Heart Opening

I taught all four of my yoga classes.....Heart Opening. .......well, it is Valentine's Day. I love teaching this class. Most of us, sit or stand for long periods every day, and that means most of us slump.

So when we slump, we crowd our heart and lungs, we shallow breathe, we are tired......it is time to open the heart!

I open the class with a simple beating heart meditation and breath session. Try it, left hand on belly, right on chest, sit nice and tall, close your eyes, breathe slowly, bring awareness to your breath and see if you can feel your heart beat.......if so, breathe with the rhythm of the heart beat, amazing! Try it for five minutes.

Then I did several heart opening asanas, such as chest expansions, lotus flow, cobra, bow, triangle...and a standing camel. I closed the class with fifteen minute savasana (rest) and a heart meditation. All day, folks left the class with smiles.

We close our hearts to survive, we close our hearts to numb the pain, we close our hearts because we think we are not worthy of being loved........the sad truth, shutting our hearts, we don't survive, the pain worsens, and we end up not loving ourselves or anyone else.

Tonight, think of your heart as a beautiful box, the most precious item you own......open the box slowly and look at all the jewels within.......see the gratitude that you packed away years ago,

see the light of love shinning in the darkness from everyone who has ever loved you, see the joy that still after all these years dazzles like the purest of gold......even all the pain and tears that we have locked away in this exquisite jewel of a box has taken on a patina like rich silver and mellowed with the passing of time. Take some time, open your heart, let the gratitude, love and joy shine on you and those around you.

As I open my heart to you all, I share my gratitude and thanks for those who read this daily blog,

I give you love and compassion and hope you share it with others, and most of all tonight,

I give you joy........all I ask in return.......sit for a few minutes and let yourselves FEEL joy, gratitude and love. Happy Valentine's Day!