Coherence

Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Coherence, by Tanya Torres, Oil on canvas, 8”h x 10”w, 2024.

This painting waited to be finished for years. I no longer remember when I started it. But it is sometimes easier to start again from a previous beginning.

When I started painting the Magdalene with the Sacred Heart, I looked into the meaning of the heart, the physical qualities, the discoveries of science. But at the time, I never came across the concept of heart-brain coherence. Heart-brain coherence is a state of unity between the mind, body, and spirit that occurs when the brainwaves and the heart's electrical activity are in sync.

At a time when I had become less and less harmonized, I started learning about heart-brain coherence and how it benefits human beings. Heart brain coherence helps the body and brain work more efficiently. People experience greater emotional stability and clarity of thought as well as increased physical energy and overall energy levels, improved sleep quality, reduced stress levels, and an enhanced ability to self-regulate their mental and emotional states.

I feel that finally coming across this information and a simple heart-brain coherence technique is one of the gifts of Mary Magdalene in my life. As little as 3 minutes of generating heart-brain coherence helps us receive its benefits for up to 6 hours.

What to do? Place your hand on your heart, breath in, then exhale a little longer than the time it took to breathe. While breathing, generate a positive feeling in your heart, such as gratitude or compassion.

The title of this image of Mary Magdalene is a reminder that, as human beings, we have the power to return to our center, and the unique ability to create the feelings and emotions we want or need to feel to fix our own hearts.