In yoga love starts at home with ourselves…unconditional loving inquiry into who we actually are, underneath the roles and external projections:  beneath the role of mother, father, sister, brother, friend, worker, doctor, teacher, lawyer, writer, singer, runner, swimmer, biker, citizen, clerk, bus driver, activist, healer, napper and on and on.  When we wander into the heart of our breath, the heart of our experience we begin to see the sweetness of our own experience. 

From as long ago as the ancient texts (the Rig-Vedas) perhaps as old as 4000 BCE, the heart rather than the head has been considered the true bridge between consciousness and the body.

The idea that we need to embark on some sort of ‘self-improvement’ plan is an inherent act of hostility toward ourselves.  We don’t need to improve ourselves, just uncover our essence, as the Yoga Sutras say, each our True Self, to embrace the wonder and majesty of our unique gifts.

Contemplating the swirling wheel of energy, the heart chakra, may help us connect to our sweet spot of the heart.  Here’s an excerpt from my book, Vital Yoga:  A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers:

The fourth chakra, Anahata, or the heart chakra, is located in the center of the body near the heart and associated with the seed syllable Yam, air, the sense of touch, and the color green. The heart chakra is about love and compassion for ourselves, then for others. To be “unstruck” doesn’t mean we don’t acknowledge the pain in our lives—perhaps anger and sad- ness from childhood or a divorce—but that in spite of it we can lovingly accept ourselves and feel compassion for others. As you chant Yam nine times, visualizing this chakra in green, ask yourself: Can I experience freedom unfettered by past pain? What prevents me from feeling love and compassion? Would forgiving myself and others be helpful in attaining love and peace?

I’ve made a heart chakra Valentine for each of you…each of the 12 petals of this fifth chakra are made with little pink hearts and the letter of the Sanskrit alphabet assigned to the petals has been written on each.  I offer this chakra Valentine to you with deep humility and love with the aspiration that each of us mine our own well of self-knowledge and loving kindness.

I also want to invite you all to a special Valentine class this Sunday, 10 -11:30 am.  We’ll focus on our own hearts and send that love out to all…and we’ll top it off with a sweet treat.

With love and chakra bows,

Namaste,

Meta.