Meditation is a powerful and effective way to connect to your own inner source and heal yourself. Meditation can literally be seen as a form of medication, a safe, natural and chemical- free route to health. Open Heart Meditation, therefore, is for the heart.
Open Heart Meditation activates your energy bodies in profound ways. It essentially connects you to a higher consciousness- a higher frequency of being through the focus on your heart chakra.
The heart chakra is the energy portal responsible for empathy, unconditional love, compassion, friendships, family connections, love bonds, nature and a love for the natural world, inner balance and harmony.
An open and healthy heart chakra is also a catalyst to higher consciousness.
What is Open Heart Meditation?
Open Heart Meditation, or OHM, for short, is a simple yet effective practice which attunes you with a new way of being, perceiving, thinking and feeling. OHM can help you relax and feel both joyous and content inside through the techniques inherent. The techniques involve conscious breathing, smiling, relaxing, and feeling into your body.
The success of OHM is determined by your ability to open up, hence the name open heart meditation! You need to approach the meditation with an open mind, happy heart, and calm and content manner. You also need to be willing to learn, evolve and better yourself.
Open Heart Meditation is popular in Buddhist and Taoist communities and to those on a spiritual path. It is also becoming increasingly popular nowadays in the alternative and holistic health scene and in festivals and ‘tribal- like’ gatherings, where an emphasis on universal love and a new way of living and relating is rich.
Furthermore, you may already be familiar with OHM due to it having name variations. Love Meditation, Meditation to Open Your Heart, The Universal Love Frequency Meditation, and Open Your Heart to A Higher Consciousness are all names you may have heard.
How Does Open Heart Meditation Work?
Open Heart Meditation literally works by opening your heart and bringing deep feelings of peace. It can help relieve tension, past pains or traumas you may be holding on to, and it can further shed some light on issues you didn’t know you had.
OHM can bring the unconscious into conscious light.
How? Because OHM fills you up with an empty space which has a direct effect on your cells. Your cells become energized and recharged, and simultaneously your mind becomes more aware. A greater sense of awareness fills you.
OHM can also bring a sense of spiritual awareness or a feeling of being aligned with your soul. In this respect, OHM attunes you to your inner spirit and soulful longings. You may receive insight regarding your life purpose or “just know” what your next steps in life must be.
Open Heart Meditation activates and enhances your intuition.
This unique meditation also has a range of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual benefits. Let’s look at these now.
- Mind, body & spirit connection: OHM can unify and connect your mind, body & spirit through the increase in awareness, oxygenation of your body’s cells, and inner healing which takes place.
The mind, body and spirit are designed to work in harmony so during a meditation which focuses on the heart, this naturally increases this connection.
The heart chakra can be seen as the center- the energy center which connects higher self with lower self.
Chakras in our body. Through energizing this places and subsequently increasing feelings of love, empathy and connection to others, the mind, body and spirit are all positively affected.
- Mental, emotional, physical and spiritual balance and harmonization: All of the different ‘bodies’ are balanced, healed and harmonized during OHM.
The different bodies are intrinsically connected, so positive change to one will naturally affect all the others. As the focus is on the heart during the practice, filling your heart up with positive energy has incredible effects for your thoughts, emotions and inner spirit.
It is a sensation which cannot be done justice with words…
- Letting go of past pains, wounds and traumas: OHM is deeply healing. Past wounds, traumas and pains, and unhealthy or harmful recurring thought processes and emotional patterns can be let go of and released. This is because when you engage in an Open Heart Meditation you naturally create the intention of healing yourself and evolving in some way.
Painful memories or unresolved emotions can be held for a long time and it is usually in the heart where they are stored. Why? Because, the key to letting go is forgiveness.
Forgiveness comes from the heart and choosing to commit to unconditional love for self and others. OHM enables you to get to the root of some hard truths or painful memories you may not have known you were repressing. This inevitably makes your heart lighter and heals you, allowing you to move forward in life.
- Profound awakenings or imagery, symbols and visions: Due to an integral aspect of OHM being the effect it has on your overall level of consciousness (remember, the heart is the center and strongly linked to the universal vibration of love, not just love among friends, family or lovers), you may have profound visuals in the form of imagery, visions or symbols appearing in your mind’s eye.
You may also have a powerful awakening. Your heart could be activated in key ways and this could further open you up to new realities and possibilities. (More on this in other sections!)
- A complete change of life course or realization of your soul’s purpose: The heart is the key to a higher consciousness, your higher self and the higher mind. It can also be the key to the divine, a beautiful and blissful world where one recognizes the interconnected nature of life!
By engaging in OHM, your susceptibility to subtle energy (and therefore spiritual or divine energy) increases allowing you to tune in to new ideas, concepts and potential future realities. Your intuition can also become awakened to the point that you “know” what you are meant to do in this life.
You may receive direct wisdom or insights, or receive symbols and profound imagery as mentioned in the point above. Quite simply, opening your heart can change your life in many wonderful ways.
- Increase in intuition: Intuition is powerful- it is our guiding light, or internal compass.
It can help show us the way in tricky or painful situations, or guide us on to the correct path or course of action. Intuition comes from meditation and tuning into your higher self, or the higher mind.
This is the part of self responsible for an open, happy and healthy heart and active crown and third eye chakras. Your crown and third eye chakras are the top two main chakras and they both link to spirit.
The third eye is responsible for your intuition, ability to connect to dream states, the imagination, perception, higher thinking, ancient wisdom, ability to perceive subtle energy, and all psychic gifts and phenomena. The crown chakra is connected to the divine, higher consciousness and the spiritual body.
It also has links to the soul. So, during OHM these two highest chakras become switched on through the increase in positive energy to the heart. Energy is allowed to flow freely (or at least better) from heart to third eye and crown, and this in turn can positively influence many aspects of self and life. At the very least, your intuition can be developed through OHM.
Why Open Heart Meditation?
You already know the vast array of benefits of OHM, so why this type of meditation specifically? Well, a lot of it has already been covered, however the key difference that separates Open Heart Meditation from other forms of meditation is in the name.
OHM can assist you in following your heart and aligning with your passions. The true self is often buried beneath layers of past wounds and traumas, unresolved tensions and issues, illusions and delusions, and worries, fears and concerns. We essentially create realities or stories which aren’t true, and these prevent us from living our best lives and being the best versions of ourselves.
Therefore, OHM enables you to follow your heart and align with your passions and true self.
Another significant reason why Open Heart Meditation may be more effective for you than other forms is that you can actively set your intention to connect to any of the specific benefits inherently involved.
Maybe you would like to activate your intuition and connect to your higher self? Perhaps you have read about linking chakras and energizing your own body’s energy systems? Maybe you would like to heal past wounds and traumas, finally letting go of memories and repressed or unresolved emotions which are still causing you pain?
These are just a few examples of why you could utilize the effects of OHM for your best benefit.
Ultimately, you can steer the direction of your meditation and shape your own experience. The beauty is that there are so many positive benefits to choose from, so whatever you would like to align with and attune to can be.
Key Preparations for A Successful Meditation: “Creating the Space”
To really receive the benefits of the Open Heart Meditation it is important that you create a sacred space and align yourself. To align is to center or ‘become in tune with.’
You want to get in tune so you can attune to all the wonderful effects the meditation wishes to bring forth!
Here’s how to do this:-
- Create a sacred space with incense or some cleansing oil, herb or resin- like frankincense, an essential oil or sage. Make sure you won’t be disturbed and check your lighting, such as having only natural sunlight or lighting candles (or any non- harmful man- made light). Get comfortable!
- Center yourself and set your intentions. Intention setting is really important as during the meditation you open yourself up to the universal and subtle energies available. Take some deep breaths and go within, feeling your heartbeat and energy flowing through your veins. From this space, visualize a glowing light from your heart and set your intentions for the meditation.
- Bring into awareness any pains and past memories you would like to let go of, and also what you would like to create or envision for yourself. See positive qualities emanating from you and set a brief intention to connect and attune to these qualities.
In order for a successful meditation, remembering the importance of both “letting go and releasing” and “healing, envisioning and moving forward” is essential. Your heart is a powerful transmitter and forgiveness can be the key to letting go and moving on.
- Finally, perhaps enhance your OHM experience with music. A background track such as binaural beats at 528 HZ, also known as the “love frequency,” can have a profound effect. Alternatively put on some gentle and soothing nature sounds or Tibetan bells and chimes or singing bowls.
How to Perform OHM
Open Heart Meditation can be done in groups, alone, as part of a shared intent group or gathering, with a guru or teacher, or as part of a spiritual retreat, or daily health and healing routine.
The most effective way to perform OHM is to first educate yourself on the essence and benefits, and then create the scene. Setting a sacred space is highly beneficial as it can enhance the effects of the meditation tenfold.
Seeking Inspiration? Read These Open Heart Meditation Books
Fortunately there are a number of books available to provide a more comprehensive and in depth exploration of OHM.
The first book I would suggest is “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. It may not be exclusively about Open Heart Meditation, but it does explore our connection to the heart and spirituality in a very insightful way. It also sheds light on how to live in the now and the powerful benefits of doing so which is highly useful when engaging in OHM.
You can find it on Amazon US and on Amazon UK.
Melody Beattie’s book “Journey to the Heart” is also highly helpful, a collection of daily meditations to ‘freeing your soul.’ If you’re wondering whether this one is for you, it has over 440 5 star reviews on Amazon!
You can find it on Amazon US and on Amazon UK.
Other books to choose from for further self- learning include “Open Heart, Open Mind: Awakening the Power of Essence of Love” by Tsoknyi Rinpoche, “39 Ways to Open Your Heart: An Illuminated Meditation” by Arlene G. Levine, and “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.
You can find it on Amazon US and on Amazon UK.
The Meditation! How to Do it?
Now you are familiar with all of the foundational knowledge and wisdom you can get yourself familiar with the process.
The key to remember is that it is very gentle, you simply need to set your intentions and open yourself up to the powers of the universe and you will surely receive. This also requires a dosage of faith and knowing! You need to be open for an Open Heart Meditation to work.
This is because the OHM connects you directly to the source- the inner Spirit. All is love, on a subtle and spiritual level, and it is only our physical illusions and fears which pollute this knowing.
Peace, inner contentment, joy, happiness, balance, harmony, health, love, light, and any other positive and welcome quality can be made as your intentions. You can, of course, also go deeper and wish to connect to some spiritual, psychic or higher consciousness phenomena.
The meditation:-
- Firstly, create the space as expressed in “Key Preparations for A Successful Meditation.” Now close your eyes and engage in some conscious breathing. You will want to feel peaceful and calm within in order to truly feel the effects of the meditation.
You should be able to feel your heart beating softly (or powerfully if there are things you know you need to let go of) and you may feel a warm glow from your heart.
The first stage is to synchronize your breathing to your heart, as best as possible.
- Next you will be placing your hands over your heart. Remember that it is not just your physical heart that is affected but also your heart chakra, the energetic chakra responsible for feelings of compassion, empathy and higher or universal love; and love in general. The hands are transmitters and receivers of universal energy, or life force energy.
This life force energy also known as chi, ki, prana or reiki allows imbalances and blockages to be removed. It can also help increase energy flow, speed up self- healing, and lead to an expansion of consciousness or new realms of thought. Placing your hands over your heart- between 2- 5 inches away, creates a current which leads to sensations often reported during OHM.
In short, your hands are capable of channeling healing energy. Combing this reality with the power of your intentions and conscious awareness will expand the experience greatly.
- Now your hands are in place and your breathing is at a steady and calm pace, picture something in your mind’s eye you wish to release.
You have great opportunity to heal and let go of afflictive emotions, traumatic memories or past pains which are holding you down. Envision a glowing light emanating over and from your heart. This light can be gentle and any color you choose, however the three most effective colors are green, white and pure light.
As you see this beautiful and healing light expanding breathe into the memories- filling them with the light. You can improvise and see what your intuition tells you to do. The keys are to keep your breath steady and fill yourself up, visualize the light coming from your heart, feel your hands and the energy flowing through them, and releasing and letting go of all that no longer serves you.
- Use the same technique for envisioning what you want for your future. See your future self, or a projected future image of yourself, and focus on your passions, soul’s dreams or long term aspirations. If part of your motivation for the OHM is to heal a relationship or attract a relationship, focus on love or the bond you share with another.
Keep your thoughts positive and focused and once you have redirected your awareness to a future outcome, create some space. Creating space is breathing into both your body and the projected imagery in your mind.
- Spend some moments in between healing from past pains and visualizing future intentions to just be. Be still, focus on your breathing and bring your attention to the positive benefits of the OHM. Also, bring your awareness to the qualities of the heart chakra and see these in your mind’s eye as you focus on the loving light growing.
You are light and love!
- Closer to the end or mid- way of the meditation, bring your hands down gently to your knees. Let them sit with palms relaxed and facing upwards or outwards.
Relax and feel the energy flowing through, above and around them. Be still and become content and peaceful within. At this stage you may begin to see gently emanating lights or profound imagery.
- Finally, one technique to make this meditation profound is to incorporate some mantras or affirmations. This works well alongside letting go and visualizing your intentions surrounding your heart chakra. Mantras and affirmations spoken silently inside your mind can amplify the effect of the meditation.
Very helpful!
- Remember that you are an empty vessel waiting to be filled. You can fill yourself with anything you desire with conscious awareness, focused intention and mindful thinking and feeling.
To recap, in short the steps for a successful and effective Open Heart Meditation are as follows:-
- Hold your hands over your heart, breathe.
- Visualize light glowing and emanating from your heart.
- Speak mantras and affirmations.
- Visualize letting go of past things wishing to heal from. Creating space etc.
- Visualize the future and moving forward, scenarios or mental projections of what you wish to create.