Open Heart, Open Mind

This short video clip demonstrates how we can use our trusty yoga strap as a tool to open the heart in a physical sense, bringing lift to the collarbones and release to the shoulder blades.

Buddhist philosophy teaches that heart and mind go hand-in-hand, described as one by the word citta, or heart-mind. Our take on the “mind” in the West tends to refer to the analytical, rational thought process, but in Buddhism, the heart-mind is inclusive of thoughts as well as emotions, feelings, intuition, and consciousness itself.

The chant “Om Mani Padme Hum” (or “Hung,” in Tibetan) translates as the “Jewel in the Lotus,” mani meaning jewel and padme meaning lotus. Buddhism teacher Jack Kornfield explains that one way of looking at the mantra’s meaning is that compassion and insight arise when the jewel of the mind rests in the lotus of the heart.

So open your heart to open your mind!