Opening of the Heart

“The heart is like a flower, which cannot be forced open. The moist rain of our kindness, the gentle sunshine of our attention, are the nourishing and healing forces for the heart.” (J. Kornfield / J. Goldstein)

"How to keep your heart open in hell" is a question coined by Ram Dass while many people may wonder how to keep their heart open in daily life.

Yet, we all know the feeling of an open heart, being absorbed in this beautiful relay of love, compassion, connectedness, and “wisdom without knowing”. Whether we relate to being intensely in love – where the heart pops open and expands leaving little space for the ego – or to spiritual practices or other modalities for heartful experiences.

“Whoever is puzzled by his very existence as a conscious being and earnestly wants to find his own source, can grasp the ever-present sense of ‘I am’ and dwell on it […] till […] the heart of being is seen in all its glory.” (Nissargadatta Maharaj)

On the journey connecting more and more to soul, higher self, Universe and God or Spirit, most spiritual traditions describe the shift to the heart as an essential step.
Let’s meet for a heartful afternoon and share about opening of the heart and what it means to us.

“When love comes together with awareness, the door is opened to the heart-mind and the soul. […] The heart-mind, the spiritual heart, is awareness and love.” (Ram Dass)

💫 What this event offers for you:

• Guided Meditations for arriving, calming the mind and tuning into your intuition
• Meeting people interested in spirituality (all levels)
• Safe Space for sharing - non-hierarchical and non-judgemental
• Opportunity to ask just about any question

Questions we may ask ourselves:

• What is the (spiritual) heart?
• What is the awakening or opening of the heart?
• How are healing and heart related to each other?
• What are the consequences of living from an open heart in our lifes?
• What are things that block or handicap the opening of the heart?
• How does an open heart relate to society?
• What is the role of the heart on the spiritual path?

Inspiring videos you may watch:

• Adyashanti about the Heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMGMLqbkh0A
• Eckhart Tolle on the Heart’s role in awakening: https://youtu.be/o9IbMHVZ5Us?si=YPS9zLyEm6KCghyz
• Ram Dass on the Spiritual Heart: https://youtu.be/0vPI_K40mv4?si=VPMQh2iQxQv5ahzN
• Sadhguru on the Mind-Heart-Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KezzzN3-4s

“As we meditate we can […] also observe how attachment works and see how tension and grasping are created in our body and mind. We can see what closes our heart, and how it can open.” (J. Kornfield / J. Goldstein)

🧘 About the Organizer
Martin is a certified Mindfulness Teacher, Systemic Coach, Yogi and Altruist by heart who teaches Meditation and Martial Arts in different formats. However, in this meetup Martin focuses on the altruistic intention to open a space for people to share while offering as much facilitation as needed in the moment.

“Compassion opens the door for Freedom and expands the heart. lt melts the sin-hardened hearts of worldly people and makes them as soft as butter. The heart of a saint, sage or Yogi is filled with compassion.” (Swami Sivananda)