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HW 30DYC: Day 17 Journey into the heart
The Heart Chakra sits at the level of the center of your sternum at heart height. It is said that the breast side is more related to the present and the back of your heart chakra (between the shoulder blades) is more related to the past. All things considered, an open heart chakra is very important for a light, happy, grateful life. When our heart chakra is less open we often have more dark, judgmental thoughts and we can easily get stuck in pain / injustice / sadness from the past. Everything needs its time to be processed and heal, but opening your heart chakra can help you do this.
The heart chakra runs through the chest and shoulders into the arms. So you can see the arms and hands as an extension of the heart chakra. That is why hugging someone is such a powerful and heartwarming gesture. You literally bring both hearts together and embrace each other right from the heart. Also, by giving a hand to each other you are literally come in contact with each others mood. So with all the social distancing during this Covid pandemic this is an additional challenge we face: Lack of interpersonal connection. So just at the time when we need a lot of support from each other we may exchange it less with the heart.That is why these exercises for opening the heart chakra are so powerful, in all times and especially in these times.
When doing exercises on the heart chakra, try to pay attention to letting go of your old story and being completely open to all that is in the present moment, without all the heaviness or judgments from the past, just being in the here and now. Being here with an open heart to receive the gift of life and the present moment. Always end session for the heart chakra with a gratitude exercise.
You can read more about the heart chakra in the post about the heart chakra.
The exercises that belong to the heart chakra are all exercises that involve working on the upper back, opening the shoulders and chest, and some neck exercises because these muscles are attached to your shoulder region and the throat chakra serves to open listening and daring to express your emotions. Anahata / puppy pose is often a central resting posture used because it opens the heart chakra in a relaxed way and brings the heart closer to mother earth. Another pose that is also relaxing and opens up the heart chakra is Sphinx pose, where your forearms rest on the ground and your upper back is slightly curved. People are often already used to sphinx pose by reading a book on their belly, ananhata is often a new pose and therefore a little more difficult.
The exercises I am going to describe is Full Wheel. Full Wheel is often the peak pose in exercise series for the heart chakra because it literally opens the chakra physically the most. Make sure you warm up your shoulders and back beforehand (tighten the muscles beforehand and stretch them) and that you do the opposite posture after the exercise (i.e., make a ball) to neutralize the back. Beside in your upper back and shoulders, you can also feel this pose in your lower back. So make sure to always listen your body during this pose.
– Lie down on your back, legs bent, knees pointing up, arms beside your body.
– Ground your feet well, make sure your shoulders are firmly on the ground.
– Push your pelvis up so that your buttocks are off the ground and a straight line is formed from your sternum over your pelvis to your knees. So the line runs diagonally upward from the head towards the knees.
– Lower your pelvis back down.
– Now place your hands next to your ears with the palms on the mat and the fingers pointing toward your pelvis.
– Push your pelvis back up as in bridge, but now go a little further so that you end up at the crown of your head. This is an intermediate station. From here, push yourself up by extending your arms. You’re in full wheel now.
– Let your head hang down. Check your body. Are my feet parallel to each other and well grounded? Is my pelvis not sagging? Do I have my arms fully extended? Is my heart open? Try to find something of peace in this posture by really breathing toward your heart, and smile.
Over time, try to hold this pose for 12 breaths.– To come down, first lower your upper back so that you end up back on your head. Next, lower your pelvis.
Bring both knees to your chest and roll back and forth in a ball for a moment to neutralize the back.– Take a rest and continue with another exercise.
When the full wheel exercises is still too difficult are bridge, camel pose, fish pose, cobra, up-dog, table top, wild thing,….
If you want to make the posture even more intense, you can walk with your feet closer, rock your body back and forth (front to back, left to right), or stretch your legs so that you hollow out even more in your upper back.
Good luck and openness wished in this exercise and remember to always listen to your body. It will always tell you what you need, if you just listen 🙂
Have a great day!
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