How To Heal A Broken Heart

It's probable that many of you are mourning the loss of the Patriots' perfect season at the Superbowl last night. I'm with you; it's devastating, shocking, and, like a sucker punch in the abdomen, painful. In this delicate situation, I don't think it's wise for me to breeze through it, wax poetic about how "nobody's perfect," or suggest that the defeat serves as a necessary example of staying rooted in the present moment, not gazing perilously ahead toward victory parades and commemorative books before, well, a victory.

Instead, I'll share the following simple antidotes for healing a broken heart (football induced or otherwise), and then, shove off to sleep, hoping that I'll awake to find that this is all an awful dream.

-Backbends (e.g. fish pose, wheel, upward dog). These movements open your heart. It's an important practice even if Eli Manning just crushed it. You might physically feel as though backbends are more difficult if you're carrying around a "heavy heart," so move gingerly. There's no need to overdo it.

-Meditation. Try 5 minutes a day to start. Sit comfortably, with your spine straight. Breathe deeply. If you get distracted, try counting your breathes. When all else fails, count the days until Red Sox spring training.

-No Pudge Brownies. They're made with yogurt but taste even better than the "real" kind. They're available at Whole Foods or in the health food aisle of most larger grocers. Trust me on this one. They're practically medicinal.

-Accupuncture. After a particularly painful breakup a few years ago, I sought this ancient Chinese treatment as a cure. It seemed to help, and being stuck with needles can't feel much different that losing to the Giants. (Ouch, it hurts just to type that).

-Humor. Try www.funnyordie.com.

Have any heart-mending advice of your own? Feel free to share. I may need it later (after sitting in meditation, having licked clean a bowl of brownie mix, while pressing featherlight accupuncture needles into my face).