One of the major energy centres in the body, located at the centre of the chest and is related to our ability to give and receive love.
On the emotional
side, yoga supports a healthy, open heart. In our lifetimes, we go through many
things - loss, heartbreak, betrayal - for some this can be a mountain of
emotional hurts. As time goes by, these experiences cause us to put our
barriers up around our hearts to protect ourselves. We believe by doing so, we
will avoid getting hurt, we gradually close off. We carry this residual hurt with us, ever
trying to move forward but that feeling keeps us stuck. The heart chakra then
closes.
When it is closed
or imbalanced, we find it difficult to feel love, compassion, grace, and peace.
We may instead feel anger, grief, and bitterness. This can manifest in a
variety of physical ailments such as lung problems, breast cancer, a
compromised immune system, and blood disease.
Holding onto negative beliefs and thought patterns causes
disease within the physical body. Addressing these emotional blockages can heal
the body more effectively.
Being vulnerable can be one of the most challenging things
in life. With age, we become more closed
and constricted. Being hurt many times over makes us feel the need to protect
ourselves. This can show on a physical level, as we hunch our shoulders
forward, push out our chin and round the upper body to protect the heart, thus
constricting the flow of prana to the heart.
Heart opening poses such as back bends can help you open and
balance the heart chakra, releasing tension and blocked emotions.
- Lift the veil
that obscures the heart and there you will find what you are looking for –
Kabir -
Here are a few beautiful heart-opening poses that I would like to share with you:
USE CAUTION: Please avoid backbends if pregnant, have fractured ribs or wrists, have had recent abdominal surgery, for example, hernia operation or you suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Should be practiced under tutor guidance if suffered from chronic diseases or spinal disorders in the past.
USTRASANA (Camel Pose)
Camel pose opens the chest, exposes
you, making you more open to giving and receiving love. It stretches the entire front of the body,
abdomen, chest, and throat, as well as deep hip flexors - the psoas muscle. It
also strengthens the back muscles and stimulates the abdominal organs.
Start on your knees
with legs hip-width apart. Place palms on your lower back fingers pointing
down.
- If it is easier,
keep your hands on your hips. Use your knees as the foundation for this pose -
Inhale, slightly
tuck your tailbone to lift the hip bones and draw the root and sacral areas
together. Lift the chest, lengthening the spine and rotate the shoulders
behind.
Exhale, lean back
into the support of your hands, arch your back, pressing your hips forward and
keeping the lift in the chest. Let the neck extend but keep it relaxed, opening
across the front of your shoulders.
If you feel
comfortable here and able to deepen into the full pose, reach your hands down
to your heels.
- You can lift them by coming onto your toes, helping
you to reach them easier –
Focus on directing
the centre of your chest upward. Bring
your hips forwards to align over the knees and reach the tailbone down.
- You can keep your
chin drawn in toward the chest, or let your head hang back if this feels more
comfortable -
Surrender into the
pose and stay there for a few deep breaths.
Release on the
inhale by supporting your pelvis with your hip muscles, bringing your body
gently back to kneeling.
Sit back on the
heels for a few breaths in Balasana (Child’s Pose).
BHUJANGASANA (Cobra Pose)
Cobra pose allows for the prana to be directed into the
heart chakra, rather than scattered around. It strengthens the entire shoulder
area, providing more stable support.
Lay face down with your legs extended behind you. The tops
of your feet should rest on the mat, un-tuck your toes. Place your hands on the floor.
- In this posture,
it is important to place the hands in the correct position. They should be placed palms down and fingers
forward on the floor, level with the mid chest but no further forward than the
front of the shoulders and no further back than the waist. Space should be allowed for between the body
and the hands. The elbows should be tucked in towards the torso to help the
shoulders roll up away from the floor -
Press down through the tops of your feet and your pubic
bone. Spread your toes.
Inhale, gently lifting your head and chest off the floor,
keeping the lower ribs grounded.
-
There should be
no pressure placed in the palms unless necessary, as this will help to force
the back to work and develop strength in the spine. The elbows should stay
slightly bent as the posture is not an exercise for the arms so they should not
be straightened -
Keep your elbows hugged in to your sides. Broaden across
your collar bones and lift your heart. Focus on drawing your shoulder blades
down against your upper back, away from your ears, lifting your chest to protect
the neck and avoid compression in lower back
- Allow
the
lift to come as a natural expansion of your spine. The lower spine is more
flexible than the upper spine so there is a tendency to bend up at the hips
which can cause compression and pain. To
achieve an even bend along the spine, engage the abdominal muscles to support
and protect the lower back while the upper back curves. Once the lower back is stable, focus on the
upper back muscles, pushing the shoulders down and into the back so it creates
space in the spine to open the chest. You can deepen the stretch as your
practice advances, but avoid straining to achieve a deeper backbend. If your
flexibility permits, you can straighten your arms all the way while maintaining
the connection of the front of your pelvis and legs with the floor. As the posture deepens, the head reaches back
but the back of the neck should be kept long.
The movements in this posture should be done smoothly and without any
jerks. Keep the face relaxed together
with the mind -
Beginners and students with neck pain should keep their gaze
toward the floor. If you are blessed with more flexibility, you can bring your
gaze to the sky.
Hold the pose for up to 30 seconds
To release, exhale
as
you slowly lower your chest and forehead to the mat. Turn your head to the
right, resting your left ear on the mat. Relax your arms alongside your body.
MATSYASANA (Fish Pose)
Lay on your back, with the arms alongside your body, and the
legs extended, a few inches apart. Slide
the hands, palms facing down, underneath the thighs, just below the hips. Bend the elbows, keeping them tucked into the
sides of the torso.
Inhale
and press into your elbows and forearms to lift the
chest, arching your spine and gently roll onto the crown of your head, relaxing
the shoulders. Keeping the legs strongly
engaged by pressing the thighs down firmly into the floor, will help to lift
the chest higher.
Avoid putting pressure on the head and neck. Lift by using
the strength in the back muscles, arms, torso, hips and by pressing down
through the thighs.
- Keep the neck
extended and comfortable throughout the pose. Be careful not to bring the head
back too or it can lead to strain -
Remain in the pose for a few deep breaths.
- Focus on evenly
distributing the curve of the spine and breathing smoothly throughout the pose
and do not worry how deep the backbend is -
Exhale
to release slowly and gently releasing and lowering
the back of the head, the neck and then the spine back down to the floor.
Remove the hands from under the legs and wriggle out the tension from the
fingers. If the back is under stress
then bend up the knees, placing the feet flat on the floor
Counter pose with some head rolls by rolling the head from
side to side, slowly a few times to relieve any tension in the head and neck.
UTTANASANA (Standing Forward Bend) and ANUVITTASANA (Standing
Backbend)
The previous poses help you to open the front of the heart.
Standing forward bend pose opens the back of the body.
All chakras (except root chakra and crown chakra) are at the
front and at the back of the body as well. Postures that open the front and the back of
the body are of equal importance when opening and balancing these chakras.
This pose is part of Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations) and opens
the spine where the cells (neurons) of the nervous system, reside. Opening here
allows for the clearing of adhesions and blockages, stimulating the nervous
system.
Begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Exhale and bend forward, hinging at the hips. Bend the knees
enough to bring the palms flat to the floor.
- The spine
stretches in the opposite direction as the head goes down and in towards the
knees and the hips raise up –
Gently try to straighten the legs to deepen the stretch in
the back-leg muscles.
Breathe and hold for 4 to 8 breaths, actively pressing the
belly into the thighs on the inhalation.
Inhale and come back to Tadasana.
Engaging all your leg muscles, focus on drawing up the knee
caps. Keep the tailbone tucked under,
the abdomen drawn in and chest forward.
Release the tension in the shoulders and stand tall, reaching up through
the crown of the head.
Inhale, bring the arms up and lift tall through the crown of
the head.
- Focus on drawing
in the abdomen and keeping the core strong -
Exhale, arch the spine back but only go as far as feels
comfortable. Keep the neck in line with the spine, looking forward, or if it
feels comfortable drop the head all the way back.
Stay here for 3 to 5 breaths.
- Focus on opening
the heart as the backbend deepens. Remember to keep the abdomen engaged and
continue lengthening the spine -
Inhale and slowly release back to Tadasana
OTHER WAYS TO OPEN YOUR HEART CHAKRA
Spend 15 to 20 minutes reflecting on the vibration of the
heart chakra, unconditional love for ourselves to love others. Turiya (Avastha)
– fourth level of consciousness.
HEART MARMA
Hold the left hand between your thumb (on palm) and index
finger on top of hand and rotate the right thumb in the centre of the left
palm.
Clockwise
to strengthen.
Anti-clockwise
to detox, heal or open
ANJALI MUDRA
Bring your hands together at your heart centre to bring the
right and left side of yourself—masculine and feminine, logic and intuition,
strength and tenderness—into wholeness.
