This post evolved out of an online conversation about connecting with your heart. Thanks to the wonderfully creative Dancing Geek aka James, for asking the question, and to Char, who suggested that I write a post about it.

When you’re creative, dedicated, and in business for yourself, it’s easy to get painfully busy.

You work in and on your business, harder than you’ve ever worked at any job. And there are a million tasks that need your time and attention.

By the end of the day you’re exhausted. You fall into bed with your mind still churning in high gear.

If you keep this up, both you and your business will end up in a puddle and a muddle.

You’ll spend more time getting less done. Your enthusiasm, creativity and love for your work . . . you’ll wonder where they went.

You can’t draw water from an empty well.

So how do you replenish yourself? You can’t expect your garden or your business to grow without nourishment.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to cost lots of time or money. Simple actions can be deeply nourishing.

Here are some that work for me: Taking a slow walk in warm sunshine. Or closing my eyes for a moment and listening to the birds’ mad spring chorus. Savoring the cool sweetness of a glass of water. Looking out to the horizon—restoring perspective.

Small moments of presence and attention nourish me. Connect me with my world, my body, and my heart.

Your heart is your home–your resting place. It’s where you come to restore and renew yourself.

Here’s a simple practice that I do several times a day, whenever I feel scattered or disconnected from my heart. You may find it helpful too.

I start by sitting down quietly where I won’t be disturbed. (I’ve also done this while walking, or lying down.)

Close your eyes for a moment. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths, all the way down into your belly and back out again.

Feel your physical body—the weight of it resting on your chair or on the ground. Your breath whooshing in and out.

Check in with your emotions. Make room for whatever you’re feeling, without hanging on, or pushing the feelings away.

Say a kind hello to your thoughts.

Then bow your head a little, towards your heart—this quiets any mind-chatter.

Drop your awareness into the center of your heart. Like dropping a pebble into a deep pool of water.

If you like, you can spread your hand, palm-down, across the middle of your chest to help you get in touch with your heart. Then bring your awareness beneath your hand, into the center of your chest.

Breathe quietly into and out of your heart. Not straining or trying; just being there.

Gently,  go deeper inside your heart.

This is always an exploration, for me.

Often, I find myself walking through layers of my heart, as if through a series of rooms that open into each other. Going deeper into my heart with each room.

The first room feels like my living room. It’s where people and places I care about come and hang out with me, and with each other. It’s warm, inviting, and fun, most of the time. Although it can be noisy, crowded and overwhelming, sometimes.

The next room in is more private. This is where I get to be with my heart’s beloveds—those whom I love and cherish most dearly. This is also where I connect with the soul of my business, and with spiritual friends, like the soul of the earth.

The next room—still going deeper in—is my conference room. Actually, it’s more like a campfire on the beach, or a cozy room with a fireplace and comfy couches, cushions and armchairs.

This is where I get together with all my various selves . . . the shy little kid, the adventurer, the writer, the healer, the grouch, the ‘fraidy cat, the intrepid explorer.

This gathering can be as noisy and raucous as a family reunion. Here’s where I get to talk with all the different parts of my self. Where they have a place to be heard, to argue, to find common ground.

And then I walk into the innermost chamber of my heart.

This is my most sacred place. Where I meet with my Creator alone.

When I enter in here, I close the door and turn away from the outside world. I leave all the other rooms and the people in them behind. And I turn to my Source, my Beloved.

Here, I say what’s truly going on for me, in a very simple way. Or I just say a wordless: Here I am, Beloved.

I ask for what I need. Clarity; guidance; safety; love; sustenance; nourishment.

And I feel those qualities flowing into the open cup of my heart. As they flow in, they cleanse and wash away anything that impedes their flow.

My heart fills up. It stretches and deepens to hold more, to contain more. I feel deeply rested. Nourished.

When my heart is full, I give thanks, and begin my return to the outside world. Walking back through the rooms in reverse order, this time.

Often, a conference of selves that I’d last seen squabbling and bickering, or yelling at each other, will have miraculously transformed into close friends by the time I get back to my conference room.

I return from the innermost chamber of my heart with gifts of grace.

This journey into my heart can be a brief touching-base, or a deeper leaning into my Source. Either way, its effects linger, and build on each other.

My life and my business become infused with spaciousness, love, and connection. And I’m happy again.

I’d love to hear your story. How do you replenish yourself? Who or what nourishes you?