Heart Math-- heart coherence that reduces stress

Last Friday I attended a workshop and as we got started, the presenter said we were going to start with a short breathing exercise from Heart Math (heartmath.org).  Since I have been using heart math for over a year now, that was a neat way for me to start the workshop. 

The exercise was the Quick Coherence Technique.  You can learn more about it here. There is also a downloadable mp3 on the link.

I first learned about HeartMath from a fellow board member (Jan) of FUMSDRL/HOF (Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors/Hearts on Fire) a year ago July at our face-to-face board meeting.  She uses it in her practice with clients and mentioned it to me.  She showed it to me and seeing it work immediately sold me on it. 

My inner balance blue tooth arrived last September and I started my Heart Math journey on September 23rd. 

It has been over a year now that I have been using this tool.  It is part of my spiritual practice/discipline as it is part of my quiet time, sometimes for up to 15 minutes a session.  One can do it for very short amounts of time, as we did at the workshop on Friday, as well. 

By using the blue tooth that I attach to my earlobe, I get to see the biometric feedback of my heart rate, keep up with the breathing rhythm, and see if I am in low, medium, or high coherence.

You don't need to buy any of the tools to use the procedure.  Check out the link for the Quick Coherence Technique.  There are other free resources on the website too, such as a Personal Well-Being Survey.

I learned in the workshop that Dalton State uses Heart Math.  That made me curious as to how and where on campus, etc.  A quick Google search didn't net any results, so I need to ask the workshop presenter about that one.

I use this tool to primarily calm my breathing, to reduce stress and anxiety.  I am grateful that it was introduced to me. 

Just recently I marked 75,000 lifetime points.  My goal is 300 per day, something that they recommend.  Sometimes I get less and sometimes I get more.  But the number isn't the point.  The true goal is bringing down stress and anxiety, keeping a strong sense of calm and appreciation, and being able to focus more easily.

https://futurehopetotalhealth.com/heart-math-training/

Blessings on your journey,

Debra

P.S.  I wrote about Heart Math once before: Inner Balance with Heart Math (1/19/18)

Inner Balance with Heart Math

This past summer while at the board retreat for FUMSDRL/HOF (Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors and Retreat Leaders/Hearts on Fire), one of the other board members introduced me to Heart Math and the Inner Balance tool.  (Thanks, Jan!)

That was the first time I had heard of this incredible resource that can bring down your stress by helping you align your breathing and heart rate.  It's more in-depth than that, but that's my simple version of it.

Jan opened up the application for me, showed me what the tools looked like, I put the blue tooth attachment on my ear, and I started breathing with the breath pacer.  In and out, to the rhythm.  As I got into rhythm and coherence, the color would change.  Red signifies out of coherence.  Blue is getting there.  Green is in coherence.

The achievement level of coherence depends on the challenge level (1-4), with the lowest level having an easier achievement scale.

There are a few options to choose from as you focus on your heart and your breathing: from an in and out disk, to an up and down wave, to a picture you upload, to watching the statistic page.  I uploaded a picture of the waves at the beach from that board meeting and often use it, though I default to the disk bellowing in and out too.

After our board retreat, I ordered my Inner Balance from Jan and started using it. Though I don't always get in the recommended three sessions a day, I find that my time with it does help me focus and relax.

I have been using this resource since September now.  I am almost to my 100th entry.  I started out on level 1, switched to level 2, and promptly switched back to level 1.  The recommendation is to go up a level when you reach 80-90 percent coherence.  After a time period back on level 1, I switched back up to level 2 and have been here for a substantial amount of time, with no plans to move to level 3 in the near future.  I can't seem to get as high of coherence levels yet, but I still have positive sessions.

Much like walking, centering prayer, journaling, or any other practice, for me it's the long term effect that matters most.  It's a marathon; not a sprint.

My longest session sitting at home was a little over 23 minutes.  In that time, my coherence averaged 3.8 and the achievement was 1014.  My highest coherence average so far has been 4.2  I am not a trained person with Heart Math, so the numbers don't really mean a whole lot for me.

One thing I do notice is that when I'm in high coherence, I (at times) experience a tingling sensation in the frontal section on the left side of my brain.  I don't really know what this means either, though I did research it a little bit.

If you've heard of Heart Math and/or have used Inner Balance or one of the other assessment tools (emWave Pro Plus, for example), share your experience.

As I get the opportunity and time, I read up on the Heart Math website about heart rate variability (HRV), coherence levels, and the benefit of breathing and focusing on the heart.

Here are a few screen shots:

Here are some links to check out for further information:

Heart Math (main page)
Heart Math Institute (not really sure what the difference here is between this .org and the .com above)
A review on Inner Balance from Tech Hive
Inner Balance Android App

Now that I've shared this with you, it's time for me to take some time and do a session.

It has become part of my journey.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra