Webcourse 103
Restoring Optimism

An objective of this course is to heal the heart of one of its wounds. Every heart has wounds, and these wounds can prevent the heart from functioning as it should. The heart is intended to be the center that directs life; it alone has the memory of one's purpose. It is designed to be an extremely sensitive organ; its only protection is its innate ability to heal itself. The heart is easily moved, even wounded, in its function as the one who integrates all others, but the heart can recover quickly if given (1) attention and (2) inspiration.

In Heart Rhythm Meditation, we provide the heart with attention by concentrating on it and feeling its heartbeat, and inspiration by our development and direction of the breath. Consequently, we can learn to keep the heart uncommonly open without danger, receiving the many benefits of a heart-centered life without the isolation and constriction that comes from needing to be guarded.

When the heart is healed and maintained in a conscious flow of breath, optimism is the result. The lack of optimism is an illness, a symptom of a weak heart. People usually feel that their outlook on life depends on their circumstances, but the opposite is true. Optimism is a product of the heart, not of the circumstances. Optimism makes conditions move easily towards fulfillment and success. Optimism is natural and pessimism is unnatural, regardless of the situation.

The first step in healing the heart is to find the heart's wounds. Most people have little awareness of their hearts, so they don't know the nature of their heart's wounds either. While our emotions are difficult to notice as they occur, we can easily see their after-effects. Emotions accumulate over time and build an optimistic or pessimistic attitude. If we can see our optimism or pessimism, we will gain insight into our hearts, our heart's wounds, and how they can be healed.

Air: Pessimism is caused by an inability to break one's mental patterns and a lack of comprehension.

• Papers piling up, can't get to them
• "Life seems confusing to me; I can't figure it out."
• Being surprised and hurt by the actions of others: "I didn't see it coming."
• "No one understands me."
• The same issue recurring at work, even after changing jobs
• "People don't value my ideas."
• "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

Fire: Pessimism is caused by failure to meet one's goals in life and a lack of physical energy and motivation.

• Not seeing any improvement in those you have tried to help.
• Lack of confidence - "I am just not as capable as others."
• "I hate my job."
• "People dump their work on me."
• "I'm loosing my independence."
• "I don't feel like getting up in the morning."
• Cynicism - "There is nothing worth doing."
• "I don't have time to do all the things I'm supposed to do."

Water: Pessimism is caused by rejection in love and a lack of beauty and gratitude.

• End of a long-term relationship
• Thinking of what you don't have instead of what you do have.
• Resentment about something that was done to you
• Feeling left out
• Friends letting you down over and over
• Lack of appreciation from others
• "I avoid strangers."
• "I am not concerned about what my living (or working) space looks like."
• "I don't care what people think about me; they don't like me anyway."

Earth: Pessimism is caused by over-expansion, and a lack of trust and natural rhythm.

• "I don't keep regular hours for meal"
• Acting against your conscience
• Lack of trust in principles - fearing a loss of control
• Inability to stop smoking, drinking, or other addictions or bad habits.
• "I don't believe in what I'm doing."
• Lack of trust in others - inability to delegate
• "I often feel guilty."
• "I avoid the news; I just can't deal with it."
• "I have to look out for myself first."

This course will assume you know how to use Heart Rhythm Meditation and the Element Breaths. You will need a copy of Living from the Heart, by Puran Bair, for details on the Element Breath meditations.

See the Floor Plan for the special healing rooms of this webcourse. The course runs for 10 weeks, with 10 rooms.

What restores optimism?

Air: Cleansing of conditioned thinking. (Fresh start.)

Fire: Finding the energy to accomplish the heart's wish.

Water: Finding your source of emotion and your innate connection to others.

Earth: Holding your center while radiating peace. Rebuilding trust.

Objectives of this course

1. To be able to recognize optimism and pessimism as they occur.

2. To identify what is causing one's pessimism

3. To be able to change from pessimistic to optimistic

4. To build the experience of permanent optimism