by Caroline Sutherland
If you've decided to get to the summit of your mountain and not just hang around base camp, then know that ascending to the highest level of living is going to involve your heart. Take a second to check how it's doing right now: Put your hand on your heart and ask, "Is my ‘love tap' flowing inside of me?" You see, we all have a small but powerful golden tap inside of us -- while it might be covered over and obscured by leaves and twigs, it's still there. Get to know it, and check in with it on a daily (even hourly) basis. Is your tap turned on enough so that the love from your heart is flowing out to everyone you meet? Even though you may be taxed and burdened by a life that can be fraught with many disappointments, you can still love.
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Three Loving Techniques
Julie Anderson's book, The Heart: The Final Destination, seeks to provide insights, inspiration, and guidance about loving more. (Please visit: www.destinationheart.com.) Here are three techniques (in italics) to help open your heart center: 1. Welcome everyone with love. With everyone, including animals, I meet, I automatically say to them mentally, "I welcome you into my life with love." This technique has diffused so many situations I have been confronted with over the years. It puts out an energy and feeling of peace and understanding, whether the other individual knows it or not.
Like Julie, whenever I meet someone, I always know that he or she is bringing me the next step. I stay aware, listen, and offer a greeting, knowing that out of his or her mouth will come the next piece of information that I need to know. Everything is connected. I bring something into the life of each person I meet, and vice versa. This is a loving, positive exchange.
2. Listen to others. Truly listen with your undivided attention when someone is trying to convey something to you. Then repeat back what you think was said. These two techniques not only clarify the information you are receiving but allow you to truly understand where an individual is coming from. So much of our communication between individuals is misunderstood. Listen with the heart into what someone is actually saying, as it may not at all be what you thought you heard.
3. Breathe in love and breathe out blessings. Make this a continual mantra throughout your day. This is a technique I start my day with and continually repeat. It reminds me to think well of others. Remember there is no time or space, and every time you say this you are actually emanating blessings and love to everyone and everything around you. This actually creates an energy field emanating from your heart like a beacon. Every second of every day, you always have a choice of how to be and how to react to any situation. Pick your choices well and bring harmony to all.I've personally enjoyed the work of the Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. His books are filled with the central themes of peace, love, and compassion; and he teaches the art of mindful living and embracing our own reality, which can be tough to do when we're dealing with the effects of this world.
My Inspiration for You
I believe that diseases begin when we disregard the messages of the heart and deny what gives us happiness -- good things will come if we live in joy, harmony, and gratitude. Through any personal health challenge, the miracle of the body still prevails. With a little help, it knows what to do and can repair at any age -- I've seen it happen countless times.When the body repairs, the energy returns, the lights go on, the vitality pours back in, and everything lines up! Then emotions take on a rational perspective and spirituality is aligned; thus, we witness the true miracle of the connection between the body, mind, and spirit.
I believe that we can slow down the aging process at this particular point in our history, and that there are tools available for us to do so. Because we're living longer, it behooves us to find these tools and use them. But our highest level of mastery is going to be our personal spiritual evolution -- the perfection of our soul.
This brings us to the art of surrender, or the top of the mountain -- that is, when you can accept, allow, and enjoy the mystery of life as it unfolds and then ends. I hope that you can look back on the piece of patchwork that you've left on the planet with a sense of pride and accomplishment. And, as you review the life that you've passionately lived, may you be able to say, in the words of the famous French chanteuse Edith Piaf: "Non, je ne regrette rien" -- "No, I do not regret anything."
This article was excerpted from:
The Body Knows... How to Stay Young
by Caroline Sutherland.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Hay House Inc. www.hayhouse.com. ©2008.
For more info or to order this book or the Amazon Kindle format.
About The Author
Caroline Sutherland is an internationally recognized medical intuitive, lecturer, workshop leader and author of many books and audio programs on health, personal development, and self-esteem. She is the founder of Sutherland Communications, which offers Medical Intuitive Training Programs; intuitive assessments for weight loss, menopause and general health concerns; consultation services and related products for adults and children. Visit Caroline online at www.carolinesutherland.com. 
