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Oct. 27, 2026

How to Practice Heart Coherence in 3 Steps | HeartMath's Howard Martin

How to Practice Heart Coherence in 3 Steps | HeartMath's Howard Martin
How to Practice Heart Coherence in 3 Steps | HeartMath's Howard Martin
Finding Harmony Podcast
How to Practice Heart Coherence in 3 Steps | HeartMath's Howard Martin

What if your heart has its own intelligence and has been quietly guiding you your whole life? Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Howard Martin, co-author of The HeartMath Solution and a longtime leader at HeartMath, to explore heart-brain coherence, heart rate variability and the research behind both. Howard shares how a rock drummer left the music business in his early 30s to help build HeartMath, why the team chose science as the bridge between heart wisdom and daily life, and the simple three-step technique at the core of the HeartMath system. You will also hear about the study in which participants' bodies responded to an image seconds before it appeared, why chronic stress has become so normal, and why Howard believes self-compassion is an act of service.

In this episode:

  • How HeartMath began in 1990 and became a nonprofit institute in 1991
  • Howard's path from rock drummer to heart-based research and training
  • Why the heart is an information processing center, not only a pump
  • The heart's electromagnetic field and the pre-stimulus picture study
  • The three core HeartMath steps: heart focus, heart-focused breathing, a regenerative emotion
  • Heart rate variability, coherence scores and the difference between measurable and operational coherence
  • Moving from "sky to street" so your practice shows up in daily life
  • Self-compassion, stress and why Howard wants love to "go viral"

Resources: heartmath.com (free resources) | heartmath.org (research and the nonprofit's work with educators, children, parents and first responders) | HeartMath app and Coherence Plus sensor | The HeartMath Solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin | Harmony's free Manifestation Activation meditation and the 21 Day Money Magic Manifestation Challenge, starting November 1

Guest bio: Howard Martin is co-author of The HeartMath Solution and has worked alongside HeartMath founder Doc Childre for more than 50 years as a friend and collaborator. Before HeartMath, he was a professional rock drummer. He has spent 36 years in Northern California helping bring heart-based tools to education, business, the military, government agencies and everyday people.

Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/

Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclass

FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/
Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/

FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

00:00 - Introduction

03:21 - Meet Howard Martin

04:31 - Founding HeartMath

07:07 - From Musician to a Mission

16:27 - The Science of the Heart

20:06 - The Intuition Experiment

26:50 - Consciousness and Reality

30:22 - The HeartMath Practice

33:58 - Measuring Coherence

40:51 - What Is Coherence?

45:27 - Managing Stress in Hard Times

52:22 - Love and a Life Well Lived

55:15 - Outro: Money Magic Challenge