Practice Series: Speak from Your Heart

The theme for this month's Practice Series is VOICE.

The intention of this practice is to consciously express yourself from your heart. This could be in an area where you have tended to hold back, or in an area that is habitual but where you want to bring more heart awareness. By doing this process regularly, you’ll be able to bring more compassion to your relationships, stemming from a deep connection with your own voice.

Part 1: Now

Pick an area of your life where you wish to express yourself more fully. (You may wish to refer to last week’s practice, “What Do You Long to Say to the World?”, to help you choose.) Clarify when and where you want to do this; for example, “next time I talk to my daughter about x” or “when I send that email to my co-worker that I’ve been avoiding” or “when I post something about a cause I care about on Facebook.”
Right now, take a moment to connect with your heart by breathing into the physical space of your heart. (Please refer to the practice “Listen to Your Heart” if you’d like more support with this.)
Feel into how you long to express yourself in this situation.
Set an intention for how you will express what truly matters to you in that situation. This can be as simple as a quality you want to bring. For example, “I intend to bring courage as I speak from my heart.” Find a simple statement that is true for you.

Part 2: Sometime during the next week

Either going into the situation or as it is occurring if it’s spontaneous, connect with your heart by bringing breath and awareness to your physical heart area.
Recall your intention for how you long to express yourself. (It may feel shaky, vulnerable, or like there is a lot of energy—this is OK! This means you are alive and on your edge!)
Your words don’t need to be preformulated; the point is to bring intention and heart awareness to your expression.
As you speak, or later after you’re finished, take a moment to observe:
a. How was your expression affected by being connected to your heart?
b. Were there moments where you felt less or more connected to your heart? (No right or wrong here, just information to learn from.)

Please share anything you discovered in the comments below!

What Did you Feel Reading THis? We'd Love to Hear from you Below:

Invoke Magazine aims to amplify women’s voices. And you, dear sister, can be part of that. If you enjoyed this article, please spread the love by sharing it on Facebook.

Emily Levang

Emily Levang believes femme & women's voices are vital medicine for this time on our planet. She is a writer, mother, and Earth lover, currently living in Duluth, Minnesota where she is writing about her calling to protect Lake Superior. She is the cofounder of Invoke Magazine, and a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA in Maine.