"hearty" yoga practice

just as a sunny day, the right company, good news... can brighten your mood and with that put a smile on our face and let you walk around with an open chest - an open heart. if you really pay attention your body feels different on days like that. even your breath might be deeper, allows you to vitalise better.

now not all of us can have a sunny day every day, we might not always be able to see and interact with the people that lift us up, there is definitely days when the news are not so good...

here is where the practice comes in :-)

we usually do notice a change in mood after a yoga practice of any kind. usually we feel calmer, see things more relaxed, yes, people also told me they feel lighter. well, there is many ways to express that special feeling after class (and I am aware that not only a yoga class can give you that feeling - we all need different things!).

so despite the effect of every Asana class, there are certain poses that definitely put the focus more on your heart center - yes, it's mainly all the chest opening - clearly backbends!

I personally am not one with the bendiest back and it took me a long time and some good teachers (you know who you are!) to start to embrace backbends a little more. also, you don't have to go straight to the full version of things, remember!?

here are a few ideas how to put the focus towards the heart in your everyday practice:

Surya Namaskar

practiced in many different ways, I mainly follow the Sivananda tradition:

now on the "hearty" days I include a backbend once I stepped one leg back. simply by bringing the arms behind the back, interlacing the fingers, opening the chest, gazing up and stretching back through the arms, call it a crescent moon variation if you like :-)

some days that's enough. and we all know that a few rounds of surya namaskar always bring on the sun!

here is a 30min sequence if you want to go further! 

stand in Tadasana - Mountain pose, ground and connect with your breath

step back into Warrior I (step your right leg back first) - keep your hands on your hips to help you align the hips forward, reach your tailbone towards the floor and pull your elbows together to keep the chest open

move into Warrior II - opening up to the side, keep your hands on the hips and again help to align the hips to the side now, it's up to you if after that you'd like to open up the arms or keep them at your hips

straighten the front leg and turn fully to the side, take the legs wider apart and interlace your fingers behind your back, on your inhale open the chest, exhale and fold forward and down, letting the arms come up and over your head - Prasarita Padottanasana (C - for the Ashtanga yogis out there)

turn to face forward again to come into a high lounge, hands in front of the heart. you could also lower the knee of the back leg down to the floor to stabilise better. inhale when you reach your arms up over head and on your exhale bend backwards - crescent moon

now either step back into down dog or forward into a fold, rolling up to tadasana - starting the same thing on the other side from one or the other posture!

lowering down onto your belly after you've done the second side move through:

Bujangasana - Cobra in any variations (for opening the chest more I again prefer to have the arms in the back)

Dhanurasana - Bow

add a full wheel - Urdhva Dhanurasana - if you feel like and that's part of your practice

press back into a child pose and add a seated twist here - your favourite is best :-)

finish off with a shoulder stand variation of your choice, adding a supported(!) fish pose - again, many ways to do, just one example:

Savasana

any questions - don't hesitate to ask! but mainly, be open and let the heart see ;-)