Soothing a Broken Heart with Yoga
Breakups are tough. They bring up intimate questions and issues that may have eluded us during the relationship we’ve just ended. We’re often saddened and troubled by the void left in our lives and the pain of separation from someone we love. But as yogis, we have tools to control those emotions. After all, we are not what we feel. We are what we choose to be. Here are five tips to help you transition through your time of need with grace and a calm mind.
1. Cold Showers
Google “cold shower health benefits” and you’ll find a host of sites listing tons of benefits. There is nothing better to get you going in the morning than the rush of super cold water on your skin. Cold showers not only improve circulation and contribute to burning fat, but they also help regulate mild depression. Instead of laying in bed, hugging your pillow, and missing the person that used to sleep there, jump out of bed and clear you head with the invigorating sensation of a cold shower. Once, when a student complained to Yogi Bhajan that the water in her mountain town was very cold, Yogi Ji replied bay saying that she was very blessed, as the colder the water, the better.
2. Strengthen the Navel Point
Do you know how to check if your navel point is centered? Do stretch pose with breath of fire between 30 seconds to a minute. Feel that pulsing in your belly? Make a point with your fingers and push straight down toward the spine a couple inches below the belly button. If you don’t feel that pulse directly centered, you’re off. Do more stretch pose, throw in some leg lifts or go all the way and do Naabhi Kriya. A centered navel is the root to controlling your emotions.
3.Healing The Wounds of The Heart Meditation
Pretty self explanatory. This is a lovely meditation that can be found in the “I am a Woman” manual, though it’s not only for women. The meditation uses the chant “Mera Man Lochai” which sings of one’s love for the infinite. It will transform your emotion into devotion.
4. Kriya for Detoxification
Detox doesn’t just refer to a substance. It also refers to the detoxification of the mind. This kriya will help you eliminate and process emotions that you didn’t even know were there. We take in a lot more than we process out, so we need yoga like this to break through those invisible energetic blocks.
5. Read Up
Yogi Bhajan has tons of teachings on effective and healthy relationships. “Man to Man” and all of the Women’s manuals, to name a few. Get to know the yogic perspective on partnership. It’s so different to the point of view with which we are raised in Western society. Perhaps, in the future, you can apply the wisdom and technology of Kundalini Yoga to aid you in your journey.
To sum up, humans just want to be loved. Often we look outside for that sensation of comfort and acceptance. In doing, we often set ourselves up to be hurt. By strengthening our discipline as yogis and calming our hearts and minds, we can make better decisions in our love lives.
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After reading this I listened to Mera Man Lochai all day. Great tips, thanks!
Shabd–love to you. What a great article. Thanks for writing and sharing……I am lucky I don’t need this and have the most wonderful hubby-best friend-lover ever. Blessings to you and a great big wahe guru…….AND HUGS!
[...] send love, meditate on someone’s heart mending from a break-up. Wish only good to people around you. The power of a good wish is astonishing. The more good you [...]
Great article. And it came so close several times on saying the most important part of loving and healing the wounds of love… And that is to first and foremost love yourself. If you purely and deeply love yourself, you won’t put yourself in a position to be hurt, first of all – because you won’t let yourself get intertwined in the end game of “relationships” – rather you will just always be in a state of relating. Love will be all around you when you love yourself first. But if you do get hurt, then sending yourself love is the best practice. Finding a touchstone of deep love, and magnifying it through meditation is your core relief. Because when you fill yourself with love, amazing things begin to happen – and you will see love at every turn, in every breath, and in everyone. But to do this, you need to be, feel, and act in consciousness and meditate consistently. Practicing this selfishly will begin to change you from the inside out, and never again will you trap yourself into the hurt of a false and calculated love which comes from personal agenda and need. Your pure love will be deeply radiating from within and no words or acts can take away a self love which is deeply rooted inside of your consciousness. It is a gift to yourself, that once you’ve found keeps on giving in Infinite layers and waves to all those around you.
Thank you Fateh,
That is an integral aspect that I could have touched on. So well put.
Thanks for the tips! I’d like to add one more. The California flower called “Bleeding Heart” helped me a lot when I was going through this kind of situation.
And I have a question: Can you take a cold shower when you are on your period?
Sat Nam
Sat nam,
You don’t need to take a cold shower during your period, but you can if you feel good about it. Blessings! ~Ramdesh