If there’s one quality we need more than ever — and one that often feels just out of reach — it’s the quality of the heart.
With it come compassion, empathy, and the courage to feel.
I promised you a meditation and a lighter letter this week, so here we are.
Start Here: The Meditation
Let’s start with the meditation.
Side note: If you want to skip straight to the practice, fast-forward to minute 4:30. That’s where we jump in. The minutes before are a bit of (maybe helpful, maybe not) rambling from my side... No offense taken if you skip that part — just don’t skip the meditation itself.
It’s my favorite Kundalini Yoga meditation: Meditation for a Calm Heart.
I rarely make statements like this, but it really delivers on its promise.
This was one of the first Kundalini Sadhanas I committed to for 40 days. I’ve done it many times since. It’s the meditation I return to whenever I don’t know what to choose next — or when I’m stuck in my head and need to come back to how I actually feel, not how my mind thinks I feel.
When the Mind Won’t Stop
Here’s the thing: my mind is very active, running at 400mph most days.
Maybe you know the feeling — when your thoughts won’t stop and all you want is some quiet.
As helpful as a sharp mind can be, there’s one thing it doesn’t do well:
It doesn’t let us feel. It interprets, analyzes, and evaluates. And while that’s useful, it’s also limited.
The mind only knows what it already knows.
Its job is to keep us “safe,” relying on past experiences to navigate the present.
Like recognizing a red traffic light and knowing not to cross — that’s important, sure. But how do we ever experience something new if we only listen to the mind? If we believe it holds 100% of the truth, we stay stuck in loops of repetition.
It’s the classic comfort zone metaphor — yes, the magic really does happen outside of it.
Because out there, beyond the familiar, life begins to surprise you. You feel alive again. Not because everything goes to plan, but because you dared to leave the script behind.
And that’s what the heart wants.
To feel.
To come alive.
A Story From My Own Life
Think back to the last time you did something you’d never done before.
Maybe you felt nervous. Anxious. Unsure of what would happen next. But then — what came after? How did you feel? Remember!?
Let me tell you a quick story.
About ten years ago, I took my first real solo trip.
Not to visit friends. Not to be with anyone.
Just me.
(But of course, with a very detailed plan of how it was all supposed to go.)
I had lined it up perfectly:
First, a retreat with one of my favorite teachers.
Then, a few weeks teaching yoga at a small boutique hotel in Mexico.
I remember boarding that plane — everything mapped out, every step accounted for.
I had planned it all myself.
And then… I arrived.
And my body just froze.
For the first three days, I couldn’t leave the hotel.
I tried.
But I couldn’t bring myself to explore, to move, to follow through on anything I had imagined.
Then the retreat began.
And it turned out to be everything I didn’t know I needed —
A return to something quieter.
Less planned.
Less thought out.
More felt.
To this day, I still remember every detail.
And I’m still connected to more than half the people I met there.
But by the end of it, none of my original plans had happened.
I didn’t teach yoga at the hotel.
I didn’t stick to the script.
Instead, I ended up on the other side of the world.
No plan, no clear next step.
Just presence. Just trust.
And every day, I dared to follow what I felt.
Not what I thought.
The Practice of Surrender
Nothing during this trip ended up being the way I thought it would. It sounds weird even to myself but it felt like somehow my brain flipped on (or off) a switch - there was no thinking about the future and no thinking about the past, the overactivity stopped, the endless thought spirals, the over-analyzing and over-interpreting stopped - quiet - all I could do is take the next step and the next and the next. (Because the heart doesn’t plan…)
I cannot remember a time in my life I felt more free or more alive.
Yes, of course there was a level of privilege involved in being able to do that, to have this experience. But more than anything, it was a practice in surrender (something we will come back to soon, promise).
A lesson in listening to my heart — and trusting what it has to say.
That’s what I brought back home with me.
This deep, imperfect, ongoing practice of trusting the heart over the mind. It’s not always easy. But worth it.
Some days I hear it clearly. Other days, not so much.
But over time, I’ve built enough trust to know the difference between the voice of my mind and the voice of my heart.
One Thing You Can Do to Listen to Your Heart
Try the meditation! (What did you expect…)
You don’t have to watch the video.
Just listen to the words.
And yes, I know I sound like a broken record.
I also know stillness isn’t for everyone.
But try it. See if it might be for you.
There’s so much available in those quiet moments.
And this particular meditation makes it so easy to get there.
The breath helps settle your nervous system.
Bringing your focus to the breath helps you notice your mind —
how it acts up, how it tries to take over.
And then there’s the hand on your chest.
Right over the heart.
Holding yourself.
Holding your prana, your life force.
Connecting through touch.
It’s a way of getting to know your mind
while connecting to your heart.
Simple.
Okay, not always simple. But you get the idea.
And then, once the practice is over:
Take time after the meditation.
When it ends, don’t rush off. Stay seated.
Keep your hand on your heart.
Breathe into that space.
Listen…
You might not feel anything at first. That’s okay.
Even the most subtle sensation counts.
Trust it.
Keep it simple.
Maybe you won’t notice anything at all. Maybe it won’t make sense at first.
That’s totally okay.
Stay curious. Stay open. It takes practice.
We train our minds all day, every day.
But most of us forget that we need to train our hearts, too.
So yes, it might feel like nothing.
You might question it.
But give it time.
Start to notice the smallest shifts.
Don’t expect anything.
Don’t force anything.
Just allow.
And allow yourself to be surprised.
Wrap-Up
Okay, let’s wrap this up.
Try the meditation!
If it resonates find a rythym, do it consistently for a few days or even weeks.
Check-in how it makes you feel.
Every day.
Don’t question it.
Don’t judge it.
Allow it to change.
Allow it to get more nuanced overtime.
Remember there is no right or wrong.
And last but not least - take what resonates and leave the rest.
Always.
Thank you! For your time, for your practice, for being here and for being you.
Next week might be a bit of a rant landing in your inbox —
a topic that keeps coming up and makes me want to shake us all up a little.
It has something to do with surrender, a lot to do with ego,
some spiritual bypassing, the importance of discernment (yes, again),
and why “letting go” isn’t always letting go —
and sometimes, not even a good idea.
Oh, and why surrender isn’t the same as checking out — or handing it over to whomever… and hoping for the best.
Anyway, see you then.
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