Hey {{first_name|there}},

Yoga is the practice of connection: to breath, to body, to self, and to others.

So, what happens when we view our relationships through the lens of yoga?

And, what happens when we view our yoga through the lens of love?

This issue is an exploration of The Five Love Languages and how they show up on the mat, in your rituals, and in your daily life as doorways into deeper awareness.

The idea of love languages comes from Dr. Gary Chapman, a counselor and author who noticed that people express and receive love in different ways and that relationships often suffer not from a lack of love, but from a mismatch in how it’s being given. He distilled these into five core patterns: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service, and Receiving Gifts.

Though the concept isn't backed by hard science as a universal truth, its staying power speaks to something we all recognize: we each have a unique emotional fingerprint when it comes to feeling seen, safe, and loved. These five archetypes are more like starting points - languages of the heart that can guide us in both relationship and ritual, both on the mat and in daily life. Whatever language(s) you lean towards, these patterns are more than preferences. They’re reflections of how we seek safety, meaning, and expression.

Society often teaches us to perform love, but what does it mean to actually practice it?

Understanding your love language can transform how you show up off the mat, in your relationships, your workplace, and your everyday rhythms. So what are they?

💬 Words of Affirmation: Using positive, intentional words to uplift, affirm, and nurture connection.
Send a message to your friend just to say you’re proud of them. Compliment a coworker’s effort, not just their results. Speak gently to yourself in moments of frustration.

⏳️ Quality Time: Offering your full, present attention to someone as an expression of love and presence.
Put your phone away during conversations with your partner, your children, your friends. Schedule a walk or tea with a loved one and be fully present. In work settings, this might look like showing up early to a meeting to genuinely connect before diving in.

✋ Physical Touch: Using physical connection, or somatic presence, as a way to communicate care, safety, and love.
This could be a hug, a hand on your own heart to recognize anxiety, or gently rubbing your child’s back when they feel overwhelmed. Touch doesn’t have to mean contact, it can also be feeling the weight of your body in a grounded seat, or noticing the sensation of a warm bath water on your skin.

🫶 Acts of Service: Taking thoughtful action to ease another’s burden and show support through doing.
Run the errand your partner is dreading. Bring water to your team during a long day. Even tidying your workspace, cleaning your kitchen or prepping a nourishing lunch is a way to care.

💌 Receiving Gifts: Giving or receiving tangible symbols of thoughtfulness and love, rooted in intention.
This could be a handwritten note, a playlist, a flower from your walk, or your partner’s favorite vegan ice cream when they’re on their moon cycle (hint hint, Flo). The key is intentionality, not extravagance. When it comes to self-love, this might mean enrolling in that class you’ve been eyeing, buying something that truly nourishes you, or honoring a personal milestone.

It’s one thing to find new ways of how you can give love. It’s another to ask those around you how they best receive it.

Try asking your partner, children, friends, or coworkers:
“How do you feel most appreciated or loved?”
You might be surprised.

And you might realize you’ve been speaking one language, while they hear another.

Love languages are like dialects of the heart. Learning someone’s language is a practice in compassion, curiosity, and deepened connection. It’s also a form of yoga, a union of intention and awareness.

In yogic philosophy, the heart is more than a metaphor. It’s anahata, the energetic center of compassion, devotion, and connection. Love, in this context, is expansive. It’s the universal vibration beneath the noise of separation.

It’s also deeply practical. It informs how we show up for others, and how we show up for ourselves. And it mirrors svadhyaya, which in Sanskrit means self-study or study of the self: the practice of turning inward with curiosity, reflecting on your patterns, and learning from your inner world. Knowing your love language is an entry point into understanding how you feel, give, and receive love. And how that shapes your energy, boundaries, and connections.

So how can we integrate the love languages into our daily practice?

So, how can you take what you have learned here and turn it into wisdom with which you can integrate into your every day? We got you. Start small and from a point of awareness. Noticing the way in which you feel most loved first is a great place to begin. Here are some takeaways for you to screenshot and try this month.

Now it’s time for you to share with those around you how you give and receive love best, and get curious about theirs.

Speaking the love language which resonates with yourself and others most might just change everything.

Always in service to you.

🔗 Love Languages Actually Do Improve Your Relationship – Time
A science-backed article showing that couples who use each other’s love languages report greater relationship satisfaction and emotional connection.

📖 All About Love by Bell Hooks – a poetic, clear-eyed look at love as a practice

📖 The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman – helpful in life, love, and self-awareness

📖 The 5 Love Languages of Children by Dr. Gary Chapman – build a foundation of unconditional love for your child

📺 10% Happier with Dan Harris: The Power of Ritual – Michael Norton on transforming habits into healing

🎧 6 Steps On How To Understand Your Partner’s Love Language & Improve Your Communication Instantly - Jay Shetty breaks down his six steps to understanding your partner’s love language and improve your communication now.

📚 Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: timeless insights on flowing with life and embracing simplicity.

🎧 Understanding This Will Change How You Experience Your Entire Life: Learn how spirituality rewires your brain for more meaning, connection, and joy with Dr Lisa Miller on The Mel Robbins Podcast.

📖 Embodied by Swami Jaya Devi: a raw and beautiful memoir of urban yoga, presence, and living with integrity.

Hello beautiful soul, in case you need to hear this today…
You are so loved, so valued, and we want you to know we are with you on this journey, always.

Here’s a little tune to remind you that love may be a short, 4-letter word but the act itself has infinite power.

…❤️…