind with upward spiralling thoughts that disrupt patterns of self limiting beliefs and mind loops.
We are not seeking perfection or a state of constant calm but more moments of settling, softening, of deeper connection with ourselves and our authentic nature.
Coherence is something we feel, not achieve
Today I have put my hand on my Heart and mentally repeated my Heart Word Mantra many times when I’ve noticed, in my storm induced, dysregulated state, the pull towards downward spiralling. It has helped me to shift my internal state, stabilise calmness through repetition as needed and gently bring a return to heart-brain coherence.
You don’t need to control our emotions. You can return to a more healthy relationship with your Heart, however broken it may feel. As your attention shifts from being purely mind directed to Heart-Brain coherence, not only does your relationship with yourself change, but your ability to stay centred in your own Heart whilst in relationship to others changes too.
In next weeks blog we’ll be looking at how Heart-Brain coherence is the pre-cursor to experiencing Compassion, which takes many forms. Subscribe below to receive it directly in your inbox and join me on zoom Sunday nights to improve your HRV through the practice of Heart Words Meditation.
What Heart Word wants to support you right now? I invite you to put your hand on your Heart and let me know in the comments…
Meditation Cafe
There’s no Meditation Cafe tonight as it’s bank holiday here in the UK. Please do join us for upcoming dates in April.
📆 Heres the dates for your diary :
- 12/04/26
- 19/04/26
- 26/04/26
Recordings of previous Meditation Cafes can be accessed through these groups:
Telegram – Silence Revolution Group – This group is for all things Heart Words Meditation where we share our experience and our Heart Words.
Whats App – Raye White Community Group – This group is to stay updated on my one to one booking availability, events and offerings (including Meditation Cafe).
Bright Blessings
Raye 💫
Discover more from The Bendy Witch
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
