Yoga Poses to Heal the Heart.
Keeping an open heart is so important. It gives us a chance to be happy, make new friends, become open to loving others and ourselves, face our fears, and allows us to trust others.
This is why it’s so important to do these yoga poses to heal the heart.
Healing our hearts will open us to LOVE.
Life doesn’t always give us sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately, heart break is a part of life.
Whether it’s having gone through a tough break up, coping with a lost loved one, struggling with depression, or maybe you have trust issues; these poses will help heal your heart.
Some people may need help opening their hearts. For example: heart break will cause you to close yourself off.
Some people may need help closing their hearts off if they tend to love too much, which yes that is a thing.
Loving too much is when you care so much for others you go above and beyond for them, totally neglecting yourself.. NOT GOOD!
How do you expect to truly love others when you don’t love yourself? This will eventually leave you feeling run down and depleted of energy.
But guess what?!
You can heal your heart through yoga..
Here are some Yoga Poses to Heal Your Heart:
1.) Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Start with your knees hip width apart. Place your palms on your sacrum (the big bone on your very low back) with your fingers pointing upward.
INHALE: Lift your chest up to the sky for length.
EXHALE: Lean back into the support of your hands. If you have the mobility, you can move into the full pose by reaching your hands to your ankles.
+ Think about reaching the center of your chest toward the sky and aligning your hips over your knees.
Another idea is to place a block on the outside of each ankle and place your hands on the blocks.
* In one of the pictures – I have added a balance of opening my heart, but protecting my heart at the same time by placing one hand over my heart.
2.) Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Begin lying on your belly with your hands next to your chest and your forehead on the ground. Press the tops of your feet into the ground. Press your pubic bone into the ground, so you can lengthen your tailbone toward your heels. Keep your elbows squeezing in towards you.
INHALE: Begin to lift the head and straighten your arms (no need to completely straighten them).
+ Think about lengthening your chest forward as you keep your shoulders drawing down your back.
3.) Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Lie down on your back and place a block in between your shoulder blades to elevate the chest/ heart. – I personally, like to hold my block in place between my shoulder blades first as I begin to lie down.
You can also place a block under your head.
* Keep in mind there are 3 different heights to the blocks, so you can feel out which works best for you.
*If you have any low back pain, you can simply bend your knees and place your feet on the ground.
To come out of it, draw your knees in towards your chest and roll to one side.
4.) Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
Begin lying on your back with your feet planted hip width apart. Walk your feet as close to your tailbone as you comfortably can. Keep your hands planted on the ground alongside your hips.
Take a full breath.
On your next INHALATION: Press into your hands and feet, lifting your hips up towards the sky.
Roll your shoulders in toward one another.
Draw your chin away from your chest to keep the curve in your neck.
If you want to go deeper, interlace your fingers behind your back (as pictured) and roll your shoulders in even more.
Stay here for 5-8 breaths.
+ Think about keeping your feet and thighs parallel.
+ Continue to press into your feet and shoulders; this is where you get your lift from.
5.) Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)
This is one of my favorite yoga poses to heal the heart. Start off in Downward Facing Dog.
INHALE: Lift your right leg to the sky.
EXHALE: Bend your right knee and look under your right armpit. You could stop there OR drop that right foot to flip your dog.
Straighten your left leg and press into your left hand.
+ Think about pressing your hips to the sky and reaching your right arm forward to be parallel with the ground.
6.) Big Toe Pose (Padangustasana)
Begin standing upright with your feet hip width apart.
INHALE: Lift your arms up to the sky.
EXHALE: Fold.
Make peace signs with your first two fingers and catch the insides of your big toes. — If you can’t reach your toes or suffer from back pain, bend your knees!
Let your head hang heavy. The crown of your head is falling towards the floor.
Keep your shoulders down your back. Your neck should feel really long. Your elbows should be splayed out, meaning angled away from you.
Hold for a minimum of 5 breaths.