Health and Wellness

By Monica Thakrar

Opening Your Heart to Serve Others

With the historic win of the first African American to the U.S. Presidency, Americans are coming together like never before. The messages of Hope and Change resonated strongly during this election cycle, and people turned out in record numbers to vote for change. But regardless of your political persuasion, one of the biggest changes to come is the spirit of service that President-Elect Barack Obama has said he will request of all Americans – both Democrats and Republicans.

Service means giving back or providing your time and energy for the welfare of others. It means looking past your individual needs to the needs of the greater whole and taking responsibility for more than just yourself. While there are debates on who should be taking responsibility and who should be serving, humans in general, I believe, have the innate desire to be connected to others through service. The Sanskrit word for service is “seva,” and many South Asian religions encourage their followers to practice seva.

Service can come in different forms, such as spending time with an older relative, babysitting your friend’s kids or volunteering at a local homeless shelter. It is an avenue to connect more strongly with your family, friends and community; increase your self-confidence; and open your heart more deeply.

So how do you open your heart to service in the first place?

- Deal with unresolved relationships. Make the call to your mother, to whom you have not spoken in months, to smooth out your relationship. Send an email to that friend with whom you lost touch but whom you think about often. Reaching out to people for whom you may have lingering emotions and resolving conflict can release emotional blockages and open up your heart.

- Practice. Begin with one act of service every day so that it becomes a new or deepened habit for you. Check out The Giving Challenge to sign up to an online program that can help you with this. With the holidays just around the corner, what a perfect way to come together with family and friends!

- Practice yoga. Practicing yoga can open up the heart energy and heal blockages that may be getting in the way of your opening your heart. Physical postures can have a strong effect in opening the mind and spirit as there is a great deal of evidence related to the mind/body connection. Here is one yoga pose that can be helpful: http://www.sunandmoonstudio.com/Poses/Cobra.shtm

- Meditate. Meditation is a great way to reconnect with yourself, relax the nervous system and slow the mind. It is a way to connect with your heart and open yourself up to service. Here is an example of a meditation technique you can use: http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/2000/07/Opening-The-Heart.aspx?p=1

With the holidays coming up this month, it is a great time to use these tips and tools to get closer to your family and maintain a sense of balance during the inevitably stressful holiday moments. Opening your heart towards service allows for your spirit to rejuvenate, your mind to relax and your heart to connect to others. Since giving really is the essence of the season, why not begin making it a stronger practice in your life?

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