The Pulse of Bliss

I have sometimes wondered what happens to the functioning of my body when I am experiencing bliss while in meditation or prayer. What happens to my organs and my circulation? Does my heart rest as my mind ceases to chatter?

This morning I made a scientific discovery that indeed my pulse slows significantly when experiencing bliss. I happened to be wearing my sports watch having just completed a workout prior to sitting down to enjoy my quiet time. When complete, I pressed on the pulse button to check my heart rate. My first check showed my pulse to be at 50 (normal is 72-80.....at least it was when I was in nursing school a gazillion years ago) As I slowly returned to a more alert state, it gradually increased to 72.

I enjoyed this discovery since it made ne think about how often I am running around taking care of the obligations of life and over taxing my mind with varied thoughts. When in this state of busyness I can't even get a whiff of bliss. What's happening to my body then? I know some activity is healthy, and actually pushing my heart to beat faster with vigorous exercise is also important, yet the realization of how willing my heart's pulse is to slow down and rest, feels very comforting.

The beauty of experiencing the pulse of bliss is available to all of us. Resting in stillness, even if for just a few minutes every day will give our hearts a lovely rest from it's usual hard working routine.

My heart looks forward to it's next opportunity to rest in bliss. How about yours?