• Where do you keep your heart?

Is it locked in a box so no one can find it?

Is it behind a wall and no one can climb it?

Is it high on a shelf too far from yourself?

Where do you keep your heart?

Do you bring it with you wherever you go?

Do you give it to others to whom you don’t know?

Does your heart see through your eyes — that brilliant disguise?

Or do you see through your heart?

Maybe now’s the time to start

Does your heart guide you from deep inside you?

If you and your heart are one and not two,

Perhaps a better question to ask is,

“Where does your heart keep you?”

Open your heart anyway you know how.

Namaste.

- Your Charmed Yogi Lisa Agostoni

• Here are 20 Ways to Open Your Heart – On and Off the Yoga Mat:

Give everyone you see a big smile, a wave, warm greetings and make eye contact Buy a stranger coffee Pay the road toll for the car behind you Ask someone you don’t know how they are, and mean it Show yourself some compassion on the mat, and be compassionate with your yoga classmates – leave the competition outside Volunteer at a senior living facility and give the gift of a warm heart and an ear – you might hear a fascinating story or two Listen with your heart, don’t worry about teeing up what you’re going to say in response Sink deeply and easily into Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose) to open the space between your shoulders and calm the mind Tell someone you love that you love them Tell someone you work with that you are grateful for them Put a fresh roll of toilet paper on the empty roll (sounds silly but karmically awesome) Spend 10 minutes in supported Matsyasana (Fish Pose); it opens the heart and ribs, stimulates muscles in the belly and throat, releases the upper back Set your neighbor’s recycling bin out by the curb Hug your family and friends with true affection Take your dog for a walk Buy a bag of dog or cat food for the local animal shelter Be the first to let the car at the stop sign go in front of you Shine your heart open in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) or Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow or Wheel Pose) Donate to your favorite charity today and frequently Give gold star stickers to everyone in your life

• When we think of the term, “open your heart,” it often suggests opening yourself up to love — romantic love. And that’s great. But what about all of the other ways you can simply open your heart to others, to gratitude, to joy? In yoga, we often talk about opening your Heart Chakra — one of the seven major energy centers of the body that’s located in the center of your heart (energetically speaking.)
• Close your eyes and place your right hand over your heart.

Feel your heart, your center. Now, place your left hand over your right hand. Connect with yourself, the center of your being, the source of your love. Send yourself love, compassion, affection, forgiveness, patience, acceptance. Breathe in and receive that love. Now, bring your hands together in prayer at your heart. And, send out the same love, compassion, affection, forgiveness, patience, acceptance. Breathe out and send love.

• "Give up defining yourself—to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it’s their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don’t be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious Presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are." ~ Eckhart Tolle
• Practice heartfulness, dwell in your heart space more.

Try this heart opening exercise: "Imagine that there is a light in your upper chest near your heart, growing brighter and brighter, radiating. Breathe slowly and deeply, filling your lungs with air. Now let the light have a nice steady glow, like the glow you see from a candle, only much larger. Let it become more radiant and begin to surround your whole body. That’s it, the sensation you’re getting in your chest is all right, that is your heart opening. Now imagine sending a beam from this glowing area to someone or something you want to share love with. There you go, that's love."