Taking in nature’s beauty grows happy heart

Many of us know the pain of heartbreak, but have you felt the joy and awe of heart expansion? Do you remember the scene in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas when the Grinch’s heart grows three times bigger with feeling instead of thought? This is how heart expansion occurs. It’s a feeling state. To be clear, your heart isn’t actually growing bigger but the felt sensation of a happy heart can make you feel like its size has indeed increased. As my time in Costa Rica comes to an end, I feel like I’m leaving with a bigger heart. In small ways every day my heart has grown. This heart expansion wasn’t something I set out to achieve, but rather it’s a by-product of feeling into natural beauty, slowness and community with a smile. The good news is you don’t have to be in a tropical country to cultivate a happy heart.

Tips for a joyful heart:

1. Surround yourself with living things that are green. The jungle is a riot of green year-round but so are our coniferous forests. Soon enough baby plants will be bursting forth from the sun warmed soil in various shades of green. If you have indoor plants, notice how you feel when you look at them. My theory is that the colour of green helps us feel into our heart. Interestingly, in the chakra energy system, the heart chakra is the colour green.

2. Notice moments of beauty. Set the intention in the morning to notice beautiful things. This could be the way the sun rises over a dewy field, or the way your exhaled breath condenses on a cool morning. I love looking for moments of beauty between people; friends hugging on the street or someone holding the door for a stranger. If you train your mind to notice beauty, your heart will be the recipient of expansive feelings such as joy and gratitude.

3. Slow down and breath. Even when you’re in a rush, it’s possible take three slow deep breaths. When we breathe deeply we elicit the relaxation response which helps our heart decompress and expand instead of constrict and tighten. Try putting your left hand above your belly button and your right hand on your chest. Take a slow, deep breath. Your left hand should rise before your right hand if you’re breathing from your diaphragm. To amplify heart expansion try breathing in this way with a smile on your face.

4. Connect in community. Take the time to ask someone how they are really feeling. Can you hold space for a depth of honesty beyond “I’m fine.” Are you able to share what’s really true for you? Disconnection occurs when we choose devices over people, and when we choose anonymity over connection. Can you chat with the grocery store cashier instead of silently using the self check-out machine? Would you be willing to make eye connect with everyone you meet today and say hello? You might find that your heart grows in gratitude. 5. Smile more. During my time in the jungle I had time to intimately connect with new people and the land. I developed a habit of stopping and putting my hand on my heart and smiling at trees and flowers that caught my attention. Instead of stopping to smell the roses, can you stop and feel the beauty of a tree, a plant, a person?