Yoga Poses for Your Heart Chakra

The heart chakra is associated with love, compassion, empathy, giving and receiving love, trusting others whilst at the same time maintaining healthy boundaries, loving deeply, intimate relationships, forgiveness, acceptance, non-judgement and kindness. Connection with nature and a feeling of sincere gratitude for everything - including life´s challenges - are also the heart chakra in balance.

The heart chakra, or Anahata in Sanskrit, is located right in the middle of the seven chakras of the auric body. It connects the three lower physical chakras with the three spiritual chakras above, showing you that you are as a whole are a Divine being.

It´s colour is green, with a secondary color pink.

It is heavily associated with nature and its element is air.

When the heart chakra is out of balance i.e. too open or blocked, it manifests in various ways. Usually the main causes are heartache, rejection, disappointment, losses and grief from romantic relationships, friendships, family relationships, etc. Lack of self-acceptance and ability to love the self also misalign the heart chakra.

When the heart chakra is closed down or blocked, it´s often because subconsciously a person has put up walls around their heart and shut down emotionally to love others. They have difficulty trusting, connecting to people in a meaningful way, expressing their emotions or feeling deep love, fear commitment, being hurt, lack empathy, avoid others, feel bitter, are unable to forgive, are jealous, feel isolated, struggle to relate to others, are overly critical, impatient and irritable with others and lack compassion. Physical symptoms of a blocked heart chakra include hypertension, breathing problems and heart conditions. If your heart chakra is blocked you will need to work on opening it in order to receive and experience the love of others and the Universe more fully.

On the other hand, if the heart is overly open, it manifests as emotional co-dependency, neediness, feeling lonely even if surrounded by others, craving validation or attention from others, giving too much and not receiving enough in return, continually attracting problematic or draining relationships, being overly-demanding on your loved ones, or feeling like a victim. Shyness, low self esteem and lack of self love are also the heart chakra overly open. You will benefit from looking within to find the love and nourishment you seek from others.

The Sanskrit name for the heart chakra, Anahata, means 'unstruck' or 'unhurt.' Deep underneath all the painful and heartbreaking experiences, there is still oneness, connection and love with the Divine.

By healing your heart, you may experience increased positivity, love, compassion, increased connection to other people and to life. An opened heart chakra allows you to fully give love to others and receive it. Intense emotions become less frightening, and rather than repressing your emotions, you can learn to instead accept and therefore release them.

-YOGA TO HEAL THE HEART CHAKRA-

To protect our hearts after negative experiences, subconsciously we begin to hunch our shoulders forward and round the upper body. This constricts the flow of prana to the heart, creating the imbalance. Yoga poses for healing Anahata usually include heart openers such as backbends. These poses open our heart to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and to choose love over fear. Being vulnerable and willing to risk again is what opens us to love.

1. Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

Cow Face Pose powerfully opens the chest and heart area.

1. Sit in Staff Pose (Dandasana), bend your knees and place the outer edges of the feet on the floor. Place the left foot close to the right hip, and underneath the right foot close to the left hip. The right is stacked on top of the left knee. Spread your weight evenly across both sitbones.

2. Inhale and place the right arm behind your back, bending the elbow and resting the back of the hand across the middle back or if you can, between the shoulderblades. Roll the shoulderblade down to open the right side of the chest and keep the right elbow by your right side.

3. Inhale and stretch the left arm up into the air, facing the palm behind you. Exhale and bend the left elbow, reaching the left fingertips down to meet the right fingertips. If you can, hook the left and right fingertips. Roll the left shoulderblade down to open the left side of the chest

4. To deeper open the heart, lift the left elbow towards the ceiling whilst pulling the right elbow down to the floor. Try to keep the left arm besides your head.

5. Stay in the pose for a minimum of five breaths. To release, unhook the fingertips and release the arms. Uncross the legs

6. Repeat this posture on the other side, with the left knee stacked on top and the right arm stretched up.

2. Cat/Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

1. Begin on all fours with the knees directly underneath the hips, and the wrists directly underneath the shoulders.

2. Inhale and arch the spine (Cow Pose), extending the chest and heart away from the navel. Reach the tailbone to the sky and gaze up.

3. Exhale and round the spine (Cat Pose), drawing the navel in towards the spine, separating the shoulder blades and tucking the chin to the chest.

4. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

3. Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

This yoga pose strengthens the shoulders and spine, helping to develop good posture which is essential to physiologically soothe the heart chakra. Just adapting a shoulders back and long spine posture brings healing to the heart chakra. Upward-facing dog is also excellent for bringing the breath into the chest area.

1. Lie on your stomach, place the hands next to your chest and extend the legs out behind you

2. Inhale and lift the head, chest, and the ribs. Draw the shoulders down the spine and away from your ears, lifting your upper body away from the mat. Use your back muscles to power the lift. The hips stay grounded on the mat. Keep a slight bend in the elbows.

3. Hold for 5-8 breaths. To release, gently bend the elbows and lower the upper body to the ground.

4. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This is an advanced posture.

1. Start by kneeling on the mat with the knees hip-width apart and the tops of the feet facing down.

2. Inhale, raise the hips forwards so you´re kneeling upright. Place the hands on the lower back behind you for support and inhale lifting the chest to the sky. Press the hips forward.

3. If this is a stretch for you, stay with your hands on your lower back and continue to inhale and exhale as you open your chest up to the sky. If you can, draw your shoulderblades back and down and slowly reach the fingertips towards the heels

4. With full control, slowly lower the head back. Hold for 3-5 breaths.

5. Come out of the pose and into Child’s Pose to release the lower back.

6. Bridge Pose (Setu Bhanda Savangasana)

1. Lie on your back, bend the knees and place the heels as close as possible to the hips. Have the feet hip-width apart.

2. Inhale and ground the feet, palms and shoulderblades down into the mat, raising the hips up to the sky. Open up the chest and the heart.

3. Exhale, lower the hips back down to the mat.

4. Repeat the inhale and lift and exhale and lower movement eight times.

7. Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

If you can, from Bridge Pose come into Full Wheel:

1. Lower down from Bridge Pose. Lift the arms up and bend the elbows to plant the palms down by your ears.

2. Press the hands down firmly, inhale lift the hips up into the sky, keeping the feet facing forwards and the thighs parallel.

3. Still pressing the feet and hands down, exhale, lifting the shoulders off the ground and lift the head off the mat, straightening the arms. Let the gaze fall down between the hands.

4. Lengthen the tailbone towards the backs of the knees and lift the pubis in towards the navel.

5. Stay in the pose for 3-5 breaths. To release, lower the hips, bend the elbows and outstretch the legs.

8. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

This expands the chest cavity to allow the heart to fully open.

1. Begin by lying on your back, arms by your sides and legs stretched out in front of you.

2. Place the hands underneath the glutes and on the inhale, lift the head and chest up into the sky, letting the head fall back but without touching the mat, or with only the top of the head touching the mat. There should be virtually no weight on the head.

3. Push the lower forearms and the palms down into the mat to support you and continue to breathe in and out as you lift and open the heart and the chest.

4. Stay in this pose for five breaths. To release, roll the head and neck gently down onto the mat and release the hands.

9. Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Suptha Baddokonasana)

This is a passive and relaxing pose which helps to gently open the heart. Place a bolster underneath your lower back if you can, or you can also do this pose without any equipment.

1. Lie on your back, bend the knees and bring the soles of your feet together, dropping the knees gently down either side of the body. Rest one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.

2. Lengthen through the spine and melt into the ground. Stay in this pose as long as is comfortable for you. It is recommended five minutes minimum

3. To come out of the pose, lift the head and come up onto the elbows. Use the hands to help yourself to come back up.