Everybody goes through a heartbreak. The pain, the tears, and the sadness that a heartbreak accompanies are universal phenomena. And while we may be spending sufficient time tending to our face, digestion, and other organs in the body, we often forget to tend to a broken heart. As a result, you may be facing one or more physical and emotional ailments like high temper, stomach cramps, insomnia, and even reduced immunity. All this without knowing the true cause of these ailments and the added pain of closing yourself to love in the future.
You deserve better.
You deserve to recover.
How to recover from a heartbreak
Not by distractions. How many times have you binged on TV series, movies, and junk food to push away that awful feeling of heartache? We often try to recover from heartbreak with diversions, sometimes pretending nothing is wrong and at other times looking for an escape from the pain. But does that help in the long term?
It is okay to be broken. Be kind and take real steps to heal and recover.
Yoga for heartbreak
Your emotional and physical ailments post a heartbreak are due to blocked energy centers (chakra) and channels (nadi) in the body. Any kind of emotional distress blocks these subtle channels and centers. Yoga helps restore the balance of these centers and channels.
Therefore, yoga heals.
Not only the body. But the mind and soul too.
Taking refuge in yoga after a break-up is a decision you won’t regret.
Here is a short special yoga routine that will balance your body’s energy centers, including the heart chakra, the seat of love, fear, and hatred.
Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation stimulates all chakras in the body. The set of 12 postures is especially beneficial to:
- Relieve insomnia
- Reduce stress and bring calmness
- Strengthen the body and immunity
- Improve digestion
Skip this pose if you are experiencing body weakness, high blood pressure, heart problem, Arthritis, or bad back.
Anjali Mudra
Remember the humble namaste? Anjali Mudra is just that. Practice it after a few rounds of Surya Namaskar. Sit straight and bring your palms together in the middle of your chest where the heart chakra lies. Close your eyes and take deep breaths in and out. Bring your awareness to the center of your chest. After a while, rest both hands on your lap. The benefits of Anjali Mudra includes
- Balance in the heart chakra, turning hatred and despair into hope
- Increase in positive thoughts
- Calmness to an agitated mind
- Increase in awareness
“If your limb is broken, you can put a plaster. Your heart gets broken, but when you wake up it’s never broken. Make your heart like rubber, not glass. Glass can break in heat or cold. Make it elastic like rubber.” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Ustrasana
Ustrasana or camel pose is a back-bending posture that opens up the heart chakra, improves digestion and posture, and helps overcome menstrual discomfort. Skip it if you have a back or neck injury, or high or low blood pressure.
Shishuasana
Shishuasana or child pose is a must-do counter-pose of Ustrasana. The pose helps to calm the nervous system and relieve insomnia and constipation. Skip the pose in case of diarrhea, or back or knee injury.
Bhastrika Pranayama
Yoga for the broken heart must include breathing exercises or pranayama as these exercises reduce the mental agitation of a heartbreak and its overall impact on the body. Bhastrika pranayama is an energizing breathing exercise that unblocks energy centers (chakra), removes toxins, and balances doshas. Skip it if you have high blood pressure, panic disorders, and when you are pregnant.
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
Nadi Shodhana or the alternate nostril breathing exercise clears 72,000 subtle channels (nadi) in the body. These channels get blocked due to stress or emotional trauma. Practicing this pranayama helps relax the mind and release accumulated tension.
Hari Om Meditation
Close your practice with Hari Om Meditation, a special 20-minutes guided meditation that brings your attention to every major energy center. This meditation helps balance the energy centers and creates positive emotions.
Don’t let a heartbreak pull you down. It is possible to overcome the pain and the grief. Do it with the right Yoga poses, meditation, and breathing techniques. Wish you a happy journey to recovery.
Based on inputs by Deepti Thapa & Ana Caroline Gomez, Faculty, Sri Sri Yoga
Heartbreak causes emotional distress and later blocks energy centers (chakras) and channels (nadi). These blocked chakras and nadi cause sickness post heartbreak. Yoga asanas aid in restoring the balance of these chakras and nadi. Hence, Yoga heals the body, mind and soul.
Yoga for a broken heart must include breathing exercises or pranayama as these exercises reduce the mental agitation of a heartbreak.
Surya Namaskar calms the agitated mind
Namaskar mudra balances the heart chakra, turns hatred and despair into hope
Bhastrika pranayama is an energizing breathing exercise that unblocks energy centers (chakra), removes toxins, and balances doshas
Nadi Shodhan clears 72,000 subtle channels (nadi) in the body. It helps relax the mind and release accumulated tension
Hari Om Meditation balances the energy centers and creates positive emotions
Take your time to recover from heartbreak. Make no haste. Be kind to yourself and take practical steps to heal and recover.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's wisdom can help in healing a broken heart-
“In true love, there is no heartbreak. A broken heart means broken demands, broken expectations and broken hopes.”
Yoga for the broken heart must include breathing exercises or pranayama as these exercises reduce the mental agitation of a heartbreak.
Surya Namaskar, Namaskar mudra, Bhastrika pranayama, Nadi Shodhan and Hari Om Meditation balances the energy centers and nadis and creates positive emotions.
For some, it could be sooner than others. Don't make comparisons. You are unique, so your recovery time from heartbreak will also be in a specific time.
Shortness of breath, heavy sighs, crying bouts or anger outbursts, loneliness, worthlessness and faint or piercing pain in the chest are some of the signs of a broken heart.
A broken heart feels like a crushing or shrinking sensation, faint pain, or piercing pain lasting from a few seconds to several days, depending on how soon you follow and implement practical steps to heal and recover.
Yoga, Surya namaskar, namaskar mudra, pranayama, meditation, calming food, being with nature, getting involved in Seva activities and talking out to your dear ones can help in anxiety after a heartbreak.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's wisdom can help in dealing with a breakup -
“In true love, there is no heartbreak. A broken heart means broken demands, broken expectations and broken hopes.”
“If your limb breaks, you can put a plaster. Your heart gets broken, but when you wake up, it’s never broken. Make your heart like rubber, not glass. Glass can break in heat or cold. Make it elastic like rubber.”
