How to listen to your heart rather than your ‘mind chatter’
The heart is a powerful tool. It has it’s own intelligence system. It’s the place of intuition and wisdom. However, most people are in their heads. Listening to the head chatter that goes on all day long. A book by Michael Singer (Untethered Soul) talks about the incessant chatter that goes on in the mind all day, like two people having a conversation. ‘I should do this’ ‘why did you do that’ ‘I can’t do that because I’m not good enough’…. The mind is conditioned. It’s conditioned since we were young. It’s conditioned from past experiences, upbringings, society, schools etc. Most of the beliefs we hold about ourselves are just a set of programmes running – i.e., you’ve probably had the same programme running all your life. The beliefs that we hold about ourselves, e.g., ‘I’m not good enough’ are simply conditioned beliefs. All too often our actions or inactions are driven by fear. The mind creates limitations. This isn’t our natural state to be in. Our natural state, before all the conditioning happens, is to be led by our own inner wisdom or intuition. So how can you listen to your heart rather than the mind chatter?
Heart focused breathing
Heart focused breathing is a technique I use in my meditation sessions. If you close your eyes and begin to take some slow breaths, imagine the air is flowing in and out through the heart space. Connecting the breath and the heart helps you to be present but slow breathing also brings a state of heart coherence. When the heart is in a coherent rhythm it creates a balancing effect in the nervous system which opens up more of the communication between the heart and the brain. It also helps you to feel calmer and better able to make decisions. Heart focused breathing generates a feeling of ‘openness’ or spaciousness. When you take these heart breaths, with each in-breath, imagine your heart is softening and opening. It might take some practice at first.
Ask yourself a question
A good time to ask yourself what it is you want, or what direction you want to go in, is when you are in a meditative state – i.e., after you’ve taken some heart focused breaths and connected to the heart space. This is because you are much more likely to get a true response coming from your inner wisdom rather than a response from the head. When people start to meditate regularly, it can often lead to profound changes in their life because they are starting to listen to their intuition more regularly.
Spend time in nature
Being in nature is actually our natural state of being. We are not made to be living in built-up environments, sitting in cars all day in traffic or feeling stressed and fearful. Being in nature helps you to get out of the mind, to have some space and to connect to what’s truly important to you. In nature, there aren’t the distractions of day to day life that can influence decisions.
Hope these tips help. Get out of your head and into your heart 🙂
Testimonials
ANDY MADLEY, REFEREE
I felt instantly at ease. It was clear from the beginning that she was only there to help and not judge. After taking a food diary, Ann-Marie put together a bespoke plan to ensure I was in prime condition to match my energy requirements throughout the week, from what to eat the day before match day, what to eat and drink on match day as well as recovery plans. I have seen huge benefits. An increase in energy as well as mood have been clear. The plans are very simple to follow and she has a great way of explaining complex scientific information into lay terms. I 100% recommend anyone who needs help in any way to contact Ann-Marie. Whether that be a drastic lifestyle change to tweaking current habits to create an extra 1% improvement
TONY MULLIN, DIRECTOR
We commissioned Ann-Marie to do a programme of 6 classes on nutrition to our online cafes. They went down a storm; people finding out loads of information on nutrition and having fun swapping recipes. She made them fun and informative and we had great feedback. She was also a guest on our podcast telling is about how our nutritional needs, and the way we experience food changes as we age. We will definitely be using her again!
KATIE
I got to the point where I would head out on a run and instantly feel fatigued. Since my sessions with Ann-Marie, I feel so much better. My muscles feel stronger and I don’t feel the fatigue I was feeling before. The coaching sessions were great, and provided support and guidance, which is just what I needed.
KIRSTY
Since my sessions with Ann-Marie I have re-wired my view on carbs; I’m now meeting my energy needs, feeling better and healthier. My performance during my training has significantly improved along with my recovery. Whilst I knew nutrition was important, it surprised me how much of a difference it makes when you get it right. Not only do I feel better, but I look better too!
GILES
I wasn’t getting the most out of my training sessions, and poor fuelling and recovery left me feeling tired with no real progress in performance. I have now factored different foods into my diet and increased my intake of carbohydrates in a strategic way. My diet is much better rounded (and enjoyable) as a result. I have a much better understanding of: what; when; and how much I need to eat to meet my energy and recovery demands. Ann-Marie is a great educator. I found it so helpful to cut out all the noise and work directly with an expert to get it right for me.