Living From Your Heart

[Guest guest]

Living From Your Heart

by Caroline Sutherland

If you've decided to get to the summit of your mountain and not

just hang around base camp, then know that ascending to the highest

level of living is going to involve your heart. Take a second to check

how it's doing right now: Put your hand on your heart and ask, "Is my

`love tap' flowing inside of me?" You see, we all have a small

but powerful golden tap inside of us -- while it might be covered over

and obscured by leaves and twigs, it's still there. Get to know it, and

check in with it on a daily (even hourly) basis. Is your tap turned on

enough so that the love from your heart is flowing out to everyone you

meet? Even though you may be taxed and burdened by a life that can be

fraught with many disappointments, you can still love. Every

night before you go to bed, it helps to examine the day and review your

thoughts and actions to find how they could be more loving. Ultimately,

when you leave this plane of existence, that's what's going to count. In

order to reach the summit of your own personal mountain, your mandate

must be to love, inspire, and serve others in whatever you do -- not in

some lofty purpose "over there," but in your daily life, right where

you are right now. Three Loving Techniques

's book, The Heart: The Final Destination, seeks to provide

insights, inspiration, and guidance about loving more. (Please visit:

www.destinationheart.com.) Here are three techniques (in italics) to

help open your heart center: 1. Welcome everyone with love.

With everyone, including animals, I meet, I automatically say to them

mentally, "I welcome you into my life with love." This technique has

diffused so many situations I have been confronted with over the years.

It puts out an energy and feeling of peace and understanding, whether

the other individual knows it or not. Like , whenever I

meet someone, I always know that he or she is bringing me the next

step. I stay aware, listen, and offer a greeting, knowing that out of

his or her mouth will come the next piece of information that I need to

know. Everything is connected. I bring something into the life of each

person I meet, and vice versa. This is a loving, positive exchange. 2.

Listen to others. Truly listen with your undivided attention when

someone is trying to convey something to you. Then repeat back what you

think was said. These two techniques not only clarify the information

you are receiving but allow you to truly understand where an individual

is coming from. So much of our communication between individuals is

misunderstood. Listen with the heart into what someone is actually

saying, as it may not at all be what you thought you heard. 3.

Breathe in love and breathe out blessings. Make this a continual mantra

throughout your day. This is a technique I start my day with and

continually repeat. It reminds me to think well of others. Remember

there is no time or space, and every time you say this you are actually

emanating blessings and love to everyone and everything around you.

This actually creates an energy field emanating from your heart like a

beacon. Every second of every day, you always have a choice of how to

be and how to react to any situation. Pick your choices well and bring

harmony to all. I've personally enjoyed the work of the

Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. His books are filled with the

central themes of peace, love, and compassion; and he teaches the art

of mindful living and embracing our own reality, which can be tough to

do when we're dealing with the effects of this world. My Inspiration

for You I believe that diseases begin when we disregard the

messages of the heart and deny what gives us happiness -- good things

will come if we live in joy, harmony, and gratitude. Through any

personal health challenge, the miracle of the body still prevails. With

a little help, it knows what to do and can repair at any age -- I've

seen it happen countless times. When the body repairs, the

energy returns, the lights go on, the vitality pours back in, and

everything lines up! Then emotions take on a rational perspective and

spirituality is aligned; thus, we witness the true miracle of the

connection between the body, mind, and spirit. I believe that

we can slow down the aging process at this particular point in our

history, and that there are tools available for us to do so. Because

we're living longer, it behooves us to find these tools and use them.

But our highest level of mastery is going to be our personal spiritual

evolution -- the perfection of our soul. This brings us to the

art of surrender, or the top of the mountain -- that is, when you can

accept, allow, and enjoy the mystery of life as it unfolds and then

ends. I hope that you can look back on the piece of patchwork that

you've left on the planet with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

And, as you review the life that you've passionately lived, may you be

able to say, in the words of the famous French chanteuse Edith Piaf:

"Non, je ne regrette rien" -- "No, I do not regret anything." This

article was excerpted from: The Body Knows... How to Stay Young by Caroline Sutherland. About The Author Caroline M. SutherlandCaroline

Sutherland is an internationally recognized medical intuitive,

lecturer, workshop leader and author of many books and audio programs

on health, personal development, and self-esteem. She is the founder of

Sutherland Communications, which offers Medical Intuitive Training

Programs; intuitive assessments for weight loss, menopause and general

health concerns; consultation services and related products for adults

and children. Visit Caroline online at www.carolinesutherland.com