How to live with an open heart

 – The art of navigating a complex life with love and compassion

The Gentle Way of the Heart shows a path forward to live your life with an open heart. Each of us has a spark of God where we are in unity with all of existence. In an open heart filled with divine light you can experience the world as a more loving place. You bring your true self forward when you are gentle and kind – even when you have to say no to someone.

The challenge is to live with an open heart in our ever-so-complicated life when events seem not to go your way. Here are a few tips that can help you to stay open.

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1. Focus on the sensation that you exist

Sometimes our mind is preoccupied with worries about the future. We permit ourselves to be drawn away from the present moment, “ falling asleep”. We forget how it feels to do nothing and just be. When we instead let go of everything and simply exist, if we do it properly, we are filled with a sensation of bliss and contentment. At that moment we open our heart manifesting our true self.
Sit in a comfortable position and let your mind become empty. Ask the question within: what is the sensation that you actually exist? Does it have a certain smell, taste or sound? If there are emotions bubbling up in your body, let them pass by. Observe them, but don’t identify yourself with them. Let everything float through you, and put all your attention on “to exist”. Keep this state of “beingness” with you during the day, at work, with your family and when you go to sleep. If you lose it focus again on the sensation that you exist.

2. Bring Forward the Light from Within

When we are in acceptance and no barrier exists it brings the warm feeling of love that we cannot really describe in words but we all know when we feel it. We are no longer separate but connected within ourselves to the divine source. We can practice focusing on the sensation of feeling unconditional love with an open heart as often as possible. We stay focused on the present moment and feel the warmth inside our chest, close to the heart, and at the same time, we experience that we are radiating this feeling all over our body and to those around us. Let us picture a light as a metaphor of divine love inside our heart.
Focus on the chest area of your body where you get in touch with a warm feeling from your heart. Imagine opening a gateway into your heart, like a door or a portal. When you have opened this gateway, you imagine within yourself a brilliant and intense white light shining through. Turn inward, shifting your focus and awareness into the doorway so that you can stand in the middle of your heart, seeing it from the inside out. The light is completely surrounding you. The light is soft and gentle, an embodiment of acceptance and forgiveness. How do you feel when you are connected to the light in your heart? Do you have any thoughts in your mind?

3. Change Your Perspective of Your Everyday Reality

When we lose ourselves in the buzz of daily activities, we feel the need to label our experiences in terms of “good” or “bad”. The key is to look at our reality without judgment and instead with acceptance, regardless of outcome. Rather than identifying with negative or positive reactions, we experience the present moment as fully as possible, transcending an unpleasant or pleasant label.
If you are in a situation where you judge that you are having an unpleasant experience, pause for a moment. Connect to the light in your heart and view your experience from your true self. Is there a need for a label in terms of “bad” or “good” experiences? You are part of your own life drama, making your experience interesting for your true self. Look now again at the same situation from this perspective. How does it feel? Do you need judgments at all?