In this paperback Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks refer to what Zen masters call the development of plum-blossom courage — "the plum blossom appears soft and glowing, even when the winter winds still blow. It knows, deep in its essence, that spring is almost here." The path of the conscious heart in relationships is grounded in this kind of courage and resiliency.

The authors, seminar leaders and authors of Conscious Loving, use their own marriage and illustrative material from couples they have counseled to delineate a vision of love that grows out of the practice of soul commitments, conscious listening, essence meditations, attaining power-balance, ending control struggles, and communicating heartfelt appreciation. Along the way, they offer cogent advice on dealing with challenges such as changing roles and rhythms, healing old traumas, stretching the relationship, finding stillness in the midst of busyness, and removing projections. Being right is less important than being right there in relationships that engender abiding love and continuing creativity. The Conscious Heart ought to open up new possibilities for couples who feel they are stuck in a rut.