Leading with the heart

I walked up and down the street with my kids this afternoon astounded by the openness of their hearts.  We talk about "leading with the heart" in your poses.  That phrase is oft used in yoga classes and descriptions of how to find balance within a pose.  But I don't think I knew what it meant until I watched K and L running with their chests leading; their little shoulder blades pulled back so far they almost seemed to pinch closed!  Complete abandon, is what came to mind.

They don't care what they look like.  They aren't thinking about falling.  They aren't thinking about anything else in the world.  Their only focus is on getting their little body over to that space just there in front of them.  Seeing what they want, they launch themselves toward it will full purpose of heart.  Literally HEART.  Their chests lead the way.

Now, I'm not saying we should all walk about with our chests sticking out like toddlers.  We choose to close our hearts for many reasons.  But wouldn't it be interesting to be able to harness that openness in our practice?  I'm definitely going to have K and L in mind when I do my next wheel pose, striving to open my chest.  

I will be thinking about what it means to lead with my heart in my asanas, but also in my intention.  Can I lead with my heart as a mother?  What does that mean?  What changes would that make in my daily interactions? hmm....


P.S.  Here's where I did my teacher training.  http://gobodhiyoga.com