4 Yoga Practices to Share this Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day, offer Love & Gratitude to yourself and those around you, with some of our favourite Heart Meditations and Breathing Techniques. Since we love to practice with Yogi’s of all ages, we have given you some tips on how to adapt each practice to suit your playful little yogis too.

Metta Meditation

Lying or sitting, take a few moment to get settled and centred. Imagine your heart filling with a bright light full of kindness, love and compassion. Visualise this light reaching out and connecting to someone in your life that you love. Let your hearts connect and offer this person or being, love, light and kindness. (After a few breaths) repeat to yourself, May they be safe, May they be happy, May they be at peace

Now extend the light from your heart to someone or a group of people that you do not personally know, but you’re aware that they need kindness and compassion in their lives. (After a few breaths) repeat to yourself,

May they be safe,

May they be happy,

May they be at peace

Continue this visualisation by offering light to a person that you feel disconnected from in your life (maybe someone you’re trying to forgive; or someone you hold negative feelings towards); a higher being or something you feel is greater than yourself; finally, offer loving-kindness to yourself. Ensure that you mentally repeat the phrase from above each time that you visualise a person/being.

** Tips for using this meditation with little ones – Keep it simple by asking them to offer love & light to just one or two of the above people we suggested. Ask them to mentally repeat,

May they be safe and happy

Heart Breath

Sitting comfortably, with your hands resting on your knees, palms facing up. Start to breathe more deeply into your heart space - your chest and back of the shoulders - breathing in and out through your nose, slowly and with control. Start to visualise your breath entering your heart space on the inhale, bringing in love & light. Visualise the breath leaving through the palms of your hands on the exhale, releasing any unwelcome emotions, thoughts or tension.

** When using this with younger children, ask them to create a heart shape using their hands. On the inhale bring your heart shape in-front of your chest to bring in love & light, on the exhale send you heart shape, full of love & light, out to the world by reaching your arms up and out.

Partner Yoga

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to explore partner yoga with your other half, your children or anyone that you would like to share a connection with through yoga play. Our favourite partner pose for Valentine’s Day enables the back of your hearts to connect so that you can feel each others breath and maybe even each others heart beat.

This pose is relaxing for both partners especially if you breathe more deeply so that the partner on top gently moves up and down with the breath. You can even add a few Bramhari (Humming Bee) Breaths so that you can hear & feel the vibrations of your partner’s breath. For more Partner poses, check out our Partner Yoga Blog

Mantra Meditation

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

May all beings in the world be happy & at peace

This is one of my favourite mantras and is perfect to use to keep your mind focused whilst sending out positive vibrations to your loved ones. You may repeat this mantra silently in your mind or you can chant out loud. If you’re using this mantra with children, you can sing it together or practice the mantra in call-and-response, using different rhythms, volume and body percussion to keep their little mind focused and engaged.

If you would like to learn more creative yoga & meditation techniques, join one of our upcoming courses or trainings.