The heart’s nervous system contains around 40,000 neurons, called sensory neurites (Armour, 1991).  According to the HeartMath® Institute:

• The heart sends us emotional and intuitive signals to help govern our lives.
• The heart directs and aligns many systems in the body so that they can function in harmony with one another.
• The heart is in constant communication with the brain. The heart’s intrinsic brain and nervous system relay information back to the brain in the cranium, creating a two-way communication system between heart and brain.
• The heart makes many of its own decisions.
• The heart starts beating in the unborn fetus before the brain has been formed, a process scientists call autorhythmic.
• Humans form an emotional brain long before a rational one, and a beating heart before either.
• The heart has its own independent complex nervous system known as “the brain in the heart.”

Whether it is society in general, the school system, healthcare or our organizations, we have been encouraged to dial down our intuitive and heart-centred abilities. There are many writers who have written about the importance of accessing our left-brain and right brain abilities. Organizations realize that there has been too much reliance on left- brain activity, which stifles creativity, innovation and the ability of people to make intuitive decisions.

We must take this one step further. We are much more complex than simply a left and right brain. We are also heart-centered. The heart-center is amazing at helping us make right decisions.  Unfortunately, most of us have been dialling down the abilities of our heart-center for many years. This is because organizations typically do not value or recognize the significance of each person’s heart centered abilities. We have been trained to live in our heads and therefore we have lost connection to the Heart-center. I am certainly not talking about being emotional or relying on our emotions to make decisions. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

The heart-center is a significant tool that when tapped into provides you with clarity and a simple knowing of what you need to do next. I like to use the term alignment; this is because alignment is when you are connected to not only the left and right brain activity, but more importantly to the Heart-center. When you are tapped into your Heart-center you can rely on it to provide you with clear information and guidance. It will always point you in the right direction.

A few question to consider:

• Have you ever made a decision when you knew you should not make it?
• What were the signs or feelings you had at the time the decision was made?
• If you knew you shouldn’t make the decision, why did you?

LEAD YOUR SELF AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW!