FOUNDATIONS: HEART
We’ve talked about movement, mindset and strength. Now let’s talk about something just as fundamental, though harder to measure: the heart of the spiritual health.
An anatomy book can tell you about muscles and bones. A lab report can list enzymes and hormones. But none of those explain what it feels like to be fully alive. And isn’t that the whole point of health, not just functioning, but thriving?
When Did You Feel Most Alive?
Think back to a moment when you felt your healthiest. Not when your smartwatch buzzed approval. Not when you hit a personal best in the gym. But when your whole being lit up.
Maybe it was:
Laughing with friends until your belly hurt.
Singing at the top of your lungs at a gig or festival, voices blending into something bigger than you.
Falling in love for the first time, when every step felt lighter, and even life’s frustrations couldn’t dent your joy.
Maybe it was when you picked up an instrument, lost yourself in drawing or football or dance, and realised hours had passed without effort.
For me, I remember hearing an acoustic version of Oasis’ love song Slide Away when I was about 11. I hadn’t been in love. I don’t think I’d even had a crush yet, but my heart exploded with a sense of love, connection, and belonging. It wasn’t about a person. It was just being connected to the music and the feeling. I was absorbed so completely that my whole system lit up.
Why This Matters for Health
That feeling of being absorbed, connected, and alive is not “extra.” It’s fundamental to health. Your nervous system shifts, your cells literally respond, your immune system strengthens, and your body regulates better when you feel part of something, a moment, a community, a purpose.
This is the part that most wellness and fitness programs miss. They’ll teach you how to build muscle, count macros, or track recovery. But they rarely address the human side of health, the side that longs for connection, for meaning, for joy. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has tracked people for over 80 years, found the single biggest predictor of long-term health and happiness wasn’t wealth, success, or even exercise. It was the quality of our relationships. Put simply: connection keeps us alive.
Yoga has always known this. The texts often highlight the value of qualities, how to be in the world and respond to it - there’s kindness, gratitude, truthfulness, self-study and these aren’t theology rules. They are reminders that how we treat ourselves and others shapes the whole fabric of our lives. Compassion lowers stress, gratitude improves recovery, living in authenticity helps us sleep at night. These aren’t just moral ideals to show people online how virtuous you are, they are physiological practices.
Relationships
In a yoga class, you don’t just practice alone. You share breath, effort, and space. You lean into shared hardship, stretching, balancing, struggling, arriving, and in doing so can feel seen, supported, and connected. Over time, that shared ground becomes relational glue. You don’t need a big crowd, but you do need people whose presence affirms you. Even small acts a smile, a word of gratitude, sitting together in silence are wiring positive connection.
Neuroscience supports this. Shared experiences that synchronise physiological states (heart rates, breathing rhythms) strengthen bonds and promote trust. Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses how shared states build health as our brain and body feel safer when other peoples internal state syncs with ours.
This all sounds great but how do I practice it?
This is a good question. Can simply saying hi or casting a smile to others really improve your health? Yes, but there are practices that can amplify it and the best part is that they are really accessible. My preferred one is a loving kindness meditation, it’s actually my partner Louises favourite, and only type of meditation she practices.
What the science says
A brief session of loving-kindness meditation has been shown to increase feelings of social connection, both toward familiar and unfamiliar people.
Training in LKM can enhance prosocial behaviour, foster compassion, and support empathy.
LKM practice is linked to neuroplastic changes that support self-compassion, cognitive and affective empathy, and greater emotional balance.
In one study, LKM participants engaged in more prosocial reparation (repairing harm) than participants doing focused-breathing meditation.
A systematic review shows LKM helps raise positive emotions, reduce negative emotional states, and shift one’s view of self in relation to others.
So when you practice loving-kindness, you’re not just “feeling nice.” You’re restructuring how your brain and heart respond to connection, increasing your capacity to relate, to give, and to receive.
This is why I believe true health is more than muscle, mindset, or mobility. It’s when your body, mind, and heart all align. And that happens most often in connection. So, this week get to a class, use the guided meditation below and boost your health and wellness without needing to measure its value by your smart watch.
Enjoy the meds and I’ll see you soon,
Stuart