Instead of building a wall, we can build up the strength to live in the freedom of a wide open heart.
We’ve all experienced emotional pain and faced disappointment, and often we learn lessons from them. But sometimes that hurt makes us too cautious. We close our hearts off in fear of being vulnerable, and that protection seems to keep us safe. It also keeps us isolated and trapped, however, preventing the love that we are from going out into the world, leaving us as diminished versions of ourselves.
In order to guard our hearts, we may stick to the familiar and spin our wheels to maintain the status quo. We use a lot of energy to never go anywhere, leaving little energy for anything else. Life becomes about survival, and the world around us appears harsh and unforgiving, like there isn’t any place for us except in the tiny box we’ve built to sustain us.
On the outside, that box may actually appear beautiful. It may be filled with material abundance and many people. We may have checked the boxes on all the things society considers important or that we thought would make us happy. But although we have moments of fun and pleasure, we’re not truly happy. That’s because we haven’t only sheltered our hearts from other people; we’ve kept them from ourselves.
Security Comes from the Heart
Besides these side effects, closing off our hearts has the opposite effect from what we intended. Instead of giving us security, it makes us feel more insecure. Without love actively flowing from our hearts, we feel like we don’t have love to give, like we are unlovable and unworthy. Our confidence wanes, and we want to hide the rest of ourselves, not only our hearts.
On the other hand, when love can flow from our hearts, we have the distinct sense that “everything is OK.” Regardless of our external circumstances or personal shortcomings, ultimately, without reason, it is OK. We become self-assured and want to share with others. We gain the desire to do more, be more, and help more. In other words, we feel secure in ourselves and our contribution to the world.
Build a Foundation for an Open Heart
In a topsy turvy world in which we are exposed to negativity daily, keeping our hearts open can be a constant endeavor. It’s easy to get pummeled by the negativity in our environment, and in our minds, if we’re not internally strong. The good news is that we can strengthen ourselves by building up the energy in our core.
By our core, I’m referring to the lower energy center in our abdomen that’s below our navel and between our hips. This energy center, or dahnjon in Korean, is the foundation of the qi energy system in our bodies. When this energy center is full of bright, pure energy, we have a buffer against negativity. Even more, it can purify the energy around it, transforming it into bright and pure energy as well, transforming negativity into hopeful serenity.
Building up our core doesn’t take special tools or a gym membership. It can be done with simple energy exercises that engage our minds and bodies and direct energy to the lower energy center. The key is to do them consistently.
There are many mind-body exercises that have this effect. Here are a few for you to try. Choose the ones that work best for you to practice daily. You can also combine them for even greater effect. They work best if they are followed by relaxed Abdominal Breathing while focusing on the lower abdomen.
Abdominal (Dahnjon) Tapping
Use your palms or fists to tap the area of your belly about two inches below your navel. You can tap with two hands simultaneously on either side of your lower abdomen or tap with alternate hands on a single point at the midline of your body. Make a steady rhythm as you keep your upper body relaxed and exhale through your mouth. Focus your attention on the feeling of the vibration in your lower abdomen. The longer you tap, the more energy will be gathered in your lower dahnjon.
Intestinal Exercise
Rest your palms on your lower abdomen, with your thumbs meeting at your navel and the rest of your fingers meeting below to form a triangle. Imagine a string pulls your navel as far toward your back as possible, then release it. Repeat this motion while keeping your shoulders relaxed and focusing on the sensations in your lower abdomen. The more repetitions you do, the more energy you will build in your lower energy center.
Belly Button Healing
Press your belly button in and out repeatedly. You can use your fingers or a blunt tool. Feel the sensations inside your lower abdomen. Exhale through your mouth to release old energy, then keep your mouth closed to accumulate energy in your core.
Sleeping Tiger
Hold this accumulation posture: lie on your back with your hips tucked in so that your entire back rests against the ground. Bend your hips, knees, and ankles 90 degrees. Keep your feet parallel, about hip-width apart. Raise your palms above your shoulders, facing the sky, but without locking your elbows. Try holding the posture for at least five minutes to start. The longer you remain still while focusing on your lower abdomen, the more energy you will gather.
Chuk Kigong (Tree Breathing Posture)
Hold this standing accumulation posture: feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, back and kneck straight, hips curled in, arms in a circle in front of your chest with fingertips pointed toward each other without touching. Stay for five minutes or more while focusing on your lower dahnjon.
As we can see, position, focus, vibration, and breathing pulls energy to a particular area to build up energy there. With dedication and practice, we can always have enough energy to support wide open, loving hearts.
In the next blog post, I will give you tips on preventing energy in your lower energy center from leaking out.
Additional Resources
- To learn more about connecting to your heart: Love Heals Practice Guide: A 21-Day Journey to Personal Transformation by Ilchi Lee and Ilchibuko Todd
- For heart opening audio meditations: Bird of the Soul by Ilchi Lee & Healing Chakras: Awaken Your Body’s Energy System for Complete Health, Happiness and Peace by Ilchi Lee
- Understand your energy system and get core strengthening exercises: Water Up Fire Down: An Energy Principle for Creating Calmness, Clarity, and a Lifetime of Health by Ilchi Lee
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