“Does this path have heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey: as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.”
–Don Juan, as written by Carlos Castenada

When we are faced with making decisions, the voice of the heart is a true guide. To help you find your path of the heart, try these simple instructions and the accompanying short meditation. Learn the mudra, or ancient Hindu hand position, that encourages energy to flow from your heart; the meditation will calm you and allow the heart’s voice to make itself heard.

Here are some helpful instructions, a description of the powerful mudra, and the directions for the short meditation:

Before you begin, imagine that you are bringing the decision you face down into your heart center. Allow yourself to simply hold it there for a space of time, rather than feeling rushed or pressured into making a decision. Just allow yourself not to know the answer for awhile. Simply allowing yourself not to know can relax and open the heart, making room for the wise heart-centered decision to be heard.

The Mudra

With your hands at the level of your heart center, bring your hands together with the fingertips touching. Now rotate your hands so your thumbs are pointing upward, the other fingers pointing downward. This will make the shape of a heart.

The Meditation

1. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed and your hands in the mudra position described above. Inhale deeply through your nose, exhale through your mouth, for a repetition of 8 breaths.

2. Repeat this 8-breath series two more times, resting and breathing normally for a few breaths in between each set of 8.

3. Lower your hands and, keeping your focus on your heart center, ask yourself “Am I on the path with heart?” of “Does this path I choose have heart?”

4. Breathe naturally as you allow a thought or image to come to you in response. Focus on listening to your heart and paying attention to its answer. When you are ready, open your eyes and write down anything you experienced.