On January 22nd, Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the great Buddhist leaders, passed away. As often seems to happen in this synchronistic universe, right afterward I was looking for something I’d misplaced, when I came across one of his books and was stunned by the resonance of it.
The book is titled, True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart. And, for the month of February at Live The Process, we’re focusing on Heart Opening, increasing your emotional balance and letting love, creativity and positivity into your world. How timely is that?
I reread the book this week to refresh my memory and several of his ideas really stayed with me. To paraphrase, he said that understanding is the essence of love, as is your true presence. Love, compassion, joy and freedom are all a necessity, as is deep listening. Mindfulness is key to unlocking all. Be grateful for pain and suffering, as you will need them. If a person has never suffered, he or she will never be able to know happiness and therefore love.
Our heart works all the time to preserve our well-being, and unlocking and opening it to life’s treasures is essential to living fully. We speak about the physical act of opening our heart through yoga: back bends that invite courage and vulnerability through the breath, posture, meditation and pose itself. We open our hearts emotionally through speaking to a therapist or life coach, for example, and unlock our energy pathways through treatments like acupuncture. This month, we’re featuring all different heart opening modalities that range from creative work with our hands to mindful practices and chakra opening. Our hearts are sacred, and we know how important it is to clear those energetic roadblocks.
In keeping, for our in-residence healing program at our Venice, California Beach House in February, our friend, Tamara Edwards, will be offering her healing Tune Up sessions, with a focus on heart opening. Appointments— integrating sound healing, body work, essential oils and more to balance stagnant energy and encourage self-healing—are available every Tuesday from 9:30AM-5:30PM. Please email us to schedule an appointment at connect@livetheprocess.com. Her guidance is not to be missed.
Wishing you all of the love and presence for the month of February and beyond.
x Robyn