Have you ever uttered, “My heart hurts,” when you’ve been in a trying, stressful, or emotionally complicated situation? It’s common for people to relate to the idea that when things are hard that we experience heartbreak or pain in our heart center. The heart communicates with the brain and body in four ways: the nervous system, hormones, pulse waves, and our electromagnetic fields. So, when we say our heart hurts, it’s actually true. Likewise, when our emotions become dysregulated, we feel it in our nervous system—in the heart space. So much of our healing work requires us to feel, to take a risk, healthy risks while engaging our courage and self-permission while moving through what isn’t serving us. Without these elements, we have a tendency to get “stuck” in our emotions. We roll around in those feelings until they have taken control, and everything we do, think, and feel is then driven through the mindset of “stuck,” hard, and ungrounded emotions. This is especially true when things are unpredictable, or we experience traumas or upsets collectively. This week on the Get Your Life Together, Girl Instagram page, I shared the HeartMath Institute’s HeartSoak Technique during Monday’s Live Chat. So, if you aren’t tuning in, join us! It’s a beautiful gathering of women. So, shortly after, I received a message from Jennifer in Costa Rica, who was live with us, that asked me to give the steps to the HeartSoak Technique again during a mindset reset. So, here we are. If you haven’t heard of the HeartSoak Technique, this heart-focused, heart-centered breathing and care practice helps you ignite your self-compassion, calm the emotional body and nervous system, and move any perceived stuck emotions. Much like the meditations I write and teach, this process has a surrendering quality. When we know that the heart is the source of care and compassion, we can bring love and acceptance to any moment, whether it be uncertainty, worry, anger, sadness, resentment, or other negative emotions. Like all techniques and tools I teach, practice is required to make them work for you. So, let’s move through the steps. You’ll want to practice this technique when you are not disrupted or rushed, and you’ll want to find a comfortable position to sit in. You can practice lying down, but sitting is the preferred method. Anytime we are breathing purposefully, we want to have the ability to fully expand our lungs. You can also keep your eyes open or close them. We will be doing some visualization work, and most people find it easier to do so with their eyes closed, but do what works best for you. Step 1 is to take a full deep breath and begin to acknowledge what is happening in your thoughts, emotions, and heart space. When we acknowledge what is distressing us or welcome our feelings, we give ourselves permission to sit in and recognize what may be bothering or working against us. Most people refuse to do this work. We want to move as quickly as possible through everything. Yet, if we slow down and acknowledge, we actually have a better chance of processing and finding resolve for each situation in a much more grounded and stable way. Step 1: Acknowledge Step 2: Take another deep breath. With this breath, place your hand over your heart. In your mind, begin to focus your attention on the area of your heart and imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart area. With each inhale and exhale, begin to slow your breath. Make it a bit deeper than your normal breathing pattern each time, but do not force your breath. Instead, make it comfortable but slower. As you continue to breathe, we move into step 3: which is to enfold our emotions, thoughts, and issue into an imaginary cloth. In your mind, visualize a piece of cloth or paper, fabric, whatever you choose. Let it be the first thing that comes to mind. And if you have trouble coming up with something, visualize your favorite color and allow that to be the space you enfold your feelings. What do you need