February often gets a bad rap. It sits between the promise of the new year and the visible signs of spring, My morning walks take in the luminous moss, the rhythmic rain this week and little white buds of hope as the snow drops peak out of the soil.
This is the heart chakra season–Anahata–and its not just about romance or sentimentality. Its about relationships. With ourselves. With others.
In yoga therapy, the heart is not something to “open” but something to befriend especially in the dreary Westcoast days of rain and mist. Below are three gentle ways to embrace your heart 💚 month, and does include a little chocolate 🍫. Read on!
- Walk where the winter is still speaking. Choose a familiar path, forest, beach, or neighborhood and walk it slowly. Let your arms swing naturally and let your breath find a rhythm. Just noticed the moss, the birdsong, the soft light and let the heartbeat set the pace. Allow some time for the heart to find its rhythm.
- Pause. I say this so often in my blog posts! It’s so vital to being present. To remembering ourselves in the moment (reducing our racing thoughts about the past or the future). Once or twice a day, place a hand on your heart and one hand on your belly. Breathe naturally for a minute and Ask: what would you like to be filled with; nourished with right now? No fixing. Just listening. (You might hear that you need a good piece of dark chocolate:)
- Offer small warmth. Choose simple acts of care this month. A message, a meal, a candle at dusk, tending to something live. Let love move through small, doable gestures.
I leave you with a closing poem and a heart filled thank you for your continued support along this yogic path:
The heart does not ask for spring while the ground is still cold.
It asks for warmth to stay.
A hand on the chest. A flame at dusk. A promise whispered beneath the soil on a paused walk.
Not much is blooming yet.
But the heart knows it is enough.
With Gratitude, Michelle
Westcoast Duck Yoga 
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