Is your heart feeling open or a bit closed off these days? Do you feel a lightness and openness in your heart center or do you feel a bit heavy and constricted? I was walking on a wooded trail the other day, and noticeable feeling a bit stressed about the current world situation, job stressors, and time line expectations that I needed to address. I noticed that contracted and closed off feeling in my chest, and my breath was a bit shallow. Uuuuugghhhh…the “crunch” of life.
I happened to look up at the trees just at the right time, and found this sweet quilted heart hanging from one of the trees branches. It made me stop in my tracks. It served as a great check in for me to pause and reflect back on what this heart meant for me in that moment. Kind of like the universe asking me to STOP and check in with my own heart. I also thought about the person who carefully quilted this treasure and carefully placed it up in this tree for all to enjoy. The beauty of this individual…
My heart went from a heavy, tight feeling to a place of deep gratitude. So much of the worry, anxiety and catastrophizing about the future, and clinging to the past transformed into a place of what is good for me right now in this moment. Feeling a sense that God was present and I was safe. I breathed into that moment, felt my feet firmly planted on the ground and noticed my heart immediately felt softer and more open. I was able to finally take a deep breath in and a longer exhale out. I closed my eyes and felt the sun on my body, warming me in a layer of nature’s goodness.
This is all I needed. This is there for all of us. So, what does it feel like in your heart center? I challenge you to get outside and just be. Take in all that nature has so generously given us. Breathe it all in, and exhale it out very slow.