Top 5 Chest heart Opening Yoga Poses

This blog aims to update its readers about the best five yoga poses for heart opening with simple instructions to perform and the corresponding benefits.

The more we practice the Vedic wisdom of yoga, the deeper we fall in love with it. A storehouse of mysticism, welfare, blessings and so much more– the system of yoga never fails to surprise its practitioners with its rewarding benefits, healing discoveries, and spectrum of goodness. One such astonishing and remarkable reward of regular yoga practice is the opening of the chest (heart) telegraphing confidence and authority.

Spending long hours working at the desks in a slouched stance makes the spine rounded and chest muscles smaller. The compact and tight heart muscles make the process of respiration difficult, causes upper body pain, and triggers anxiety due to shallow breathing.

Yoga postures are the indispensable tools of holistic practice that help in maintaining a healthier being. And, the constant practice of chest-expanding yoga poses miraculously benefit the individual. An open heart allows the people to breathe fully, which bestows the human race with multiple benefits. Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, pumps up the energy levels, boosts the immune system, and lastly counteracts the negative effects of poor posture.

Here are the top heart-opening yoga poses. Have a glance at the steps and the benefits:

1. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana): Lie straight on your face on a yoga mat. Exhale, bend your knees and raise your legs up high. Reach back with your arms and catch hold of the ankles. Keep the knees hip-width apart for the entire duration. Gently lift your heels away from the hips and simultaneously raise the thighs off the floor. The pulling effect shall raise your torso and head off the mat. Continue pulling your heels higher and firmly curve the spine further to open your chest. Gaze in the forward direction.

Benefit: A nice heart-opening yoga posture that also aids in stretching the back and improving the posture.

2. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Start the posture by lying on your stomach and hands by your side. Keep the legs few inches apart and elbows clasped to the sides of the body. Compress the top of the feet into the floor and with an inhalation. Lift the chest and head above the ground. Keep your shoulder blades dropped away from the ears. Deepen the posture by straightening the arms and keeping the lower ribs on the yoga mat. Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Benefit: Let all the love flow incessantly from your heart as you expand your chest through the practice of this pose.

3. Camel Pose (Ustrasana): Come on your fours. Separate your knees hip-distance apart and keep your hands on the pelvis. Internally, rotate your thighs and knees. Inhale, draw the elbows together and allow the rib cage to expand. Keep your chest lifted, chin tucked towards the chest, head tilted back, spine elongated, and hands on the heels. Keep your heels pressed and gently look at the tip of the nose. Remain in this pose for 30-60 seconds.

Benefit: Open your front body as you backbend in the camel yogasana.

4. Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana): Begin in staff pose. Rest your hands a few inches behind the hips. Bend the knees and press the feet into the floor. Raise the hips above the ground and come into a reverse-top position. Leisurely, extend one leg at a time and bring the body into a straight line. Keep the chest raised. Slightly drop your head back.

Benefit: A great yoga posture that strengthens the wrists, ankles, triceps, and frees the mind from all unwanted thoughts.

5. Eagle Pose (Garudasana): Begin in mountain pose. Balance the weight on your right foot and cross the left thigh over it. Tuck the left foot behind the right calf. Extend the arms in a forward direction and bring the right arm under your left. Press the palms together. Square the hips to the floor and look at the tips of the thumbs.