The psychology of the heart : implications for health, physical activity and sport

Over the centuries, the heart has been recognized as a centre for spiritual, intellectual and emotional life in diverse cultures. This paper introduces a psychology of the heart with specific reference to the time honoured, transcultural applications of a local, African, Zulu, breath based, heart focussed, psychotherapeutic workshop codenamed SHISO. Discussion focusses on implications for health, physical activity and sport of psychophysiological resonance, coherence and heart rate variability feedback applications involving respiration and facilitation of positive emotion. Keywords : Heart psychology, psychophysiology, resonance, coherence, transcultural context, heart rate variability, biofeedback.