Heart Rate Variability reflects how stress and emotions are affecting you
In a non-meditative state, there is no discernible pattern to the heart rate variability. The pattern of the heart rate appears chaotic, with several jagged peaks. This is often associated with normal, shallow breathing which is how most people breathe.
Here, the pattern becomes a smooth curve. The heart-rate enters into a state of harmony with the breath rate called entrainment. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) feedback is an exciting new technology that has broad-based applications in stress reduction, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. HRV is a measure of the subtle beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate. This can be shown on a graph as your heart rhythms. Your HRV is affected by your thoughts, emotions and environment. What happens is your heart rate is actually speeding up and slowing down all the time. This creates your heart rhythms. Unlike your average heart pulse rate, your heart rhythm pattern shows how stress and different emotions are affecting your nervous system. When you practice heart rhythm meditation as described on this web site you learn to harmonize your breath and heartbeat. This creates a powerful rhythm in your body that strengthens your heart by creating something called coherence or entrainment. This can be measured and graphed on bio-feedback devices which are easily used. It is believed that Heart Rate Variability (HRV) may become as common as pulse, blood pressure or temperature in patient charts in the near future. In the last ten years many published articles have been written about HRV. HRV has been used as a screening tool in many disease processes. Various medical disciplines are looking at HRV. In diabetes and heart disease it has been proven to be predictive of the likelihood of future events. Research shows that stress and emotions are reflected in our heart rhythm pattern. Our feelings cause changes in the activity in our nervous system and this affects our heart rhythm pattern. This pattern is then transmitted from the heart to the higher brain centers and influences the way the brain processes information. The Institute of Heart Math has done a lot of research in this area over the past decade and refers to coherence as an optimal physiological state. When we are in heart coherence this reduces nervous system chaos. "Coherence is a state of synchronization between your heart, brain and autonomic nervous system which has been proven to have mental, emotional, physical and even spiritual benefits". -- Heart Math Organization. When your heart rate variability shows a coherent pattern on the bio-feedback device you are in an optimal state of efficiency where you feel better and perform better, physically, emotionally and mentally. It is sometimes referred to by athletes as being in The Zone. I will show you how to get into a coherent state in just minutes through the practice of Heart Rhythm Meditation. It works beautifully and you will feel it as you see it on the computer. This is the science of meditation at work!
Return from Heart Rate Variability to Meditation Breathing
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