I’ve been working with a program I’ve talked about before – the Freeze Frame program from the people at HeartMath. It’s a program that seeks to support “heart brain synchronization and to reduce nervous system chaos”. The Freeze Frame program involves biofeedback, where a finger sensor allows the computer to signal when heart coherence (the state in which heart and brain synchronize) is optimal and when it’s not. Whenever I bring a beautiful image to mind, or think of something that touches my heart in a positive way, I drop into a state232nd Week: of more optimal heart coherence.

This process has reminded me of the importance of offering ourselves ongoing sources of inspiration and beauty. Just as we pay attention to the nutritional needs of the body, it’s equally important to pay attention to the need we have to be nourished by beauty, gratitude, comfort, awe – the things that inspire and uplift us. What the Freeze Frame program reveals is that these sources of inspiration have not only a nourishing effect on our psyche but an immediate physical effect, as well. We are body-mind beings, and when we feed ourselves good psychological nourishment, we feed ourselves good nervous-system nourishment, as well.

And so, for this week, I invite you to spend at least a small amount of time each day focusing on something inspiring, beautiful, comforting, awe-inspiring – something that moves in you a positive and uplifting way. For example, I have many inspiring photographs and objects in both my home and office, and I use these regularly as sources of deep nourishment. Even if I have only a moment to gaze at something inspiring, that’s enough to allow me to shift into a more settled state of body-mind being. There is music I listen to when I can that also reaches deep into these places in me. I also feel inspired when I say hello to my tree friends in Central Park each morning.

Take some time to notice those things that touch you in this way, and see what happens if you make sure you connect with some of them, in some way or another, each day. I’d recommend taking in something inspiring at the beginning of the day, as a way to help set a centered tone as you move out into the world. Then, you might use some of the natural transitions of the day, such as morning into noon, afternoon into evening, and evening into night as times when you could take a moment to recall something inspiring, something that uplifts and nourishes you.
This doesn’t have to be a long, complicated endeavor. It only takes a moment – the time it takes to soak in the impressions you touch, and that touch you – to give yourself the gift of inspiration.

Enjoy playing with this week’s experiment and notice what it contributes to the quality of your day-to-day experience.