The last few weeks have been an emotional hurricane, as my family lost someone very near and dear to us. During this turbulent time, I felt hurricane-like forces were spinning me in circles. And during this time, yoga was the only thing that made it stop, at least temporarily. That gave me some grounding and perspective to help process. The recurring theme for my practice was heart opening. It’s quite fitting that I wrote my latest yoga tutorial for Athleta on this topic, and it definitely, beyond a doubt, came from the heart.

It’s February, when a case of the mid-winter blahs may be causing your shoulders to sag. It’s also Valentine’s, when we might ponder the state of our heart. So it’s a good time for some heart opening yoga, and making these poses part of our regular practice all year long can help keep our shoulders from rounding forward and our hearts from closing to the blessings in our lives.