It is a few minutes past 5 a.m., the beginning of my daily yoga practice.

My rig ht leg is lunging forward, the right foot pointing to the front. My left leg is placed straight and solid behind me. I breathe in and raise my arms, stretching them slowly out toward both sides. I look over my right hand, all of its fingers stretching themselves in one line away from my right shoulder. This is Virabhad rasana, or the Warrior II yoga pose. I feel good. Bounding into the yoga pose A relationship is like a yoga posture. Getting into a relationship, everything i s rosy bliss. The stars glitter in one anothers eyes. You feel like the glorious hero of an action movie who has just saved the world from a great enemy. Sunligh t is like the beloveds warm embrace, rain is liquid happiness. There is a story t o Virabhadras yoga pose. As told in the Mahabharata, the great Hindu spiritual ep ic, Lord Shivas beloved, Shakti, happened to be the daughter of his enemy, Daksha . Shaktis father openly refused the marriage. Shakti was so grieved of her fathers disapproval that she took her own life. The warrior Virabhadra was born out of a lock of Shivas hair he had dashed to the ground while avenging his wifes death. Use yoga to soften communication in a relationship In that flash of energy, Lord Shiva must have been practicing yoga. A yoga breat h technique couples can use to help maintain a happy relationship is called the H mmm! breath. This breath technique can instantly calm the mind and a relationship when the tension mounts. To practice Hmmm! breath: begin by taking refuge in a qu iet corner. Simply cover the nose and mouth with a handkerchief and, say Hmmm! lou dly with the mouth closed. Repeat as necessary. Yoga allows love to happen In yoga as in love, the trick is allowing the process to happen. This is the yes m ind. Yes is the balance needed to create a haven of communication, a space to rest in the relationship. Yes to each other means, yes to giving each other space, and ye s to just being together in silence. It means saying yes to each others mistakes, un foreseen expectations and weaknesses. This spiritual wisdom can bring the streng th not to fall out of the yoga pose. Staying centered in the yoga pose Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living, says, Love is not an emotion. It is your very nature. Through practicing yoga, pranayams (yogic breathing exer cises) and Sudarshan Kriya , a stress-relieving breathing technique of The Art o f Living, this truth has become more obvious to me. With each day of yoga practi ce, I realize a smile and that warm fuzzy bliss I feel after a restful meditatio n is the real me. This sense of calm, of quiet observance, is the same as a succ essfully balanced yoga pose. A little wobbling is natural Sometimes in the Warrior II yoga pose, I feel a pinch in my back, the result of long hours spent working on a computer. Waves of uneasiness radiate from the cru nched muscle tissues in my back, and I close my eyes. Breathe, I tell myself, al lowing myself to practice yoga, to be a witness to this uncomfortable feeling. T he muscles are caught unsure of what to do, confused by this new situation. All of a sudden, things stop feeling natural, something is not quite right. I begin to lose balance. Taking deep breaths, I agree to be a witness to the discomfort, and with some wobbling and wiggling in the pose, I come back to balance. Witnessing the process of a relationship, of a yoga pose, needs faith and streng th. Sometimes I have to make extra space between my shoulders. That means slight ly adjusting one here and maybe lowering the other there. Watching my breath. Th ere is discomfort, but these are my shoulders, and they are not going anywhere. Yoga and doubt Whether it is a yoga pose, or a relationship, doubts may come up when something

The yoga of love In a relationship, Sri Sri says, There are two secrets: one for men, one for wome n. Women should always pump the ego of a man. When he is tired, when he finds bl ame everywhere, the only place he turns to is his wife to find solace. She shoul d support him 100 percent and not put him down. For men, Sri Sri advocates, Men sh ould never step on the emotions of a woman. Never say bad things about her famil y, her childhood, her past, or her hobbies. If she wants to go for a meditation, anything religious, never say no, because these are very dear to her. You just be stable, smile. A space of love A smile shows on the surface of the yes mind. A couple can take the time to nouris h their smiles both together and individually. Practicing yoga together, and bei ng engaged in volunteer service are two ways to stay spiritually connected. And that generosity in service, giving of oneself in love will flow back into the re lationship. It is a law of the universe. Allowing for time off to be alone individually is as important as the relationsh ip. For love to blossom, there needs to be longingand longing needs a little space , says Sri Sri. Though it is a little painful, longing is inevitable. If you dont a llow longing, then love does not grow. So, give them some spaceand take some spac e yourself. Like the balance of the five elements in nature, in the Warrior II yoga asana, I balance between the five points of my body: my head, two arms and two legs. In this yoga pose, sometimes I find myself paying more attention to adjusting my ha nds. At other times, I want to deepen the connection of my feet to the ground. N ourishing a support group of friends and family nourishes a relationship. Spendi ng quality time with friends, spending time alone with nature, or just being in quiet solitude can deepen the relationship with ones Self. Honoring time As time passes in a relationship, a couple witnesses that expectations and attit udes change. The relationship can become better with more yoga and meditation pr actice. We can learn how to communicate better in the relationship, to be more p atient and forgiving. Again and again, the cycle rotates from rosy and glorious bliss to momentary shakiness. There may be confusion when little earthquakes sha ke. Commitment is what holds the yoga pose together, when you decide not to fall . Spirituality is what gives the strength to see it through. And even Lord Shiva was a witness to this cycle. His beloved Shakti eventually d id return back to him, reincarnated as Parvati in her next life, though the same soul. (Marilyn is a yoga enthusiast who loves to incorporate her inspiration about yog a postures and spirituality into her writing and art.)

unexpected or disappointing happens. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says even doubt can be positive. You know, if someone tells you that they love you, you say, Really? Isn t it so?, says Sri Sri. But you take it for granted when someone expresses their h atred towards you. If someone asks you, Are you happy? you say, Well, I am not sure . We doubt in love. You never doubt your depression, but you always doubt your ha ppiness. So a doubt is always about something that is positive.