Cardiac Coherence Techniques

Background:

There is a large body of research showing the effectiveness of heart rate variability (HRV) training and HRV rhythm coherence. There are many techniques that can be used which you can look up, but here I will share one that has much evidence behind it and that I love to use because I have noticed the personal shifts that this has created in myself. This technique is from the HeartMath and is called the Heart Lock-In Technique. It helps to increase coherence in an individual’s heart rhythms.

HeartMath created this tool with an aim to increase coherence and bring optimal functioning within the body while decreasing the effects of stress and negative or depleting emotions. It changes your systems response to stress from engagement of the fight or flight response to restoration, rest and regenerative or positive emotions.

How It Works:

HRV can be defined as time difference (in ms) of each successive heart beat and we know that this is influenced by stressors. HRV is an index of sympathetic and parasympathetic tone and has been found to correlate with emotional regulation, postural control, cognitive function, attention, reaction time, memory and executive function, among other things.      Having high heart rate variability (HRV) is considered an indicator of good health and is associated/correlated with higher emotional well-being, lower levels of worry and rumination, lower anxiety and generally more regulated emotional responding.

Cardiac coherence, or HRV Rhythm Patterns, have been described as the measurement of the order, stability, and harmony in the oscillatory outputs of the regulatory systems during any period of time. It is interesting to note that 85–90% of the fibers making up the vagus nerve are afferent (information travelling from the heart to the brain) and that cardiovascular related afferent neural signal transmission significantly affects activity in most higher brain centers, as well as cognitive processes and emotional state. The emotional state an individual is in has an impact on heart coherence.

During stress and negative emotions:

•       heart rhythm pattern is erratic and disordered

•       corresponding pattern of neural signals traveling from the heart to the brain inhibits higher cognitive functions

•       this has profound effect on the brain’s emotional processes—actually serving to reinforce the emotional experience of stress

More ordered and stable pattern of the heart’s input to the brain during positive emotional states has the opposite effect:

•       it facilitates cognitive function and reinforces positive feelings and emotional stability

     -> decreased stress response in the body

Thus, learning to generate increased heart rhythm coherence, by sustaining positive emotions, not only benefits the entire body, but also profoundly affects how we perceive, think, feel, and perform

How To Do It:

Heart Lock-In® Technique:

Step 1. Focus your attention in the area of the heart. Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area, breathing a little slower and deeper than usual.

Step 2. Activate and sustain a regenerative feeling such as appreciation, care, or compassion.

Step 3. Radiate that renewing feeling to yourself and others.

This can be done anywhere from 5-15 minutes or longer, or can be used throughout the day for however long you feel as a tool to keep yourself feeling regulated. It is great to do this as a regular daily practice and to use for shorter time spans as needed throughout the day.

Sites/Links: www.heartmath.com , www.heartmathinstitute.org