How do we come to know love so that we can live from its depths? Love cannot be understood by the mind. And if God is love, God will never be subject to the mind as we know it. God and love can only be experienced. This simple practice is an invitation to encounter love in its very physical, connective reality.

Place the palm of one of your hands on your heart. Feel your heart beating, letting its rhythm bring you into the present moment and into the awareness of God’s blessing on your life, beat after beat after beat. 

Bring to your conscious mind a loved one, a favorite place or animal, or anything that makes you smile with undeniable, spontaneous, unconditional love and joy.

Bring that particular beloved being or thing down from your mind and place it right under your palm into your heart space. Relax your mind and let your heart relax at the same time, feeling the sensation of blood vessels, muscles, and chest cavity opening in warmth and love for that particular loved thing. Smile. 

Now humbly place a challenging person, issue, or problem directly under your palm, within your heart space that is wide open. Silently continue to smile and hold this challenging thing in the warmth of your heart.

With closed eyes, look at the thing that causes you pain, visualizing the detail that bothers you the most, all the while smiling. Consider that there may be reasons why this thing brings hurt. Smile at the fragility, suffering, or misunderstanding that makes it this way. 

Finally, give the person or problem to your heart and ask that your heart’s wisdom and love take over. Rest in the Love that loves you and the other and wants to transform all into its loving image. 

Adapted from The Heart Math Solution: The Institute of Heart Math’s Revolutionary Program for Engaging the Power of the Heart Intelligence