Rely on your heart,
because it has already struck,
before you could think.
At Cacaoloves.me, we want to dedicate ourselves even more this year to a topic that is so important to us: heart opening. Our heart is more than just a physical organ – it is an inner compass that guides us on the path of our truth. Heart opening is our mission – for a shift towards a more loving and compassionate world, a change that begins within us, within you.
That’s exactly why we’re bringing our HEART Tour to you—to accompany you on your journey of heart opening. With the ancient heart-opening power of cacao, guided meditations, and mindful exercises, you will experience moments of deep connection and inner abundance.
In this blog post, you’ll find valuable insights to strengthen your heart connection. You can look forward to journaling prompts for reflection, a simple exercise for greater heart-brain coherence, and tips to strengthen your heart chakra.
When you open your heart, you open yourself to life itself
We believe that all important decisions should be made from the heart—or at least, that we should aim to do so. As children, this came naturally to us: We acted on our intuition and approached the world with an open and courageous heart.
But through various life experiences and challenges, we may learn to protect and close off our hearts. There is nothing inherently wrong with that—our ability to protect ourselves is valuable and allows us to gather strength in moments of retreat. Our heart always wants the best for us and takes on a protective role.
However, if this protection leads us to feel lonely, to struggle with trust, to perceive life as cold and heavy, or to no longer experience true joy, then it is worth examining and consciously strengthening our connection to our heart.
When we close our hearts out of fear of pain, we don’t just shut out unpleasant feelings—we also block the vibrant, loving emotions. And isn’t that what we all long for—aliveness and love? Opening the heart can initially feel unfamiliar or even threatening. Maybe you recognize this feeling—a deep mistrust of life itself?
How can I strengthen the connection to my heart?
As always, everything begins within us. We must learn to open up again, to trust life, and to love. Only then can we also be loved and appreciated by others and attract people who meet us with love and goodwill. Before we begin to build a stable and loving relationship with ourselves, it is helpful to take a moment to reflect on how our current relationship with ourselves looks. To do this, I invite you to check in with your heart every morning for the next 14 days. When you wake up, stay in bed for a moment, place both hands on your heart, take a few deep, mindful breaths into your heart space, and ask:
Heart, how are you?
What do you need from me today?
If you feel resistance to this practice at first or don’t receive clear answers, don’t be discouraged. It takes time and gentle dedication to rebuild the loving connection to your heart—especially if you have unconsciously blocked it in the past.
Be open to receiving whatever messages come, without judgment. Maybe your heart tells you that it needs rest and you should cancel a commitment. Maybe it specifically asks for a bath, a walk in the forest, or sunlight. Even small, seemingly simple impulses can be very important for you.
Once you have become more familiar with the voice of your heart, you can set up a special "date" with yourself once a week or once a month. Make it as beautiful as if you were doing it for a beloved person—because you should be one for yourself. You can also create a list of things that make your heart dance, such as walking in the woods, dancing, making music, or exercising—and block out time for these activities in your schedule every day.
Journaling Questions for the Heart
Journaling is a wonderful tool to deepen your connection with your heart. Here are some questions you might ask yourself:
✦ What makes your heart expand with joy?
✦ How much do you already listen to your heart in everyday life?
✦ Do you trust your heart’s guidance?
✦ Which relationships in your life nourish your heart?
✦ Which relationships drain your energy?
✦ What makes your heart feel constricted?
✦ How do you define love for yourself?
✦ What are you deeply grateful for in your life?
About the Anahata Chakra – Your Heart Space
Our heart chakra, also known as the Anahata Chakra, is our central life center. It is located in the middle of your chest, at the level of your physical heart.
Emotionally, this energy center governs themes such as compassion, (self-)love, harmony, forgiveness, gratitude, and healing. However, when the heart chakra is imbalanced, it can also manifest in "shadow" emotions like envy, dependency, and jealousy. Physically, it is connected to organs such as the heart, lungs, and skin.
The heart center represents the connection between body and soul—it is where we both give and receive love. In shamanism, the heart is often seen as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. It is the sacred space, the seat of the soul, where we resonate with our own essence and the forces of nature. Many rituals and healing methods focus on opening the heart to heal old wounds and reconnect with our original life force.
Some people have closed their hearts due to painful experiences in the past but long to reconnect with their emotions. It is important to understand that when we close our hearts, we shut ourselves off from all feelings—both the seemingly positive and the seemingly negative. This numbs our perception and blocks our ability to heal.
We invite you to gently and courageously open your heart again, little by little, so that your heart chakra can return to its natural balance and you can embrace life in all its fullness. After all, that is what you are here for!
Heart-Head Coherence Exercise
This simple exercise helps you strengthen your connection to your heart and unify mind and heart:
✦ Find a quiet place and sit comfortably and upright.
✦ Place one hand on the back of your head and the other flat on your heart.
✦ Close your eyes and connect with your heart and your mind.
✦ Inhale for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds.
✦ Imagine a bridge of light forming between your mind and your heart.
✦ Practice this for 3-5 minutes and then take a moment to feel the effects in silence.
8 Tips to Strengthen Your Heart Chakra
Of course, your heart chakra is also connected to your heart and there are various ways to strengthen it:
Eat lots of green fruits and vegetables such as kiwi, spinach, broccoli & Co.
Breathe deeply into your heart and open it through physical exercises such as stretching your arms to the sides.
Wear rose quartz as a gemstone on your body or place the stone on your heart while meditating.
Show your love to yourself and others, for example by telling yourself or your loved ones how much you appreciate them through words or small gestures.
Allow yourself to feel ALL emotions again.
Always ask yourself in everyday life what your heart wants from you.
Practice small daily gratitude rituals and think about everything you are grateful for in your life.
Drink our heart-opening ritual cacao and, to support you, try out our "Ostara Cacao Ritual: Heart Opening during Spring Equinox".
What does Heart Opening mean?
The word heart opening appears again and again in connection with Ritual Cacao. It is often thought that this means we feel light and good. This can and may happen. But opening your heart is so much more. For me it means that all feelings can be there. This is exactly what Ritual Cacao supports.
Feelings that would otherwise be pushed down come to the surface and are allowed to flow. Feelings only want one thing, to be felt. If you are willing and allow it, they are usually gone as quickly as they came. Of course, it can still be scary, especially when feelings arise that you may have been pushing away for years or decades. Many of our participants in Cacao Rituals describe that they were able to confront topics that they had not wanted to look at for a long time. They feel like there is someone there to hold them and that is exactly how it is. That's why we often talk about Mama Cacao. This refers to this holding, maternal energy that accompanies us on the path to opening our hearts.
Heart opening is different for everyone, but it is exactly what the inside needs most right now.
An open heart is a brave heart
It takes courage to open your heart. As described above, when you turn to your inner self, not only beautiful feelings come to the surface, but also pain and everything that the human emotional range has to offer.
Still, I can tell you, as someone who kept his heart closed for a long time so he wouldn't have to feel all the pain of the past, it's worth opening up. Every day I decide to soften, open up and feel. It's not always easy. However, this makes life richer in experiences and liveliness.
Only then was I able to form and, above all, maintain deep connections with other people. Is it sometimes too much for me and I want to close myself off again? Absolutely. But the voice of my heart is now louder and I am humble enough to listen to it. And this voice says:
“It’s worth opening.
It's worth feeling, touching and being touched.
All for a more loving world that begins within you.
Be brave and follow me! Your heart!"
