Recently I taught a class on how we tend to swing from chaos to control, from tension to excitement, etc. The point I was trying to make was that we either stay aligned with our heart’s purpose around an interaction or we let outside people and events cause us to swing internally. This internal swing is generated by a back and forth movement between your thoughts and feelings as they bounce off the outside happening.

People often have a difficult time digesting the concept of heart alignment. Their experience is usually that of being led by their mind or emotions. Of course, the non-leading part is not always a good follower so the result is usually internal swinging. Making a switch from this kind of swing to a heart-centered position will give you the power to own your space. However, until there are boundaries in place, you will probably give more heed to outside demands than to the ownership of your space.

Whatever I teach in my adult classes I try to teach in a modified way to the children. Thus, when I taught the children the concept of the swing vs. heart alignment, I used a hula-hoop. The hula-hoop served as a perfect physical prop to get across the idea that each child had their own space. I put hula-hoops on the floor for all but one child. They were instructed to stand in the middle of the hula-hoop and not let anyone’s words or feelings pull them out. Then the single child was assigned the job of trying to convince the rest to come out of their space.

This lesson plan for children worked so well that I decided to share with you. Of course, you cannot walk around with a hula-hoop tied to your middle, but you can draw an imaginary line that reminds you to stay focused on the intent of your heart as you interact. For invariably, once your boundaries are down, you will begin to emotionally and mentally swing towards or away from whatever the outside world is offering you. So if you have trouble holding your space, design an imaginary hula-hoop.