You’ve (hopefully) recovered from the December holiday season, and while you may be too busy trying to prevent frostbite to focus on anything else — if you’re a bulldogger in a warm climate, feel free to point and laugh at the rest of us — you may want to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. For those of you involved in any kind of relationship, the time is now to start booking dinner reservations, finding your S.O.’s favorite treats, and writing the perfect sentimental-but-not-too-cheesey card. No pressure or anything, though. Who says Valentine’s Day has to be stressful?
It doesn’t really have to be, but whether you’re feeling the Feb. 14 stress or not, we have good news for you: yoga is good for your romantic relationship year-round. Keep reading for more details. And hey, if you really find yourself struggling to come up with a top notch Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other, you could always just remind them of how much your yoga practice is benefitting your life together. That could work, right? RIGHT?
Getting more comfortable with yourself will help you be comfortable with your partner. Relationships are all about intimacy, right? And in addition to being a great workout and a super fun time, yoga is nothing if not an opportunity to get to know Y-O-U a little more intimately. Spending time on the mat forces you to consider your physical limits, gives you the chance to meet and take down challenges, and even puts you in a spot to look silly every once in a while (we’ve all been there). This kind of intimacy with yourself may make you feel more comfortable establishing intimacy — emotional, mental, physical, and otherwise — with your significant other.
Yoga can make it easier for you to bring your best self to your relationship. “By practicing yoga, we come to know and love ourselves, we find self-acceptance… [and] an awareness and sensitivity to our own needs,” Azriel ReShel writes in Uplift. “When we are self-aware, self-responsible, and self-loving, we are ready to enter into a relationship with another. Too often we dive into relationships with our baggage intact.” Bust up that baggage — even if it’s the fancy kind that can charge your phone — with yoga so you can be the best partner possible.
Practicing yoga will boost your sense of independence. This may sound a little counterintuitive in the context of love-talk, but think about it: wouldn’t your relationship feel that much better if you and your partner loved, respected, and supported each other without feeling like you were totally reliant on the relationship? Wouldn’t you rather feel like your relationship was built from a place of want and desire, instead of dependence? When you’re in a regular yoga habit (especially our brand of butt-busting yoga), you’ll feel stronger and more confident than ever, which has the power to shift the dynamics of your relationship in a very good way.
Your sex life will get seriously good. You and your partner may already have a healthy (read: incredible) sex life, but yoga has the power to turn up the heat even further. It increases stamina, endurance, and flexibility, so life in the bedroom is bound to be steamy.
How can you use yoga to strengthen your relationships? Tell us on Facebook + Twitter!
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Hugging image: Becca Tapert/Unsplash; Kissing image: Scott Broome/Unsplash