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3 Yoga Poses to Practice Self-Love This Valentine’s Day

Yoga | Yoga Poses

Regardless if you have a hot date, long time partner, or happen to be single this Valentine’s Day, the romantic holiday is a nice reminder to give yourself a little extra attention and some good old fashioned self-love.

Spend ten minutes with yourself, softening, checking in, and opening your heart with these three intimate poses.

1. Simple Seated Meditation

Credit: Anna Coventry Credit: Anna Coventry

Start seated in a simple cross-legged position with your sitting bones propped up on a blanket or a cushion. Allow your inner groin to release down toward the floor and lightly lift your sternum up as you lengthen your tailbone down.

Softly close your eyes and bring your awareness to the outer edges of your feet and sitting bones. Deepen your breath.

Bring one hand to your low belly and lightly rest the other over your heart center. Take 10 deep breaths into the space beneath your hands — expanding on the inhale and softening on the exhale.


2. Shoelace Pose

4 Cow Face Pose Variations-ShoelaceA somewhat intense hip opener, Shoelace Pose is a great pose for practicing self-compassion as you fold into yourself and deepen your breath. It’s like a full body hug.

Coming forward off of your cushion or blanket (or not if you have tighter hips), cross one leg completely over the other until the knees are stacked and your feet are outside of the opposite hip. Make sure that both sitting bones are evenly grounded.

Inhale and reach your arms up over heard, lengthening your torso; exhale and fold over your knees, allowing your arms to rest on either side. Take 8 to 10 deep breaths, relaxing your outer hips down and releasing your spine.


3. Supported Reclined Hero Pose

Reclined-Hero-Pose-Virasana-(Supta Virasana)Reclined Hero is a particularly yummy pose that opens and lengthens the entire front body while releasing deeply stored tension in the hips. Making the pose more restorative (i.e. supporting it with a bolster or blankets) passively expands the chest — coaxing your heart space open.

Starting in Virasana (Hero Pose), lie back over a bolster or a few folded blankets and allow your arms to open out to the sides. If it’s too much, sit up on a blanket or block and prop the far end of the bolster up with a block or a few pillows creating an incline.

As best you can, relax into the bolster, softly shut your eyes and breathe, staying as long as it is comfortable. If you’d like to use a mantra to steady your mind, internally say “let” as you breathe into your heart space, and “go” as you breathe out.


Try these poses this Valentine’s Day to help practice self-love and tune into yourself. And let us know your Valentine’s plans below!

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