If you are like many people your mind controls much of your life, despite any intuitive nudging you might receive from your heart. The mind dictates your actions, reactions and decisions, based largely on previously learned response patterns. Time and again, your heart may try and intervene, to offer advice – but quite often the mind overrides that advice.

This might show up in relationships that falter because you’ve “been there before and don’t want to be hurt again,” despite a strong feeling to listen to the heart and not the head.   Or it might be in how you habitually respond to stressful situations with an intense anger, despite knowing in your heart that your behavior is destructive to you and the people around you.

These are a couple of examples of a failure at critical moments to rely on the qualities of the heart: compassion, love, care and courage among many others, all of which are at the core of heart-based living.

HeartMath founder Doc Childre states: “Heart-based living refers to all intentions and actions that express qualities of the heart in daily life. These heart qualities can include things like appreciating or caring for others, expressing kindness to those around you and giving back by volunteering to work with others to relieve suffering in humans or animals and to help the planet.”

Why are we told to ‘follow our hearts”? Childre explains “Because people instinctively know that their heart’s intuition yields the highest outcome – often at the expense of the mind’s opinions, preferences and habits. Heart-based living is about including your heart’s intuition as you navigate through life’s relationships and events. This brings balance to your mind and emotions and unfolds your authentic self.”

To learn more about Heart-based living and HeartMath visit www.heartmath.org