Capturing Attention vs. Capturing Heart

A couple of days ago, I was listening to some sharings from a spiritual hero of mine, Yamuna devi. A deeply introspective practitioner, she was incredible at everything she did. She was a soul stirring singer, divine cook and exemplary in her character.

Hearing her speak, I was riveted. At a certain point, I was close to tears listening to her and it left me wondering why I was affected so deeply. It hit me:

She spoke with deep realization - free from ego.

That was what captured not just my attention, but my heart.

It made me realize an important distinction. Anything I share that is tainted by my ego may capture attention, but it won’t touch and move anyone’s heart, least of all my own.

That’s because there is no guideline, no shortcut or "top ten ways to move someone’s heart.” 

It struck me, when I try to create or speak in a way to move someone’s heart, I have the wrong goal. That’s because it’s the byproduct - not the goal - of transforming my  own heart. 

So what does transformation of heart look like? I can only speak for myself and where I’m at in my journey. For me, it means I need to create the time to stay and marinate in the minutes and hours when I’ve felt my heart open up and experience emotions such as joy, care, hope, love, and inspiration - not just move on to the next thing. It also requires me to cement and store those feelings by expressing appreciation to those persons and situations that have been the instruments of grace to open my hard heart.

Thank you, dear Yamuna devi. Thank you for exemplifying what it means to live without ego, what it means to truly be spiritual and continuing to touch so many hearts, including mine. I pray that one day my heart become as soft and as compassionate as yours.

What does transformation of heart look like for you?