A Grateful Heart Is a Healing Heart

The "coherent state." The diagrams below illustrate the powerful transformation that an attitude of thankfulness has on creating heart coherence, which positively impacts your entire being. Out of the heart flow the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). Let God’s peace guard your heart… and be thankful.

Scripture tells us to live in a constant heart attitude of thankfulness, gratitude and appreciation! 

In and for everything give thanks (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18), because God is working all things out for good (Rom. 8:28; Col. 3:15-17). Faith working through love is the central posture of a health-giving heart (Gal. 5:26). Faith and love are mentioned together in 26 New Testament verses! Faith and love shield the heart, and hope safeguards the mind (NEVER meditate on the daily news - Jesus sure didn't).

But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8).

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:4-9)

The following ideas are excerpted from The Heart-Brain Connection

• The heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart!
• Heart signals influence emotional processing as well as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving.
• The brain continuously responds to the heart.
• When the heart rhythm pattern is erratic and disordered, the signals traveling from the heart to the brain inhibits our ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason, and make effective decisions. We often act impulsively and unwisely under stress.

Coherence Is a State of Optimal Function

The HeartMath Institute’s research has shown that generating sustained positive emotions facilitates a body-wide shift which is a measurable state. This state is termed "coherence" because it is characterized by increased order and harmony in our minds, emotions and body, producing a state of optimal function. There is increased access to intuition and creativity, cognitive and performance improvements, and favorable changes in hormonal balance. Simply stated, our body and brain work better, we feel better, and we perform better as shown by the chart below. Respiration, heart rate variability, and blood pressure all come into coherence with an appreciative heart! We have all experienced the opposite. When we are fearful or angry, respiration and blood pressure increase. When we are embarrassed, our faces turn read. Yes, the emotional state of appreciation effects the health of the entire body.

Coherence is brought about by:

Activating and holding a positive feeling

You intentionally generate a heartfelt positive emotional state such as thankfulness or compassion. This emotional shift is a key element of the techniques’ effectiveness and is what brings about coherence. When the heart’s rhythm shifts into coherence as a result of a positive emotional shift, our breathing rhythm automatically synchronizes with the heart. 

Heart-focused breathing
You can mechanically assist step one by focusing 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 (5 seconds on the in-breath and 5 seconds on the out-breath). The chart above shows that respiration does sync naturally to your heart's rhythm as does your blood pressure. I have discovered this kind of breathing helps me fall asleep at night.