The heart and lungs come together in an anatomical way in the chest. An essential job of the heart is to ensure that cells are getting their supply of oxygen, which binds to the hemoglobin of our blood as it reaches into the alveolar spaces of our lungs during an inhale.
The holistic notion to keep in mind that this region is called the “heart center” in yoga. It’s seen as the place where balance and tranquility are meant to be established within ourselves – yet always ready for extra bursts of needed action.
This center is always active in us as we breathe, and through that heart of ours constantly ticking. It even has its own pacemaker that affords it the ability to maintain its rhythmic contractions separate to a good degree as other bodily systems might go awry – like mental stresses coming down from above.
In four element holistic thinking (and in Eastern Medicine) the heart is seen to have a lot of Fire at work in it. Four element thinking tells us that the Fire force is embodied by our nerves. Not only does the heart’s pacemaker express that nerve energy, or Fire-force, but the sympathetic nervous system chain running up the thoracic spine behind the heart and lungs strongly embodies it.
In the Motions portion of this, we will discuss how breathing affects the heart’s health; more so, we’ll learn how we can use our breathing to help our heart to stay strong.