Yoke my Broken Heart

May 22, 2008

Yoga in Sanskrit translates to ‘union’ or literally ‘to-yoke’. Unification is a huge theme in yoga. Being a full time instructor, you could say I’m pretty into union both on and off the mat. I’ve always flourished in relationships. My nurturing side prevails not only in the classroom with my students but in my domestic rooms of the heart as well. My beautiful yoke-ed self recently lost a very important union. More simply put: I got dumped. The dreaded break-up conversation. “I’m so selfish right now, you truly deserve better than me”. Oh, if I had a quarter and pair of Christian Louboutins for every time I’ve heard that spoken, I’d have laundry for life and no need for clothes because my feet would look so damn good. Unfortunately, I don’t get paid in either. I simply reap the loss and go back to my trusty sewing kit and start to mend my shredded heart. Fortunately, yoga has taught me how to create a not only open heart but a throughly durable one. I could offer a lengthly chest opening sequence in the Aunusara style to rehabilitate the heart, but I’d rather focus on a very simple meditation sequence. For any of you lovebirds out there singing the blues, take a few minutes to try this at home building into a daily meditation. Usher the broken pieces out and invite fresh love back in.

Begin in a comfortable seat. This can be cross legged, lotus or simply propped up on a blanket for support in the lower back. Find a resting place for the hands, ideally on each knee taking the the thumbs and index fingers together (this is called Gyana Mudra). Taking this mudra (which translates to ‘seal’) enables you to communicate clearly. It helps one to draw energy and focus in which ultimately invites awareness, knowledge and calm. Begin to breath Ujjai breath. This consists of breathing in and out through the nose keeping the mouth shut and relaxed. Begin by making the breath slightly exaggerated. Imagine each inhale as a way to pull in good fuel. The inhale is the energy and focus coming in, the exhale is a way to push out any excess thought or baggage that you don’t need anymore. Find this balance between release and replace. After you find your rhythm, simply check in and see how you feel. We normally check in on both the physical and mental, but for this experiment let your main focus be on the emotional. Observe where you are, even if you are not pleased with it. You have to be honest with your current situation in order to move towards where you want to be. Once you’ve checked in, then begin to imagine exactly how you want to feel. Don’t play the pity card with yourself by immediately thinking ‘well, I know how I want to feel, but that’s impossible’. It is only impossible if you allow yourself to sit in that belief. Feel and see in your mind EXACTLY what you want. Once you can envision that, make the breath deeper. If you can verbalize what you want, repeat this mantra (ie. I want to feel release, or I want to be love all on my own). If you can’t come up with an actual phrase in your mind, focus on the sensation of what you want. Energetically move in the direction of healing. Practice this meditation everyday or as often as possible. Morning time is a fantastic time to practice because the mind hasn’t been bogged down by events of the day and you are still fresh from sleep. Most importantly, remember that healing takes time, but with this mediation, a pinch of belief, a dab of optimism and a wallop of love and appreciation for yourself, you’ll be just fine.


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