Meditation on the heart

This is a meditation technique I've been working with, I am sure there are other yogis who have come up with the same...

The past week and a half have been kinda crazy energetically-has anyone else felt the same? I've felt strong currents of highs and lows shifting all around and have a hard time not being affected by my surrounding energy (I am, after all, a Libra).  Especially with school starting and my funky muscle (Is it a hamstring? My ilipsoas?) problem, I sometimes find myself short of breath. 

It started as a reflex, when I start to feel overwhelmed I press my right hand against my chest and take deep, distinct breaths to calm down.  There is something so soothing about feeling my heartbeat with my hands as I breathe deeply; it reminds me that I am alive and okay no matter what circumstance (large or small) arise. 

Recently, I have been playing with adding visualization with my breathing/heart grabbing.  As I take each breath, pausing in between each one to feel my heartbeat, I visualize my heart and the life it is constantly giving me- the blood pumping throughout my body, the oxygen riding on that blood giving new life with each breath.  With each breath, I imagine my heart becoming increasingly lighter and freer.  I breathe in new life; I exhale that which no longer serves me. 

Whether or not you practice this meditation on the heart, know that with each exhale you make room for the new life that comes with each inhale. 

Remember to breathe.  Remember your infinitely powerful, kind heart.  Remember to share your heart with the world, one breath at a time. 

In light and love, Ainsley