An Anchored Heart

In June I was blessed with the opportunity to return home to Ohio and reconnect with some loved ones, my homeland, and myself. I did not expect to find my heart to feel so reverently to being in Ohio again, and with dear friends and family. It was like my heart was being anchored back into her most sacred self. I can remember a walk I took around our neighborhood that ended with me sitting, reflecting on the beach. I felt so connected with everything. So grounded. So peaceful. And, those first real, in person hugs with my loved ones. Oh, the joy, the divine bliss! My time in Ohio made me realize how rooted my heart is with Ohio. It ended up opening me up in ways that I’m still discovering.

Since our return back south, my heart has felt very restless. My desire to return home has been strong. I’ve been struggling to adjust to being here when my heart and most of my loved ones are there. I’ve also been catching myself be kind of rigid in my thinking. This realization came about as a part of a spiritual practice I have in listening to a yoga podcast called Yoga Girl Daily. Each weekday, Yoga Girl, Rachel Brathen, leads a different practice. Mondays are intention setting, Tuesdays listeners ‘tune in’ to themselves and reflect through journaling or sharing with someone trusted, Wednesdays offer guided meditation, Thursdays are a gratitude practice, and Fridays are a self care practice. I found this podcast a little over a year ago in the midst of COVID, and I don’t know what I’d do without it. Each morning it creates a short, meaningful space for me to begin my day.

Last week’s intention was around releasing and letting go for truer clarity. As I moved through the different practices and reflections, this idea of my rigid thinking came to light. It hit me very deeply how naturally fixed my thoughts can be sometimes. Expectations and past experiences can so easily shape my mindset, that I forget to soften into my heart and what beautiful love I have around and within me. With the gratitude practice-listening to what gratitude feels like in the body- everything started coming together. Warm gratitude spilled through my heart as I connected to the rooted love within and around me. My heart’s vision began to soften into seeing new ways of understanding and appreciating my relationships, my situation, my being. I began to feel anchored in my heart again, knowing that I am held and I am loved even though my life looks much different than I thought it would right now. What a gift it is, to find the wondrous ways our hearts bring us back home.

A breath prayer for connecting to the divine Love that surrounds you:

Inhale: Wondrous Love,

Exhale: is guiding my heart home.

A Song Toward Freedom

Rooted+Free