My 5 Favorite Heart Openers
Heart openers constitute many of my favorite poses to practice. For someone who has a high tendency to be tense, nervous, and a little uptight, heart openers help me free myself of these bonds and embrace openness. They can bring a lot of emotions to the surface, but help us confront and let go of them. Five of my favorite heart openers to practice are:
1. Puppy Pose
This pose is a great way to open the shoulders and upper back. To enter this pose, begin in tabletop position, move your arms out farther in front of you, and then press your chest towards the ground and your hips towards the ceiling. Puppy pose can be done with knees on the ground or legs extended long for an extra challenge.
2. Cobra Pose
|
Cobra is an amazing pose for strengthening the upper back as well as opening the chest. To enter this pose, begin lying on your stomach. Bring your hands alongside your ribs and straighten your arms as far as they will go, lifting your chest off the ground (but keeping hips on the ground). This pose can be done with legs long, or you can bring the feet to touch your head for an added challenge. When practicing this pose, work on pushing your chest forward while keeping the spine long.
|
3. wheel
|
This pose is a great way to stretch your entire front-body. Wheel pose stretches hip flexors, chest, and shoulders all in one. To enter this pose, begin by lying on your back with knees bent and feet planted. Bring your hands to either side of the floor next to your head and push off the ground. In this pose, keep your gaze focused on your fingertips and push your chest outwards away from your legs. If wheel pose isn’t in your practice, start with bridge pose.
|
4. dancer
|
Dancer pose is another great combination of hip opening and heart opening. This pose works shoulder mobility as well as chest and hip opening. To enter this pose, take your hand to the inside of the ankle of the same-side leg, push your foot into your hand, drop your chest, and extend the leg upwards. If you want an extra challenge, bring the other hand to your lifted foot and extend both arms upwards. In this pose, continuing to push your foot into your hand will help you get deeper into the pose as well as find balance.
|
5. Camel
|
This pose is one of my favorites for opening all across the chest. It provides such a great stretch for the shoulders as well as opens the heart for a sense of freedom. To enter this pose, begin kneeling, then reach back, place your hands on your ankles and shift your hips forward and chest upward. Engage your core to ensure you aren’t dumping into your lower back. If your hands can’t reach your ankles, keep them where your jean pockets normally would be and simply lean back.
|
Brooke Bonfadini