Back by popular demand, and for those who missed it! An interview with Regina on getting to the heart through the stomach with heart filled food!

HeartStart to Your Week, Monday, April 21st 5:00pm PST

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 The Way to the Heart is Through the Stomach? Really?

One of the fun things about heart science from modern research as well as ancient traditions is that it verifies and explains longstanding metaphors, poetry and sayings about the heart in our language. HeartMath science has proven that the longstanding linguistic relationship between emotions and the heart, things such as "I felt it with my whole heart," "heartbroken," "have a heart,"" put your heart into it," "my heart sank,"" lonely heart's club," have an absolute basis in physiological reality. HeartMath discovered that emotions like love, care, peace, enthusiasm and compassion create a distinctly ordered pattern in the heart which then impacts every other body part. Whereas emotions like grief, despair, anger, frustration, and fear- i.e. stress- create a chaos in the heart's rhythm that scramble the rest of the body's functions and make for disease- i.e. a broken heart. At Fyera!,� we teach people in our Beginner HeartMath Webinar as well as in our HeartMastery Program to be able to shift to an ordered heart rhythm in any circumstance, and show them what it really means to "follow your heart" and "put your heart into it" for more health, fulfillment and success in every area of life.�

In Chinese Medicine, you have a superhighway system of energetic pathways called meridians which cannot be seen with the eye but can indeed be traced with radioactive isotopes to follow the exact trajectories laid out by doctors in China thousands of years ago (long before radioactive isotopes were in use). It may tickle your funny bone (or your heart meridian, which passes through the armpit) to know that and that one of these energetic pathways does indeed travel directly from the stomach to the heart. The implications of this were emphasized when I was a student in Chinese medical school, because it is not uncommon for heart attacks to occur after a huge meal or overeating, for the very reason that a traffic jam backs up along this freeway between the heart and the stomach. These heart attacks are very treatable if you know what is going on, by simply treating the stomach. �

On a lighter note, however, this also means that there could be some validity to the old wives tale that the way to a man's heart is through the stomach. In Chinese medicine, the heart is the seat of the spirit. The stomach is where human beings have the capacity to transform food- physical substance- into love, or energy and spirit. When the stomach does that successfully, then the food we eat becomes more than flesh, it becomes fuel for our hearts and souls. Fuel for our love.

When I am onsite at HeartMath, I am always amazed by the way the food makes me feel- alive, peaceful, vibrant, caring, content. I feel when I am there that I am eating emotional morsels as well as physical ones. And I know that this is because the chefs there use, in addition to their other cooking tools like knives and pans and potholders, HeartMath tools to add love to the food through the heart.

This New Year's Eve, I had the privilege of attending a three day retreat with the Elevate Film Festival, the fastest growing conscious film festival in the world (I am now a producer of this festival, and encourage you to mark October 4 on your calendars to attend our next event virtually or live at the hot new 7,000 seat Nokia Theater in LA!). There, at the retreat center at Glen Ivy Hot Springs (where we will be holding a HeartMath weekend retreat in April- not too late to sign up!), something remarkable happened to me. The chef won my heart- through my stomach. Every time we sat down to eat, my heart filled with inexplicable joy. "This is like eating at HeartMath!" I thought to myself. "There is so much love in this food!"

I had to find the phantom behind the fabulous food, and as I peered my head into the kitchen my heart lept a beat to discover Regina, pouring love- on purpose- into the food. "I taste it! I taste it!" Regina, a computer tech geek by day (I could not believe she was not a full time professional chef?!), shared her story of falling in love with food and cooking with me. When I heard it, I said, "What a wonderful topic for a HeartStart call!" Tonight we will be interviewing Regina on her journey from, in her words, a "distant relationship to food as filling a physical need for hunger alone," to food as an exalted expression of her love and joy, and again in her words, her "spiritual journey."

Never underestimate the power of your heart. Tune into tonight's HeartStart call to hear Regina's story.

Up until 3 years ago, I would describe my relationship with food as "distant and removed."�� This was because, most often, the only reason I ate was to fill the physical need of being hungry.� It really was to serve that function only.� Certainly, I loved going to nice restaurants and having well prepared/cooked food, and in particular, I loved certain chocolate desserts and had a great appreciation for them, but that was about the extent of my relationship with food.� It was a means to an end, and sometimes the means tasted better than others.

8 years ago, I had what I call "an awakening experience" in which I saw that it was possible to live my life without fear, and be filled with love and joy.� This awakening sparked a huge change in my life circumstances, and I wound up at a spiritual academy, being both a student and teacher of A Course in Miracles.� During that time, my relationship with food stayed exactly the same; it was a means to an end.� The focus of my life for that time was really about forgiveness and releasing the obstacles within my mind and heart to love's presence.�

When I left the academy, I moved back to So Cal and began working at a spiritual retreat center called The Glen Ivy Center.� This is an amazing place where they offer and host spiritual workshops and retreats to groups both within their community and from outside.� They have a full commercial kitchen to accommodate the 25 permanent residents, the off-campus employees and the myriad of guests they are frequently hosting.�

It was during this chapter of my life that my experience with food began to change.� As my journey of awakening continued, I began to become acutely more aware of all the "energies"� that are constantly pulsing, moving, and living around me.� I became more aware of my relationship with everything on an energetic level.� Regarding the food at Glen Ivy, it was obvious upon moving there that the meals tasted great to my taste buds.� But then something else became noticeable, I felt really happy when eating the food.� I began to assume that it was because they use very high quality organic food, much of it grown on the property, and also because they have a kitchen staff of well-trained, professional chefs.� All of that is true.� But ultimately, I found that it was the consciousness of the people preparing the food that made all the difference.� They actually prepare and cook the food with loving intention.��That realization and experience produced a big shift in me.

I left Glen Ivy after 2 years and moved to San Fran with my partner.� I work from the home and have time in my schedule to cook our dinner every night.� This has been the greatest joy.� My entire relationship with buying food, preparing and cooking food has been totally transformed. I must admit that being in love and living with the love of my life has been a huge inspiration for me to cook us wonderful meals, filled with love.� Every day, when 5:30/6:00 PM roll around, I am so happy because it's time to turn off my laptop and go into the kitchen and begin cooking.�

I completely enjoy the experience of cooking, AND I know that I am filling both us energetically with love and joy.� It's really an incredible part of my spiritual journey!

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Fyera! Beginner HeartMath Workshop

People who are either looking to get the edge in their performance, struggling with all different types of stressors, or have loved ones who are, can benefit from the Fyera! Beginner HeartMath Workshop.

In the Beginner HeartMath Workshop taught at Fyera! you will
Learn the science and physiology behind feeling good.
Learn the science and physiology of what gets in the way of feeling good: ie stress.
Learn how to feel better more often by transforming stress, and receive ways to help those you love do the same.

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Receive a biofeedback technology called an emWave® Personal Stress Reliever™ that actually shows you your heart rhythms in real time.

Learn a proven way to neutralize stress, on the spot, engaging with life (no yoga mats, special diets, expensive vacation cruises, herbs or vitamins, twisting yourself into a pretzel or locking yourself in a meditation hall needed).
A proven way to lower stress hormone levels and increase rejuvenation anti-aging hormone levels.
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You will learn a field tested way to transform stressful situations
Gain the power to resolve miscommunication, personality conflicts, and relationship stress.
Learn why most stress management techniques fail, and what to do about it.
Learn the difference between relaxation and true stress relief, resetting the baseline of your nervous system to stop hidden stress from stealing away your health, vitality and performance.
Reduce your reactivity and fatigue, leaving you more centered, peaceful, and full of energy at the same time.

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Plug energy drains and learn to recharge energy anywhere anytime.
Learn to use the “more of your brain” that most people do not access.
Learn 5 simple processes that you can use anywhere anytime to access the wisdom of your heart to maneuver through challenges and generate a life of true joy and vitality.

People who are either looking to get the edge in their performance, struggling with all different types of stressors, or have loved ones who are, can benefit from the Fyera! Beginner HeartMath Workshop including those with:

• anxiety and depression
• health challenges
• pain
• relationship problems
• money issues
• eating disorders
• career transitions
• addictions
• obesity
• time pressure
• performance pressure (for athletes, executives, entertainers, students/testing)
• soldiers about to be deployed or with post traumatic stress

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Whether you or someone you love has a health concern they want answers for, or is seeking relief from anxiety and depression, this workshop is a place where you can hear the how-to of how to start- with the power of the heart.

To register for a Fyera! Class:
Call (626) 844-7171email: [email protected]
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Fyera is offering a year long HeartMastery Program.

A great deal only ^$6/hour of class time. Click here to learn more.