I have experiences of dropping into the heart, that have been surprising and transformative. Do you know that there are neurons in three areas of the body? That is brain, heart, and gut. There is this beautiful Art of Accomplishment exercise where you introduce yourself, first “normally,” aka from the head, and then the gut. Meaning literally placing your attention in that part of the body and then speaking while keeping it there. It feels crazy and revelatory to do it, like a little bit like you are speaking from different minds. Head is like the LinkedIn CV, heart is expansive, warm, emotional, gut is crazy, jugged, primal. I have heard people refer to dropping to heart, which literally means focus in the center of the chest, as a very helpful way of orienting themselves when in doubt, or of easing tension and anxiety. I have felt this in connection with other people, too. When I do it, something opens up, and the relating is deeper, warmer and more attentive.

Or during my meditation, now for a long long time, when i contact heart my body start to move, often in this circular motion, I place my awareness somewhere else and it stops. Just try it yourself, put 5min timer and just contact the physiological center of your heart, stay there, try to talk to people while being there.

Loch Kelly tells this anecdote about Herbert Benson, a Harvard cardiologist studying Tibetan monks in northern India and physiological effects of meditation. When Benson explained that he planned to place EEG electrodes on their heads, the monks started giggling. Asked what was so funny, they replied: “What are you doing looking here? Here’s where we meditate. The experience of meditation is the heart.”

See more on heart-mind in the text Love seeking itself through us

“Pure consciousness (rigpa, awake awareness or natural awareness) What remains when the search fails is awake awareness recognizing itself (rigpa). It recognizes itself rather than watching objects. It is aware of being aware, no content needed. It feels primary, like always already here. Dzogchen tantras explain that rigpa can be located in the center of the human body, in the heart centre. Jhourney ppl also say shifts in meditative experience often happen when one do more embodied practice and drops to the heart.”