Are you interesting in finding greater peace and love in your life?  Would you like to throw off the troubles and tribulations that are making you feel lost and hopeless? If you are then you are not alone.  Many people in today’s world are suffering.  They feel broken emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.  The modern world does this to people.  Our lives are constantly in an “on” position with cell phones that constantly jangle and chime.  They beckon incessantly, and work it also moves in a frenetic pace, seemingly without end.  The news and the headlines blare 24/7.   All of this cacophony of activity can lead to overload and eventually total overwhelm.   It leaves people exhausted, disillusioned, and many times truly ill.  So people are searching.  They are searching for answers, reals answers that can part the thunder clouds that darken their lives. 

 Luckily, you don’t have to search any further.  A road map has been laid out for you.  The map will steer you in the right direction.  It is a road that leads back to our creator.  It is a road that begins in the heart.  

 “He, glory be to Him, laid out the spiritual journey to God. The beginning of the journey to find Him is not confined to a place, nor an act of worship.  It all starts in the heart.”–  The Book of Love, p8.

What does this mean, “it all starts in the heart?” 

What the enlightened teacher means is that the answers you are seeking cannot be found in the external world.  Just by sitting in a church, a mosque, or a temple you won’t find what you are seeking.  Even acts of worship such as repeating liturgy, singing songs, or listening to the weekly sermon won’t take you where you want to go. 

 The real answers won’t be found “out there.”  The answers you seek require delving deeply into your own heart.  Your heart you see contains all the answers for the pains that are troubling your life. 

For people new to this teaching, here are the 2 first Steps for Starting this process:

If you are looking to the world to solve your problems, it isn’t going to happen.  Immersing yourself in chaos won’t bring lasting peace.  You need to shut your mind and your heart off from the outer clamor of life.  The best time to do this is in the morning before work or activities start.  If you can get up 30-40 minutes before the other people in your life arise this is the best time. 

1. First Disconnect from the Outer World for 30 Minutes every day:

You’ll want to use this time to set the tone for the day.  Make sure turn off the cell phone, television, and any other outer disturbance. This time of disconnection is your time to begin remaking your life. 

2. Begin Connecting to Your Heart:

Once the outer world has been turned off.  It’s time now to begin the process of connecting to your own heart.  The Sufi’s have written that: “the human heart contains two doors, a door the outside world and a door that leads back to the creator.”  Your work is to close the outer door and begin opening that inner door. 

 How do we do this?  First start by taking a 3 short breaths in through the nose so that you fill your lungs totally with air.  Next, exhale forcefully 3 breaths with an open mouth.  and blowing it out through the mouth.  The deep breaths into the lungs oxygenate the brain and wake you up.  Exhaling forcefully will remove the tension from your body.

Repeat these two more times.   So you have completed a total of three deep inhalations and exhalations. 

 Next, place your right hand over your heart area just to the left of your sternum.  And you’ll want to bring your awareness to your heart region about three inches beneath your hand.  So you are focusing on your heart.  For about a minute just be aware of what you feel in your heart.  Now you may begin being aware of the physical sensation of your heart.  You might feel it beating.  You might feel the movement of your chest.  Some people will feel tension or a trembling. Keep your attention focused in this region and just notice what you feel.  What do you sense?  You may feel nothing and this is OK. Don’t judge what you do or don’t feel.  Just be aware of the feelings and sensations of your heart.

 The idea here is that you want to begin connecting to the wisdom of your heart.  And make no mistake, your heart does carry a wisdom, an intuition, and a knowledge that can guide and heal you. 

 Next, you’ll want to take a big breath in through the nose and as you exhale you’ll want to say, “aaahhh.”   The “aaahhh” sound is the primordial sound of relaxation for your heart.  It is the sound of the sigh, the sound all of us make when we relax.  Keep your hand over your heart.  Repeat this a second time, a big breath in through the nose, and as you breath out through the mouth say, “aaahhh.”  Continue repeating this technique for 2-3 minutes. 

 If you follow a specific religion you can repeat a sacred word for God.  Preferably it should carry an “aah” sound.  If you are a Christian you can say, “Aabaa” the word for father in Hebrew.  If you are Jewish you can say, “Jehovahhh”.   If Muslim use the word, “Allah”. 

CLICK HERE for a FREE “Ahhh” Guided Meditation

The idea here is not to get caught up in the specifics of anyone’s religious or non-religious beliefs.  What’s important is to connect to your heart. 

 So after you have done this for 2-3 minutes, pause the activity.  Keep your awareness in your heart and feel your heart again.  Just notice what you feel.  Again, try not to judge what you feel.  You may be feeling calmer and more relaxed.  If are then enjoy this feeling.  If you still feel tense then notice this as well. 

After being aware of your heart for a few minutes go back to the “aaahhh” breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.  But now go a little longer 3-4 minutes.  Keep your attention always in your heart, then once again pause to feel your heart.  At this point you might want to asks a question of your creator or heart.  Perhaps there is a particular problem that has been bothering you.  The question you’ll want to ask is, “what is this issue trying to teach me about my life or my journey towards more love.”

 The idea here is to begin looking for your heart’s wisdom to help you improve the pain and difficulty of your life.  Everything in life is a teaching, a movement back to our Creator.  If we begin seeking to understand this teaching it can go a long way towards helping to relieve our suffering. 

If you ask the question and don’t receive an answer don’t be worried.  Just go back to the “aaahhh’s.”

One of the beauties of the techniques of the Path of Love is that they are very organic.  By this I mean, that there is not a great deal of struggle with them.   It’s important to not place any expectations in doing this technique.  You’ll want to just be moving deeper and deeper into your own heart. 

 Just remember to set aside 30 minutes every day to utilize this method of heart opening. 

 It is indeed the beginnings of the journey towards more peace and contentment in your life.