Heart Opening Yoga Poses To Activate the Heart Chakra
Long working hours at the desk and leaning on the keyboard makes the spine rounder for the employees. It is important to counteract these workers with heart-opening yoga poses.
Heart-opening yoga poses, known as chest openers, also stimulate your heart chakra, that known as Anahata. These types of flows not only help to open your chest, but also spiritually make you love, compassionate, grateful, and kind by opening your heart to the outside world.
Benefits of Heart Openers
Actually, yoga is a practice that ties the body, breath, and mind together, which also improves the heart rate. In addition, doing yoga reduces stress and also helps in reducing high blood pressure, which can help in maintaining better heart health.
Specifically intended for heart-opening yoga poses-
- Increases lung capacity
- Improve the body posture
- Expand the rib cage
- Lengthening of the torso
- Stretch the shoulder blades
- Stimulation of the heart chakra
- Aid in spine extension
- Build healthy relationships
In the sequence of the following asanas, starting with light postures, gradually move towards those asanas which require more strength and power. With the last postures, the heart becomes calm and energetic.
Heart-opening yoga poses
Virabhadrasana
There is a good stretch on your chest, due to which your body gets exercised. This asana reduces the problem of chest, lungs, shoulder, neck, back pain etc. Apart from this, this asana also strengthens the thighs, calves and ankles.
How to do:
Choose a flat place, spread the yoga mat. Now stand with your feet spread at a distance of about 3-4 feet.Take the hands above the body and join them together. After this, rotate the right leg up to 90 degrees.Then turn the body to the right and bend the right knee while taking a deep breath.The right knee and ankle should be in the same line. Stay in this posture for a while and come back to the starting position. After giving rest to the body for a few seconds, do this process from the other side as well.
Trikonasana
Trikonasana gives simultaneous stretching of the body from three different angles and helps in better functioning of the whole body.
The duration of doing this asana is said to be 30 seconds. Repeating this can be done with one leg 3-5 times everyday. The ankles, thighs and knees become strong with the continuous practice of Trikonasana. This puts strain on the ankles, groin, thighs, shoulders, knees, hips, calves, hamstrings, thorax and ribs.
How to do:
First of all, stand straight by making a distance of about 3-4 feet between the feet. Now bend your right leg out to the side and as you exhale, turn your body to the right. Your left hand touches the floor with the top and right hand together. Both the hands should be in a straight line. Stay in this position for 15 seconds. While inhaling come back to the previous position. Repeat the same on the other side as well.
Gomukhasana
While doing this asana, the thighs and both the hands appear thin from one end and wider from the other end, which looks like the face of a cow.
Gomukhasana not only focuses on stretching the front of the chest but also stretches the back shoulder muscles.
How to do:
Sit on the floor and keep both your legs bent at the knees in front of your body. Slide the left foot under the right foot in such a way that the left heel touches the outer part of the right hip. Place the right heel on the outer part of the left hip. Adjust your legs in such a way that your right knee is on top of your left knee. Once your feet are in position, bend your right arm by bending the elbow and bring it down behind your back and place the back of your right hand on top of your spine. Raise your left arm straight up, bend it at the elbow and place the palm of the left hand behind your left shoulder. Now try to hold the fingers of both the hands behind the back. Keep the head and spine straight while holding the fingers. Stay in this position for two minutes.
Bhujangasana
Bhujangasana is yet another great back bending heart opener pose. This pose also best for correcting your posture by stretching your chest and back.
How to do:
First of all, lay the yoga mat on a flat place. Now lie down on the yoga mat on your stomach. Keep the feet together. Now keep the palms close to the ground near the shoulders. Now taking a deep breath, raise the front part of the body up to the navel. Stay in this position for a few seconds and come back to the starting position while exhaling. Take some rest and then repeat the process.
Setu Bandhasana
While practicing this asana, the body forms a bridge pose. Setubandhasana is one such asana that plays an important role in removing many other problems of the body including thyroid, opens up the lungs, back pain and nervous system.
How to do:
Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight and palms on the floor on either side of the body. Take your palms 30 cm behind your buttocks. Keep your elbows straight. Now raise your hips and your body should be in a line from shoulder to ankle. Once in position, loosen your neck. Try to keep your feet flat on the ground while keeping the legs and arms straight. Stay in this position for as long as possible and then slowly lower your hips to the floor and rest for a few minutes.
Conclusion
Over time, a few gentle backbends and heart opener poses can significantly overwhelm our physical bodies and our mental bodies expand the chest and rib cage, opening the heart Chakras.
