The Heart, Your Second Brain? What Science Really Says

An intuition that becomes knowledge

Long perceived as the seat of emotions, the heart is now revealing scientific properties that challenge our old beliefs. What if the heart were much more than a pump? What if it were a true information processing center, capable of influencing the brain, emotions, and even our decisions?

At AKÅSA Biarritz, we believe that modern science is increasingly validating ancestral intuitive knowledge. Here's what research tells us about what many already felt deep down: the heart thinks, feels, and influences.

1. The heart contains its own neural network

We now know that the heart has an intrinsic nervous system, composed of approximately 40,000 neurons. This system, called the "heart brain," is capable of perceiving, feeling, learning, and even making decisions independent of those of the cranial brain (Armour & Ardell, 1994).

This neural network sends signals to the brain via the vagus nerve, directly influencing emotional and cognitive centers.

2. The heart communicates more than the brain

Using electrodes and physiological measurements, researchers at the HeartMath Institute have shown that the heart sends more information to the brain than vice versa (McCraty et al., 2001).

When we enter a positive emotional state (gratitude, compassion), the heart adopts a coherent variability, which optimizes the functions of the prefrontal cortex, the area of decision-making and reflection.

This synchronization is called cardiac coherence: an alignment between breathing, heart rate, and neural activity. It can be achieved by breathing rhythmically for a few minutes.

3. The heart can perceive before the brain

A controversial but intriguing study (McCraty et al., 2004) shows that the heart can react a few seconds before sensory information is consciously perceived.

This suggests that the heart may be involved in certain types of intuition, by capturing precognitive information.

4. Cardiac Coherence: A Validated Practice

Numerous scientific publications (mainly in physiology and psychology) have shown that practicing cardiac coherence:

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances
• Improves mental clarity and decision-making
• Optimizes performance (particularly in athletes or leaders)
• 5 minutes of conscious breathing at 6 cycles/minute is enough to induce these effects.

Source: Lehrer et al., 2020, Frontiers in Psychology

Conclusion: The intelligence of the heart, between feeling and knowledge

What the ancients intuitively suspected is now being verified by science: the heart plays an active role in our emotions, our intuition, and our cognition.

At AKÅSA Biarritz, we believe that self-knowledge also involves reconnecting to this often-forgotten center of intelligence. This is why we explore this knowledge in our collection "From Beliefs to Knowledge."

📍 To discover more, explore our world at www.akasa-biarritz.com and discover the other items in the collection.