Today is Valentines’s day (in case the commercials were not enough to remind you). I love this day because pink is my favorite color and I love hearts and roses and ribbons and all sorts of girly things like that. But I don’t necessarily love it’s emphasis on romantic love; I like to think more about what it means to “have heart.” It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got to have a romantic connection; I think it refers more to just living your life with an open heart. One that resists judging people, one that’s willing to take risks, one that speaks his or her mind honestly and without hurt towards others. Yoga is a wonderful way to open your heart. There are many postures that focus on opening the muscles of chest and the whole front of the body. One of the most profound experiences I had in yoga practice was several years ago, after a challenging class, the teacher told us in shavasana to put one hand on our stomach and one hand on our heart. Just the act of putting my hand on my heart made me feel so connected to my emotional state, especially after all the yoga we had just done.
As you go through today, think less about the commercial aspect of this day and think about how you can live your life with more of an open heart. And maybe buy a little pink cupcake for yourself and enjoy it!
Namaste.