Valentine’s Day is a special day to celebrate your love and affection for your partner.
You might be considering celebrating Valentine’s at a swanky cocktail lounge or a trendy local restaurant. These can be great, but can be crowded, noisy and feel commercial. If you’re hoping to be intimate with your loved one in a cozy and comfortable space, why not consider your home?
A Valentines Day celebration at home can be just as special and intimate as a night out, and making your home retreat allows you to create your own unique, special memories.
The key to celebrating at home is setting the right mood. From Valentines Day Yoga to Karaoke Night, here are 10 of our favorite tips for home retreat ideas for a romantic and memorable Valentines Day.
10 Valentines Day home retreat ideas:
1. Practise Valentines Day Yoga for Self-love
Relax and spend quality time together being mindful. Relax and recline in this Valentine’s day Heart-centred Yoga sequence to activate your Heart Chakra. Your Heart Chakra is your energy center for love, relationships, and emotional balance.
Heart-centred Yoga Sequence for Valentines
The 7 poses in this Valentines Day Yoga sequence create spaciousness in the shoulder, neck and back areas through long, passive holds.
They activate, align, and balance your Heart Chakra to empower you to give and receive love freely and enjoy a blissful relationship with your loved ones and yourself. As you’re in the poses try these Heart Chakra Affirmations or a Heart Chakra Mudra to channel joy, love and compassion.
- What you’ll need: Prepare two blocks and a bolster or any yoga prop substitutes such as thick books, cushions or a rolled up blanket.
- How to practice: Try each of these poses separately, or all 7 of these as a sequence. If you practice them as a sequence, be sure to leave at least 45 seconds to 1 minute for any preferred rebound of choice (rebound pose, rebound movement, or remaining in stillness observing).
- How to finish: When practicing these poses as a sequence, leave 5-15 minutes at the end for savasana, ideally with a Yoga bolster under your knees.
- When practicing you may wish to have a notebook or journal and writing materials nearby to jot down any threads of thought or insights as they come to you.
Get ready to release, restore and melt away on your mat.
1. Supported fish pose (5 mins)
Fish Pose Instructions:
- Prepare 2 Yoga blocks, place one so it is the tallest, the second so it is long.
- Bend both knees, and gently, back facing the blocks, lower yourself using the support of your hands so your thoracic spine rests on the second block and the back of your head rests on the first.
- Allow your knees to open out but keep your feet together, coming into a butterfly position in your lower body.
Benefits of Fish Pose:
- Fish pose stretches the intercostal muscles between the ribs, muscles and fascia of the chest, shoulders, abdominals and neck.
- while stimulating and stretching the belly as well as the throat, empowering you to connect with your Heart Chakra and your Throat Chakra so you can listen to your heartfelt intention and speak this heartfelt wisdom.
- Butterfly position in the lower half of the body stretches the groin, adductors, hamstrings, knees, connecting you with the Sacral Chakra and Root Chakra to cultivate safety and trust.
2. Reclining Eagle pose: Left (2-3 min) Right (2-3 min)
Fish Pose Instructions:
- Lie on your back. Cross the right leg over the left, and if accessible, hook the right foot around the left ankle.
- Open your arms out to the sides in a T-shape, perpendicular to the body, and then cross the left elbow over the right.
- Press the backs of the forearms against each other. If your palms can touch, let them touch.
Fish Pose Benefits:
- Reclining Eagle stretches the shoulders, upper back, and thighs, as it strengthens your core, thighs, legs, and ankles.
- It also stretches and activates the meridian channels of the small intestine, large intestine and triple heater.
3. Bananasana: Left (2-3 min) Right (2-3 min)
Bananasana Instructions:
- Lie supine and lengthen your arms overhead. Slowly arch your body sideways to the right. If you wish to you can hold your left wrist with your right hand and cross your left leg over your right.
- Stay for 2-3 minutes, then come back to the center, observe the differences between the sides, before repeating on the other side for 2-3 minutes
Bananasana Benefits:
- This puts the spine in lateral flexion and stretches all the side body tissues and muscles such as the IT band and intercostal muscles,
- stimulating the Gallbladder meridian and Heart and Lung meridian channels (if arms are raised overhead).
4. Open Wing Right (2-3 min) and Left (2-3 min)
Open Wing Pose Instructions:
- Lie prone on your stomach, and open your arms in a T shape—90 degrees or less from your torso with your palm facing down.
- Turn your head to face to the left. Bend your left elbow and place your palm under your shoulder as if you’re about to prepare for cobra pose.
- Then, press through your left hand into the floor to roll onto the right side of your body. You can also step your left foot behind you and lengthen it away from you to add a thigh and groin stretch.
Open Wing Pose Benefits:
- This pose stretches the deeper tissues of the shoulders, as well as the hips and the inner thighs (in the variation with the top leg stepping behind).
- It also stimulates the Heart and Lung meridian channels in the arms.
5. Melting Heart / Puppy Pose (3 min)
Melting Heart Pose Instructions:
- From all fours, walk your hands forward and rest your chest to the floor.
- Keep your hips right above your knees. If possible, keep your hands shoulder width apart. You can rest either your head or chin to the floor, whichever feels better for you.
Puppy Pose Benefits:
- Puppy pose puts the body in a backbend for the upper and middle back, opening the shoulders and softening the heart.
- This pose also stretches and stimulates the Stomach and Spleen meridian channels.
6. Wide-legged Child’s pose with palms up (3 min)
Child’s Pose Instructions:
- From all fours with toes untucked, widen your knees apart and sit your bum towards your heels.
- Lengthen your arms out by the side of your ears, and turn the palms face upwards towards the sky. If your head does not touch the mat, use any cushions, blankets or blocks to support it.
Child’s Pose Benefits:
- A restful healing pose, wide-legged Child’s pose targets the Spleen, Kidney and Urinary Bladder meridians as well as the Liver meridian.
- In this variation, leave your arms outstretched in a gesture of openness to allow, accept and receive, while also stimulating the meridian channels of the inner arms, the Heart, Pericardium and Lung.
7. Cow-face pose / Shoelace with Hero legs (2-3 min) and Left (2-3 min)
Cow Face Pose Instructions:
- Start in seiza or hero pose. Raise your left arm straight up toward the ceiling.
- Bend the left elbow, bringing the left hand to the back of mid back, upper back or your neck, whichever is accessible for you.
- Reach the right arm out to the right side, bend the elbow, and bring the right arm up towards your left. If the palms can clasp, let them clasp, if not, let them rest, touching your back. Prevent your head from tilting forward by pressing the back of your head into your left arm.
Cow Face Pose Benefits:
- Cow face pose stretches and strengthens the chest, shoulders.
- It improves flexibility in stiff shoulders.
- It also stretches and activates the meridian channels of the small intestine, large intestine and triple heater in the outer arms. In this variation with the lower body in seiza, it also stretches the thighs where the stomach meridians are.
Looking for something more fluid? Try this gentle Heart-centered Qigong and Yoga flow practice for Love and Self-compassion. Or try these 8 Heart opening Yoga poses like Wheel pose to brighten your heart.
2. Cook a Romantic Dinner and Dessert
Cook a special meal together using each other’s favourite ingredients, or recreate the dish you love from your favourite restaurant.
Set the table with a beautiful tablecloth, fresh flowers, and scented candles. Enjoy the meal while sipping on a glass of wine and listening to your favourite playlist.
For a sweet ending, try a simple, tasty dessert: Chocolate-dipped strawberries. Dip fresh strawberries in melted semi-sweet chocolate, leave them to cool, then place them in the refrigerator for an hour to harden. Enjoy with a bottle of your favourite champagne!
3. Write Love Letters
A simple yet creative and heartfelt way to give and receive love is through Valentine’s Day love letters.
Add a fun twist – imagine you’re writing to your 80 year old significant other, or your significant other on the day of your first date.
Let your partner know why they are so special to you. Tell them how they make you feel, which of their qualities you admire, and what made you fall in love with them. Declare your love for them, quirks and all! When you’re done writing, exchange the letters, or even read them to each other. If you’re struggling to find the right words, get some ideas here.
4. Cuddle up over a Movie Marathon
A Valentine’s Day movie date is perfect for snuggling close under a blanket to watch a movie together.
Pick out your favourite rom coms, action movies or pick any genre that tickles your fancy. Maybe you’re both horror, or sci-fi fans? Or maybe you’d like to look through old photo albums or home movies instead.
If you’re out of ideas, take Oprah’s advice. Remember, nothing is off limits! Prepare some homemade popcorn, order in some pizza or takeout and settle in for a cozy night on the couch.
5. Have a Game Night:
Play your favourite board games or card games together.
Engaging in play helps to relieve stress, improve your problem-solving skills and connect with each other.
Pick from favourites like Scrabble, Monopoly, Truth or Dare, Codenames: Duet, Slap Jack or Speed. Make it exciting by making a friendly bet where the winner gets to pick the next activity, or win any prize of their choice… maybe a neck massage?
6. Create a Rejuvenating Home Spa
Transform your bathroom into a spa haven. Fill up the tub with bubbles and rose petals, light some scented candles, place some fairy lights and play soft music to give an authentic retreat feeling.
Pick your favourite essential oil aroma and use a diffuser to create the mood you prefer: Lavender can soothe anxiety, insomnia and promote relaxation, Bergamot can reduce stress, uplift and calm, and while sweet orange can reduce pain, inflammation and boost your mood.
7. Try a Romantic Shoulder and Neck Massage
Massages can relieve muscle tension and reduce pain by improving blood circulation to over-strained areas.
One of the most neglected areas is the neck and shoulder area. Try giving each other a romantic shoulder and neck massage for Valentine’s Day. Warm your palms with some optional massage oil or lotion and place it on your partner’s shoulder.
Gently turn your partner’s head to the opposite side to stretch the muscle. Then, use medium-firm pressure to help release the muscle. Repeat on the other side. To mix things up, try different techniques like kneading, tapping, or light stroking.
8. Make a Bucket List
A simple but fun Valentine’s Day activity to try is to brainstorm ideas for a bucket list for things you’d like to do together.
These might be new sports, activities to try, restaurants to eat at, concerts to see, or cities to visit. Then make plans for the rest of the year to start checking that bucket list off!
9. Plan a Karaoke Night:
Sing your heart out together while enjoying each other’s company. Classic duets like “Something Stupid”, “Cruisin’,”, or fun, groovy tunes like “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease are great for Valentine’s Day.
Sing your favourite love songs or any songs that mean something to the both of you. Here’s some inspiration if you’re short on ideas.
10. Make Art together:
Making art together is a great way to spend quality time and bond over a shared interest. Get creative and co-create as a couple.
Try some DIY Valentine’s Day crafts together: Create a collage using photographs and notes from each other, write a story together or gather some paints and a canvas and work on an art project that you can hang somewhere in your home.
After you’re done, pick a place at home to display it to remember this Valentine’s Day that you spent with each other.
These Valentine’s Day home retreat ideas work great for date nights at home too! Whatever activity or idea you choose, the most important thing is to spend quality time together. Get creative, have fun, and have a romantic and memorable Valentine’s Day.
