creeky but not creaky

Well, here it comes again, Valentine’s Day. Wonderful holiday for lovers … but I propose that we take it out of the realm of romance and widen the scope to include all genres of loving. Love for friends, family, co-workers, pets, strangers on the street … hey, why not go really crazy and love yourself! Or better yet, open your heart to the people you don’t understand or with whom you strongly disagree? (That’d be love from afar. ☺)

Yoga, meaning literally to unify or yoke together, brings harmony & balance to the body, mind and spirit (your own little triumvirate) … so while you might practice opening your heart in your thoughts and emotions, you can also experience heart opening in the physical body.

Our hearts live in a bony cage. 24 ribs, sternum, spine … all connected with soft tissues – muscles, cartilage, ligaments, etc. When we forget to breathe deeply and easily, those soft tissues can lose their elasticity, resulting in our heart and lungs having less space to expand in their temporary cages. So my first recommendation is to intentionally and regularly practice some form of Pranayama or controlled and aware breathing. In addition, bending and flexing and twisting the components of the cage will help to open and free your heart space.

Though there are many heart opening poses, the one I’ve chosen to blog about here is Supta Virasana, the reclining hero pose. It’ll also give a great stretch to your quadriceps (front of the thigh muscles) and hip flexors. Before trying this pose, be sure that you can easily sit with your seat between your feet. You can fold a blanket to elevate your bottom slightly and alleviate some of the strain if necessary. And keep your knees from splaying out too much – in a straight line down from your hips if possible. Then give yourself a little foot massage as you lean back and place your elbows and forearms on the floor.

This is as far as I went in the photo above, due to the slippery, mossy riverbed … but you can either stop there and rest the crown of your head on the floor or come all the way down on your back like this dude:

with your arms either by your side or stretched overhead, which feels really good.

Stay in the pose as long as you like, starting with 1 minute and building to 10 minutes even, breathing deeply into any area that’s resisting the stretch and exhaling that tension away. Great pose for meditation … or if you get bored in the supermarket line … or … waiting for your Valentine to show you how special you are. (though my inexpert and largely unsuccessful advice is not to wait, don’t hold back, show them first!)

Love Always,
Suzi

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Yoga by Suzi