The Wisdom of our Heart
It was often thought and taught, that the heart was always responding to the brain in the form of neural signals.
However did you know that the heart sends more signals to the brain, than the brain to the heart?
Research shows that communication between the heart and brain is actually dynamic, ongoing and a two way dialogue.
Heart signals have a significant effect on brain function. It can influence emotional processing as well as higher cognitive abilities such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving.
The heart responds to the brain, and the brain continuously responds to the heart.
When we are stressed and experience negative emotions, this creates a heart rhythm pattern which is erratic and disordered.
This sends a pattern of neural signals from the heart to the brain which limits higher brain function.
Meaning, when this happens, we are limited in our ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason and make effective decisions.
The heart’s input to the brain during those stressful times, or times of negative emotions also impacts on the brain’s emotional processing which can then serve to reinforce the emotional experience of stress.
And so the opposite is also true.
When the heart pattern is more ordered and stable during positive emotional states it helps with our brain function and reinforces positive feelings.
Spending time in relaxation, allowing our heart rhythm to be more stable has the capacity to benefit the entire body alongside with how we perceive, think, feel and perform.
The Heart as Our Centre of Wisdom
What if our most profound guidance system isn’t in our heads, but nestled within our chest?
Ancient wisdom traditions have long revered the heart as the seat of the soul, the centre of our emotional intelligence, and the doorway to our deepest truth.
Modern science is now catching up to what our ancestors knew intuitively.
The heart contains its own independent nervous system – a complex network of neurons, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells that allow it to learn, remember, and make decisions independent of the brain.
Scientists call this the “heart brain.”
When I guide women in Shakti Yoga Flow circles to place their hands on their heart, it’s more than a symbolic gesture.
It’s an invitation to attune to this profound centre of knowing.
To listen to the wisdom that pulses with each heartbeat.
The Heart-Womb Connection in Shakti Yoga Flow
In Shakti Yoga Flow, we recognize that the heart doesn’t exist in isolation.
There’s a beautiful, intimate relationship between the heart and the womb.
When we breathe into our heart space, we create an energetic current that flows downward, connecting heart wisdom with womb power.
This heart-womb axis forms the central channel of our feminine being.
Think of it this way:
The womb holds our creative potential, our life force, our primal power.
The heart holds our capacity for love, compassion, and discernment.
When these two centres communicate clearly, we access a profound sense of wholeness.
❤️ We make decisions that honour both our deepest values and our authentic needs.
❤️ We create from a place of integrity and love.
❤️ We inhabit our bodies with reverence and joy.
The Science of Heart Coherence
What fascinates me about heart research is the concept of “coherence.”
Heart coherence occurs when our heart rhythm patterns become more ordered and harmonious.
This state emerges naturally when we experience emotions like appreciation, gratitude, compassion, and love.
In this coherent state:
🌹 Our nervous system balances
🌹 Stress hormones decrease
🌹 Immune function improves
🌹 Energy levels increase
🌹 Mental clarity sharpens
🌹 Intuition strengthens
🌹 Emotional resilience grows
Research shows that women who practice heart-centred meditation for just 5-10 minutes daily experience significant improvements in their overall wellbeing.
And when we practice together in circle, these benefits amplify.
Practices to Awaken Heart Wisdom in Daily Life
In Shakti Yoga Flow circles, we engage in specific practices to cultivate heart coherence:
Heart-Focused Breathing
Simply placing your attention on your heart while breathing slowly and deeply begins to shift your physiology toward coherence.
Try it now…
Place your hand on your heart, feel its steady rhythm beneath your palm.
Breathe slowly, deeply, imagining the breath flowing in and out through your heart centre.
Feel how your entire body responds to this simple shift of awareness.
Heart-Opening Movement
Gentle arm and shoulder circles, and chest expansions create space for the heart energy to flow more freely.
These movements release tension in the chest, shoulders, and upper back, areas where many women hold emotional armoring.
Heart Mudras
In Shakti Yoga, we use specific hand positions to direct energy toward the heart centre.
These ancient gestures activate the meridians that run through the hands and connect to the heart, creating an energetic circuit that enhances our heart’s electromagnetic field.
The Heart as Teacher in Women’s Circles
When women gather in circle, something magical happens.
Our hearts begin to entrain with one another…a phenomenon called “heart synchronization.”
Studies of group meditation show that participants’ heart rhythms actually synchronize, creating a powerful field of coherence that supports each woman in the circle.
In the safe container of Shakti Yoga Flow circle, we can:
Let our heart walls soften
Release old patterns of protection
Feel emotions we’ve long suppressed
Access intuitive knowledge we’ve forgotten
Remember our connection to something larger than ourselves
An Invitation to Heart-Centred Living
Living from the heart doesn’t mean abandoning logic or reason.
It means integrating the intelligence of both heart and mind, allowing them to inform each other in that dynamic, two-way dialogue the research reveals.
It means making decisions that honour both your values and your feelings.
It means moving through the world with more presence, compassion, and authenticity.
If you’re longing to reconnect with your heart’s wisdom and experience the profound benefits of heart coherence practice in community with other women, I invite you to join an upcoming Shakti Yoga Flow circle.
Together, we’ll create a field of resonance that supports your heart’s natural intelligence and helps you access the deep knowing that already lives within you.
For Canberra women, this page contains information about upcoming circles.
Or if you are wanting to join online from anywhere in the world, see what is available here.
You can also send me a message to secure your place in circle.
With an open heart,
Kate 🌹