Emotional Composure Through Waves of Change

Posted on | by HeartMath

For every one of us, change is an inescapable part of life. It can be exciting, and it can be challenging to our comfort zones, creating disruption, anxiety and overwhelm.

Many of you have reached out to us asking if we could suggest an easy way you can learn some HeartMath tools to stay balanced and hopeful. In answer to your requests, we’re happy to make available our affordable three-part, audio course, *Navigating Rapid Change with Emotional Composure: How to Rise above Stress, Anxiety and Overwhelm by Connecting with your Heart’s Intuition.

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This audio course provides you with proven tools for rising above stress and navigating through the unexpected with emotional composure. A key tool you will learn is how you can connect with your heart’s intelligent guidance – your own internal GPS.

We invite you to learn these essential and time-relevant skills, so you can stay more balance and resilient.

*This popular course was originally delivered as a live tele-session course offered in 2017. We’re happy to now make it available to everyone as a recorded audio course.

Helping Others Following a Massive Earthquake and a Foiled Kidnapping Situation

Posted on | by HeartMath

On a mission to help survivors after the September 2017 Mexico 8.1 earthquake, Margarita Jasso, HeartMath Certified Coach & Mentor, suddenly found herself in a frightening position. Read about how she kept her cool through this unexpected situation.

As told by Margarita Jasso – HeartMath Certified Coach & Mentor

As a HeartMath Certified Coach & Mentor, I was invited by a Medical Brigade to travel to Mexico on a mission to help others, right after the nightmare of the massive 8.1 earthquake in September of 2017. It was early morning the Friday after the quake when we landed in Mexico. We knew we were about to arrive at a horrific scene of destruction, but we became the target of a crime we hadn’t anticipated.

As we were leaving the airport we suddenly realized we were being targeted. We found ourselves being chased by a group of people who had the intention of kidnapping our whole team to steal the medicine we were carrying to help the victims of the earthquake.

So many things can run through your mind in a situation like this, from fear of torture to the fears of whether you will come out okay and see family again. Fight or flight was running at full speed. My heart was pounding, and my mind scrambled to think of what I could do, or how I could help the situation.

As the fears were trying to take hold of my rational mind, I remembered one thing I could do to help myself and my team. You always hear emergency workers say that remaining calm is the best thing to help in emergency situations. I said to myself, try the best you can to stay calm. Let me tell you that is no easy feat when you’re nearly paralyzed with fear.

“I can’t deny this was the most scared I have ever felt. Yet I was able to keep my level of stress in check enough that it allowed me to assess the circumstances moment by moment.”

I started to breathe through my heart. As I slowed my breath, my heart started to beat a little bit slower, my tightened body began to release ever so slightly. As this happened I started recalling bits of my HeartMath training. I tried to shift away from the fear and focus on my heart. It was the one thing I could do quietly. No one would know, and I wouldn’t aggravate the situation.

I can’t deny this was the most scared I have ever felt. Yet I was able to keep my level of stress in check enough that it allowed me to assess the circumstances moment by moment. Because I didn’t let the fear consume me, I had enough presence to keep a cool head and not panic. Though the panic really wanted to take over, I just kept resisting it and I kept reminding myself to stay calm and breathe through my heart.

After hours of heated exchanges between the thieves and some of our team members, another rescue organization saw what was happening and came to our rescue. Angels were on our side that day and we were so blessed. This heroic organization’s members were able to somehow intervene, and they took us to a safe location and saved the medicines for the people we were going to help.

Once we got to our destination in Mexico, I finally felt like I could really breathe out. I allowed myself to just sit for a short while to feel the immense amount of gratitude I had for the people who helped us. Their intervention saved me and my team.

In hind sight, I feel that because I was keeping as calm as possible, I was also able to help my traveling companions stay calm by being the best example I could be. I believe they could feel my heart energy and I think maybe it helped to create a field environment that was a little reassuring to them.

Once I was able to regroup inside, I started my job as a HeartMath Certified Coach & Mentor. I was able to share love and empathy with others: a mom with 3 daughters, a mother and son, a fifty-year old man, a homeless woman, the rescuers and firemen from other Mexico states, and even the Federal Police members who are always under immense stress. I certainly have another level of appreciation for the intense situations that they must face every day.

I cannot even begin to say how grateful I am for the HeartMath tools and how in this intense situation I was able to find some stability inside, enough that it allowed me to stay present and not cave into the grips of fear.

I also felt grateful and satisfied to be able to embrace so many unknown people who were suffering following the massive earthquake. The tools helped them to find some emotional relief, and to have a way of keeping their own inner stability intact as they faced the stark reality of having lost so much; from the lives of their family and friends, to their homes and towns.

As I worked with the people there, I could see glints of hope. I could sense they felt a little more secure and connected with their heart. They believed a little more that they would get through this. I think when you give someone tools to help them deal with the anguish and pain of so much loss, initially they feel your care, even though they’re in shock, it helps just to feel the care and love coming their way. Then later, once the shock starts to fade and the reality starts to sink in, there are many challenges to overcome, and that’s when the HeartMath tools really help. People have something tangible that they can do to keep renewing their resolve.

It’s also been quite helpful in my line of work to have the HeartMath Free Emotional Support Resources link as a quick and easy way to direct people to resources they can practice and share.

This was a relief effort I won’t soon forget. I’m now talking about future ways to share the benefits of HeartMath with members of the Federal Police. Being able to practice and share my learning from HeartMath was an amazing and rewarding experience!

-Margarita Jasso, HeartMath Certified Coach & Mentor
Holistic Psychologist NYU, Applied Neuroscience Researcher Specialized in Emotional Psychobiology APENB (Professional Association of Naturopathy and Biotherapy of Barcelona)

Emotional Support Resources Care Package

Eliminating Anxiety

Eliminating Anxiety

Natural disasters generate a lot of anxiety. This e-booklet teaches us to lessen these feelings of anxiety.

Transforming Stress

Transforming Stress

In this e-booklet, discover the key to transforming stress and developing a new level of emotional management.

The Inside Story eBooklet

The Inside Story

Originally written for teens, this engaging illustrated guide helps us understand and manage our emotions.

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HeartMath Tech Lights Up at Burning Man

Posted on | by HeartMath

At the Burning Man festival this year, artists Pablo Gonzalez Vargas and Gabriella Vargas, created Ilumina, a 40 foot high interactive light and sound sculpture powered by participants’ collective heart coherence. Each participant was hooked up to an emWave Pro and as their heart rhythms synchronized together, it lit up the light sculpture. This dazzling display inspired countless people as they stopped to participate in the power of collective heart energy. The Ilumina experience is a beautiful reminder of how connected we really are with each another.

New Inner Balance Features

Posted on | by HeartMath

New Audio Guides Tab

To help you get more out of your Inner Balance Trainer, we’ve added a new tab  at the bottom of your Inner Balance screen.
Enjoy these new guides:

  • Welcome to Inner Balance
  • Inner Balance App Overview
  • Quick Coherence Technique
  • Reducing Stress
  • Upgrading Mediation
  • Getting a Better Night’s Sleep
  • Heart-Lock In Technique with Music

Backgrounding Functionality

Now, when using your Inner Balance Bluetooth Sensor*, you can switch to other applications without interrupting your session. Here are a few ways you can enjoy this new backgrounding feature while practicing coherence on your Inner Balance:

  • Play or change music from your favorite music app.
  • Make or answer a phone call.
  • Send or respond to a text message.
  • Open up a text editor to take notes of your insights.
  • Add an action item to your to-do list.

* Please note that this new backgrounding feature only works with the Inner Balance Bluetooth sensor.

Inner Peace through Inner Ease

Posted on | by HeartMath

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”

— Dalai Lama

We hope to find peace in our lives when challenged by the trials that come our way. We seek to reach agreements for lasting peace between people and nations. We desire peace for ourselves and between all people and all nations.

There are many helpful suggestions and paths for creating peace. More people are realizing that peace is first an “inside job.” At HeartMath, we have found that creating inner peace often starts with practicing what we call “inner ease”. HeartMath founder Doc Childre developed a science-based “Inner Ease” technique to help people experience living more from a state of ease.

Inner peace or inner ease is not something we try to find – it’s something we learn to create.

Moving through your day in a state of ease generates an energetic field of ease and flow that radiates from your heart, which also helps to make other’s lives easier.

Below is the simple Inner-Ease™ technique to try for yourself and you can also read Doc’s inspiring article: “Moving in a State of Ease” excerpted from the book Heart Intelligence.

Download Excerpt

Inner-Ease™ Technique

  1. If you are stressed, acknowledge your feelings as soon as you sense that you are out of sync or engaged in common stressors – feelings such as frustration, impatience, anxiety, overload, anger, being judgmental, mentally gridlocked, etc.
  2. Take a short time-out and do Heart-Focused Breathing: Breathe a little slower than usual; pretend you are breathing through your heart or chest area.
  3. During the Heart-Focused Breathing, imagine with each breath that you are drawing in a feeling of inner-ease and infusing your mental and emotional nature with balance and self-care from your heart.
  4. When the stressful feelings have calmed, affirm with a heartfelt commitment that you want to anchor and maintain the state of ease as you re-engage in your projects, challenges or daily interactions. Reboot when needed.

Benefits and practical applications of Inner Ease

  • Start your day by doing the Inner Ease steps, along with the commitment to breathe an attitude of inner-ease when convenient throughout the day. This helps to integrate the benefits of your “Inner Ease” practice into your normal routine and interactions.
  • As you proceed through the day, “Inner Ease” helps to prevent the mind’s impatience and distractions from overriding the intuitive whispers of your higher choices and directions.
  • Acting from a place of inner ease is a “heart intelligent” skill that creates more effective management and distribution of personal energy. Personal energy economy is becoming a top priority in today’s emotional climate.
  • Inner ease reduces regrets and energy drain from non-effective decisions.
  • While you are in the flow of inner ease, you travel the straightest line toward the manifestation of your intentions.

At HeartMath, we practice this technique and remind each other as needed to “go to ease” or “breathe ease” during the workday. Our sincere heart’s desire is that every individual, group and organization learns to move with more ease and peace. The peace and ease we experience within are our greatest hope for peace without.

Read Doc’s inspiring article: “Moving in a State of Ease” excerpted from the book Heart Intelligence.

Download Excerpt

Raising our Vibratory Rate to Create World Peace

Posted on | by HeartMath

Many people are wondering if humanity can ever find common ground and peace. They see polarizing beliefs and actions inciting violence. Yet, they also see thousands of people putting aside differences to work together in unity when events beyond human control occur. Whether watching in shared awe and gratitude as the total eclipse moved across the USA, or compassionately helping strangers during the catastrophic floods in Texas, Nepal and India, the earthquakes in Mexico and hurricane damage in the Atlantic, there are many examples where the heart is valued more than our differences.

As the International Day of Peace approaches on September 21, it is becoming clearer to more people that putting the heart first and working together with kindness, compassion and acceptance are the missing pieces for getting along. As we open our hearts and care, we raise our individual and collective consciousness vibration, which creates the potential for drawing in solutions for peace.

Part of being human means that from time to time, we will feel lower-level vibrations, such as being frustrated, angry, judgmental, or revengeful. But if we let these lower vibration feelings run our life, they create separation and eventually polarization. We can raise our vibratory rate with feelings like love, care, compassion, kindness, gratitude and forgiveness. As more people consciously raise their vibration by practicing these heart qualities, it inspires even more people to do the same. These higher vibrational heart qualities are especially contagious, once we integrate them as a way of life.

Together we can open our hearts and co-create an effective peaceful momentum for getting along with each other. This is a necessary step to free up our collective creativity for coherent solutions and intuitive guidance to manifest a world we can all thrive in, while respecting our differences. Peace is an after-glow from increasing our heart directed choices. Now is an appropriate time for the practice of love, kindness and acceptance to hit the street running.

Care Focus: Raising our Individual and Collective Vibration

1. Center in the heart for a couple of minutes and breathe in the feelings of love, kindness and gratitude to raise your vibration. This increases the effectiveness of your transmission.

2. Now envision an increasing momentum of peaceful cooperation as individuals and communities take responsibility for co-creating a “reality-lift” through increasing their love, kindness and compassion for each other and all humanity.

3. Let’s hold the vision of leaders cooperating to achieve peaceful resolutions to wars and crisis potentials and to the famines affecting millions in war-torn countries.

4. Next let’s radiate love, care and compassion to all the people suffering hardships from floods, fires, famine, terrorism, earthquakes, displacement and other global stressors, as your heart directs you.


Adapted with permission. Originally published by the HeartMath Institute for the Global Coherence Initiative Care Focus.

Saying Goodbye to Insomnia: A Father & Son Success Story

Posted on | by HeartMath

Peter shares his story about his father below. Being extremely concerned for his father’s well-being, he insisted his father give HeartMath® a try.

“My father began having terrible bouts with insomnia. He would sleep 1-2 hours a night, sometimes not at all, and it became evident that he was in a cycle that I had once been in — a cycle of stress leading to insomnia leading to depression leading to more stress, and of course more insomnia.

When my father came to me with his insomnia problem he had already developed high blood pressure from the stress and was taking medication for it. The doctors had given him a leading prescription sleep sedative and a host of other unsavory prescription drugs to help him get to sleep. At one point he was taking more than one sedative a night and still not sleeping.

I had mentioned the emWave2® to him multiple times, but he was skeptical and labeled it a ‘holistic’ approach. The issue persisted for months with my dad going back to the hospital multiple times a week for sleep studies, blood tests, MRI’s — the whole medical nine yards. Nothing was working.

My family and I became tremendously worried, my father was 67 years old, and his health was waning rapidly. His blood pressure issue was only getting worse. He became disillusioned with the treatment options he was being given, but I implored him one night and showed him the HeartMath diagram that outlines stress and explains how coherence training works.

He purchased an emWave that night and began his HRV training. Two weeks later, he had reduced the amount of sedatives he was taking back down to one a night. Two months later, he was cutting them in half. I visited him earlier this week and I’m happy to say his blood pressure has normalized, and he’s completely independent of this sedative and working with his health professional has been able to stop all the other prescriptions he had been taking.

The only variable that had changed was the emWave. I’d like to give my warmest thanks to HeartMath for this. Your work gave my father back his life, and has made me a better person.

I try to tell people about HRV training with the emWave whenever I can because it has had such a profound impact on my life and the lives of my family members. I feel as though this technology could literally reshape the world if more people knew about it.”

-Peter Martinez

Finding Your Calm through Challenges

Posted on | by HeartMath

If there are two heart attributes to consider rebooting right now they would be compassion and tolerance – for our self as much as others. Many people are feeling their emotions running high making the topic of resilience even more important. Staying tuned to what emotions drain us and which ones help sustain our resilience is essential.

Increasing Resilience by Managing Emotions

We know it’s impractical to try to tune out all that is occurring in the world around us or avoid everyday encounters that may not always be pleasant to us. We can, however, learn to increase our resilience so we flow more smoothly through challenges and sustain our positive creative intentions.

Resilience is often defined as the capacity to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress, adversity, trauma or challenge. Increasing our resilience also plays a highly effective role in strengthening our mental capacity, emotional stability and our health. It especially increases the personal energy needed for adjusting to change and uncertainty in the fast-moving scenes of life today.

Having a high level of resilience is important; not only for bouncing back, but for preventing unnecessary stress accumulation from frustration, impatience, anxiety, decision pressure and such.

HeartMath has verified through its research, involving thousands of participants, that increasing and maintaining our resilience is highly dependent on our ability to manage emotions. Emotions are the principal drivers of a number of key physiological processes involved in energy regulation.

Moreover, while not dwelling on negative emotions is important, also learning techniques for replacing stress-producing emotions with positive, supportive ones can be a critical component to improving overall well-being. Practicing the following suggestion often produces immediate results, even the first time and within a few minutes.

A Suggestion for Replacing Stressful Emotions and Feelings

Take a few minutes several times a day to do this simple process.

  • Identify the emotion or attitude you want to replace.
  • Think of a positive feeling or emotion to replace the unwanted feeling.
  • As you breathe, imagine you are breathing in the positive replacement emotion. Imagine you are breathing in through your heart area. Do this for a while to lock in the new feeling or attitude and repeat this later if needed. Being genuine is key for effective results.

With a little practice, you will surprise yourself with your heart’s power to change many unwanted feelings, emotions and attitudes.

If you would like a deeper understanding of resilience, you might find HeartMath’s new book, Heart Intelligence helpful.

Practical Intuition – More than Just a Hunch

Posted on | by HeartMath

Intuition was once considered a mysterious gift bestowed on only a few. More recently, scientists are recognizing it as a skill that anyone can develop.

Most of us have had some experience with what we call a hunch, a heart feeling, gut feeling or just a sense of “inner knowing” in making decisions in business, or having a strong sense about something with our children or someone we care about, or even in everyday activities like an inner prompting to drive defensively.

At the center of this intuitive ability is the human heart. Once thought to be no more than a pump, the heart is now being recognized as a sophisticated intelligence whose power is only beginning to be scientifically understood.

Surprising new research is showing that the human heart is involved in accessing what is called non-local intuition. This research reveals that the heart receives intuitive information before the brain by a second or slightly more, according to published research conducted by the HeartMath Institute.

This unconscious perception can be seen in subtle changes in our emotions and body. For example, changes in our heart’s rhythm can occur with an intuitive feeling.

While the degree of access to the heart’s intuition varies from person to person, we all have access to it – and this intelligence can be cultivated.

Practical intuition is something we can use daily for moment-to-moment choices and decisions in life; in helping increase our sensitivity and care towards others – and in deepening our connections with ourselves and those we care about.

Researchers have found a significant relationship between increased heart rhythm coherence and becoming more sensitive to our intuitive signals. As we slow down our minds and attune to our deeper heart feelings, our natural intuitive connection begins to flow.

Listening to our intuitive signals unfolds more understanding of ourselves, others, and issues in life. This practical intuition is something we can access daily for making more effective choices and decisions.

10 Traits of Emotionally Resilient People

Posted on | by HeartMath

If specific types of challenges tend to “undo” you, or you often feel frustrated, impatient or drained, there may be some gaps in your resilience strategies. Learning and developing the traits of emotionally resilient people is a great way to even out your reactions and consistently take a more balanced approach to life.

#1 – They practice the art of care and self-care. 

They have discovered what their personal needs are and they provide for themselves. They have taken the time to discover and incorporate whatever it is that makes them feel cared for; creating a baseline and individual strategy.

#2 – They understand that stressful situations don’t define them.

They have relegated circumstances to their rightful place: as short-term conditions that have no power or influence over whom they are in the moment or who they will be when the situation has changed.

#3 – They are compassionate.

They know that everyone deserves respect, good will and love ― including others who may not be handling situations or circumstances in ways they would prefer. Judgment and condemnation do not contribute to nurturing resilience.

#4 – They know life isn’t perfect and they’ve learned to practice acceptance.

T Instead of resisting what is happening, even if it’s not their preference, they accept circumstances they can’t change and expect that things will get better.

#5 – They know when to ask for help.

We’re taught to be self-reliant and independent with our problem-solving and much of the time this approach is entirely appropriate. Yet sometimes the best way to the downhill side of a challenge is to enlist the help of friends, family or colleagues. Resilient people have learned discernment in making this choice.

#6 – They know when to listen, when it’s time to be supportive, and when to allow space.

These are also judgment calls. Holding the awareness that there is a right time and circumstance for each of these strategies is the first step to learning which one is applicable in any given situation.

#7 – They have positive supportive circles.

Making a conscious choice to interact with people who are willing and able to offer the support they need is vital in building resilience. Negativity and criticism drain resources and impact the ability to put things in perspective.

#8 – They know who to go to for honest advice and who’s more likely to add drama to a situation.

 Loving or caring for someone doesn’t necessarily mean that person will provide the guidance you need. Each person has their own strengths, so taking relevant personality traits into consideration before asking for advice is important.

#9 – They are self-aware and often engage in practices that provide self-reflection.

The adage of “know thy self” is important in building and living with resilience. It can often make the difference between feeling confidence about the ability to handle adversity and feeling hopeless or overwhelmed.

#10 – They are grateful.

They often have a gratitude practice that they do daily ― such as keeping a gratitude journal. Gratitude broadens perceptions about life and helps to increase feelings of hope and openness towards new possibilities.

It’s common to have developed several of these traits, yet have little experience or comfort with others on the list. Zero in on which areas you feel can assist you in boosting your reservoir of resilience. You’ll find it’s worth the effort and focus so you can achieve the results you are looking for.