#heartovermind

[spiritualsoul1969]

The Power of Smarana (Remembrance)

Swami Samarth Ramdas’ doha, “स्मरण अमृत मिळे, पांडित्य सोडून दे” (Remembering is like nectar; abandon erudition), strikes at the heart of a profound spiritual truth. It suggests that while intellectual knowledge and learning are valuable, they are not the ultimate paths to spiritual fulfillment. The real nectar of life—peace, wisdom, and divine connection—lies in remembrance, not in complex learning or over-analysis.

In this doha, Ramdas Swami emphasizes that smarana—the remembrance of the divine—is akin to nectar, the sweetest and most nourishing essence for the soul. This isn’t merely about recalling facts or rituals but an inner alignment, a continuous connection with the presence of the divine in every moment. It’s the practice of keeping your heart, mind, and spirit aligned with the sacred.

Too often, we get lost in acquiring knowledge, degrees, and mastering intellectual debates. But spiritual progress isn’t a competition of how much one knows. True spirituality begins when we stop intellectualizing everything and start feeling the divine presence in the silence of our hearts.

Intellectualism vs. Heartfelt Connection

Modern society places a high value on intellectual achievements. From childhood, we are conditioned to believe that success lies in acquiring knowledge, excelling in exams, and earning accolades. While education is important, it often becomes a burden if we only focus on intellectual mastery and neglect our emotional and spiritual growth.

In the context of our personal struggles, we often try to ‘solve’ our problems through rational thinking, research, or advice from others. However, many of life’s biggest challenges—emotional pain, existential questions, or a sense of purposelessness—cannot be resolved intellectually. The mind creates more questions than it answers, often pulling us into a cycle of overthinking.

The doha invites us to shift our approach. Instead of chasing intellectual knowledge, pause and turn inward. Smarana, or remembrance of the divine, offers comfort, clarity, and answers that the intellect often cannot. It’s in the surrender to something greater than the self that peace emerges.

Spiritual Nectar Amid Personal Struggles

Consider your life—perhaps you’ve faced a situation where no amount of thinking, planning, or learning seemed to solve your problem. You could have read a thousand self-help books or sought advice from everyone you know, yet found no peace. This is where smarana comes in. When we let go of the ego-driven need to control and understand everything, we open ourselves to the grace of divine remembrance.

In personal challenges like grief, uncertainty, or relationship struggles, remembering a higher power, whether it’s God, the universe, or simply an energy of love and compassion, can act as the soothing nectar that eases our pain. It’s a simple yet profound shift—moving from thinking to being, from controlling to trusting.

Practical Toolkit for Incorporating Smarana

Daily Moments of Silence Dedicate 10 minutes each day to silent reflection or meditation, where you focus solely on connecting with the divine. Let go of thoughts, plans, and worries. Just sit and breathe, allowing yourself to remember that you are part of something greater.

Gratitude Practice Before sleeping, mentally recall three things you’re grateful for. Instead of analyzing your day, practice remembering the grace and abundance in your life. This small act shifts your focus from intellectual problems to divine presence.

Mantra Meditation Choose a simple mantra, like "Om Namah Shivaya" or "Ram," and repeat it throughout the day, especially when facing challenges. Let the repetition of the sacred sound bring you back into remembrance of the divine, away from overthinking.

Let Go of Overanalysis When faced with a personal or emotional challenge, refrain from immediate problem-solving. Instead, take a step back, pause, and spend time in reflection or prayer. Smarana allows solutions to arise organically, often bringing more peace than the stress of overanalysis.

Nature Walks with Remembrance Take short walks in nature, but instead of thinking about tasks or deadlines, focus on the beauty around you. Each step can become a moment of remembrance, connecting you to the divine energy present in every leaf, breeze, and ray of sunlight.

Heartfelt Chanting Engage in kirtan or soft chanting for 5-10 minutes a day. The vibrations of divine names not only soothe the mind but remind you of the higher power guiding your life.

The Path Beyond Knowledge

Ramdas Swami’s wisdom in this doha is clear—spiritual nectar, the true essence of life, is found not in intellectual mastery, but in heartfelt remembrance. While knowledge can inform us, it is remembrance that transforms us. So, the next time life overwhelms you, instead of reaching for a book or engaging in endless mental debates, try surrendering to the sweet practice of smarana. Let the divine guide you in ways that no amount of intellectual effort can, offering the peace you’ve been seeking all along.

Let the heart, not the head, lead you to the nectar of life.

[jeezumbub]

What's in your head doesn't matter if your heart is empty.

[awakenedhypnosis17]

What’s Wiser – Your Head Or Your Heart?

Photo by Corey Dupree: https://www.pexels.com/photo/calm-woman-meditating-on-beach-6591291/

When making important decisions, we typically try to think through all the options, straining our brains to come up with the best solutions. In the process, we often stress, overthink, and become anxious. We rely on our heads to figure everything out. But in doing that, we make a grave error because our brains are not everything they are cracked up to be

We have been told that all our intelligence resides in the brain, but that is not accurate. The entire human body is a system of intelligence that communicates with us all the time. We learned that our head is in charge, and everything else should be subordinate to it, but that is not true. Our brains are capable of collecting, sorting, and filtering information, as well as analyzing options and predicting outcomes. Our heads are capable of a lot, but they are not in charge. Our hearts are much more powerful. The hearts speak the language of the soul, so when we hear our hearts, we can hear the truth.

Because the brain communicates linearly (words strung into sentences), we find its messages recognizable and easily acceptable, believing it is the only thing that makes sense. The heart does not speak a human language; it does not produce thoughts. It communicates through emotions and sensations that can then be translated into human speech. This type of communication is unfamiliar to us, and so we naturally tend to misunderstand and dismiss it. But as comfortable as we are with the thoughts in our heads, leaving the heart out of the conversation is a serious mistake.

Based on the research done by the HeartMath Institute (https://www.heartmath.org/), the heart is about 60 times greater electrically and up to 5,000 times stronger magnetically than the brain. As a result, more signals are sent from the heart to the brain than from the brain to the heart. Our heads house powerful “computers” that process a lot of input, but the brain of our operation, pardon the pun, does not reside there. It lives in our hearts.

Learning to communicate with the heart is a skill that can be easily developed by anyone. Energetically, the heart center is located in the center of the chest, not in the physical organ. That is the place to tune into when you want guidance and sound decision-making. Try this. Sit down quietly, and slow down your conscious thoughts. Focus on nothing. Let sensations come to you. If you have a specific question, ask it in your mind (ex: Should I do X?) or imagine yourself doing X. Then shift your focus to your heart center. How does it respond? Is there warmth or a sensation of comfort or safety? Do you get any other sensations in your body (like a chill or tingling)? Do you get a sense that you know the answer even though you can’t quite put it into words yet? All of these are things to pay attention to, and the more you do, the more comfortable you will become with the responses, and the clearer they will become.

We have been taught to believe that listening to one’s heart is a weakness, but this just served to separate us from the only true guiding system – our spiritual connection. So I say, listen to your heart! Let it guide you! Let it give you solutions! And then allow your head to figure out how to implement them. When our heads and our hearts work together, we come into a state of coherence or order, and that is a very powerful state indeed.

Source- What's wiser: your head or your heart? It's a timeless question, as reason and logic guide the head, while emotions and passion drive the heart.

[duranduratulsa]

Watch "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" on YouTube

Duet of the day: Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Anne Murray & Dave Loggins (1984) from Heart Over Mind #annemurray #daveloggins #NOBODYLOVESMELIKEYOUDO #heartovermind #80s

[toinsanitymag]

Yin to my Yang… Art by @eves_art_project #mindvsheart #mind #heart #heartovermind #mindmatters #koifish #art #koiart #yinyang #illustration #illustrationartists #illustrator #digitalart #visualart #aheartproject #blackandwhite #sunandmoon #thisorthat #followheart https://www.instagram.com/p/CQaXar3hSxV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[cherrybomb-22]

Why is it? that when I look at you my heart and my brain switch places and my stomach fills with butterflies 🦋

my love sick head

[nadzer-sprinkles]

Online connections

Good morning!

I haven't posted for a few days, I was not inspired! But then I saw this post in FB from some who complained about how "dirty" an online conversation turned. I read the thread they had with that other individual, I didn't think it was bad but more to the point they entertained that line of thinking.

That made me think about when I dabbed in online dating, cause I felt I had to do it. At some point, I couldn't understand why most conversations were shifting to a sexual connotation. I was like, what's wrong with them.

Then I started waking to the fact that I was insinuating, I was driving the convos toward that line of thinking. I, as a self-seeker, wanting to be liked and be "normal" (i.e. before I knew more about ace), started turning those convos towards the "dirty" side of the street; until I was in a place where I just didn't want to be (mentally).

So do we attract crazy, when online? The majority of the time yeah. My experience tells me that I cannot really be myself when I'm seeking something that is not me. Today, I'd rather stay single then even thinking of online dating.

I have no idea how to meet people, but instead of hiding behind a screen, I'm gonna go and find out.

Have a fab Sunday

💖☮️

[qamer]

“In true you only remember the one that you love ” - #YounusAlGohar #Quoteoftheday❤️ #IfollowGoharShahi #ImamMehdiGoharShahi #GoharShahi #love #lovequotes #loveislove #lovewins #truelove #lover #remember #remind #mind #heartovermind #heart #instaheart #beauty #truebeauty #tuesdaymotivation #tuesdayvibes #tuesdaythoughts #bloom #life #live https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_cSmuvo0d/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[xenovale]

Choose your side ❤ #heartovermind #mindoverheart #calligraphy #calligraphyart #calligraphyph #calligraphylettering #fauxcalligraphy #art #lettering #green #nature #mind #heart #quotes #ink https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUuZolnaaY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jyqf9m774cjf

[drivebymediamusic]

Anne Murray - Heart Over Mind 1984 EMI Records Yacht Rock pick is the Robery Byrne song "Let your heart do the talking" #annemurray , #heartovermind, #yachtrock (at Grand Rapids, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgaGOIEOkzt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[aherosfall-blog]

📓🖊 #writing #write #writersofinstagram #writer #poems #heartovermind #followyourheart ✌🏻

[pelinsfragrancedlife]

Seriously brain 🧠 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 #heartovermind #theheartknows #followyourheart #socialdistancing #physicaldistancing #stayhome #staysafe #flattenthecurve #wereallinthistogether (at Mississauga, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMh60cH4hF/?igshid=rm5y1494vh8q

[quotesforhealing]

“Don’t try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are very limited. Use your intuition.” Madeleine L’Engle togetherweare.live

[50stylez-blog]

Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly #runmop #heartovermind https://www.instagram.com/p/B4N1qsSgfi5/?igshid=6y0tp486iin7

[nadzer-sprinkles]

New to this and a lot of things!

I've heard of Tumblr for quite a long time, but I though, nah I don't wanna jump in.

But over the last few months, I've done some soul searching, especially around stuff and it led me to hop on the Tumblr train.

I'm 47, and I've conditioned myself to believe I was straight, that I like sex and that there's nothing wrong with me. In fact, there was something wrong, I have been uncomfortable in that box for years, I didn't fit in.

Four years ago, I started changing my life, well more my mind, which ultimately changed my life. I sought help for alcohol and drug addiction, which I thought were all my problems, when in fact for a very long time were the solution to help me forget about how stuck I was; in a very twisted way, drugs and alcohol kept me alive.

Anyway, I sought help, stopped using and drink to this day, and helped me uncover layers and layers of emotions I'd nicely tucked away. Today I am recovered!

My sexual orientation bubbled up last year, at that time, I'd been without having sex (happily) or sexual attractions for 7 years. When I'd say that to friends, they thought there was something wrong with me; "you just need a good shag" most said!

So, as I'm still conditioned in what I think I should be, I eventually hopped on dating apps, and had sex with one guy, and a ver promiscuous encounter with another. Both, especially the latter, left me even more confused and disgusted, at myself, at sex itself. "What's wrong with me?" I thought.

With support from my close friend, my daughter and therapist, I started doing some research: am I gay? Am I just like the Crazy cat lady in the Simpson 😂?

And asexuality popped in my research. I read about it, I could identify, I do identify. I am on the Ace spectrum, which makes me realise that THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.

However in my research, I noticed there isn't a lot of 40 something talking about it. And maybe it is time to do so!

When I started writing this post, I had no idea where it was gonna go. But, here it is: 47 year-old mum of a soon 23 year-old, LGBTGAI+ ally, on the ACE spectrum and proud to be me.

If this post helps you, then great!

With Love

💖☮️