Interested in a delicious deep stretch to the upper body? Let’s open the heart!

Hi and Welcome to your Journey into Yoga! I’m Avery Rich and am so happy to have you along for the ride!

Well, we discovered downward dog, so it makes sense that there is a yoga pose called puppy pose! This pose’s name anahatasana translates to heart melting pose. A slight inversion pose where the head is lower than the heart, this posture will provide the advantages that inversions do - changing the flow in the body both on a physical level as well as on an emotional level.

As a heart opener, this posture’s back bending shape stretches and opens not only the heart but the shoulders, as well as the head and neck.

Backbends in yoga are interesting - they are exactly the opposite of a forward-bending shape. I know I have mentioned before how many of us have a tendency to posturally shift forward - hunched shoulders, heads shifting far ahead of our spines. Sometimes, this forward shift can be extreme ending up with something called a kyphosis, which is essentially where the head sits in a slightly shifted forward position resulting in a curve or small hump on the neck.. There are a lot more scientific and technical language for this condition, but for our purposes, I think this will suffice. A kyphosis illustrates how forward-shifting habits can exhibit themselves to the extreme, but there are a lot of spaces in between that can also cause postural issues - heart openers are a good way to counteract this habit and help to bring a healthier alignment to the spine. Think of it this way -

You are out for a fun night on the town with a plan to definitely have a few drinks. These drinks always sneak up on you - we all know that the best way to approach this festive evening is to do the old ‘one and one’ trick - have your drink but then have a glass of water. This act of balancing out the drinking is a great way to stay hydrated and of course, avoid that hangover headache the next day.

Think of your cocktail as a forward-shifting activity and your water as your heart opener - one helps to counteract the other or balance if you will.

When our bodies spend a lot of time in a certain shape, sometimes when we challenge it by putting it into the exact opposite shape it can be difficult. I come back to that sitting on the plane analogy - when we spend so much time sitting on a plane, when we are finally able to stand up it can often take a few minutes to adjust to standing - this simply results from shifting from one posture to another. But let’s imagine that you have been sitting on a plane for 2 years!! and then, after this incredibly long period of time we come to standing…well, this will be another story. The adjustment to standing will be incredibly challenging and it may take a lot of time to adjust. If we consider someone’s posture being forward shifting for many years, where their shoulders close forward and perhaps their head is shifting forward, they may have had this posture for years or decades. So when we introduce a heart opener like puppy pose, which encourages the body to go in the exact opposite shape of a forward shift, it may feel foreign, strange - it may even be uncomfortable.

That being said, as we move into our pose or asana today, be aware that it may feel weird or strange or different - and now you know why. Its the water to your cocktail, your backbend to your forward fold - its the way to balance, create and maintain healthy spines.

Let’s begin in hands and knees - your knees can be closer together or there can be some slight distance between the knees. Now, Walk your hands forward until your arms are straight - from here bring or lower your chest onto the mat or ground. Think of this action as melting your heart towards the earth. As you bring your forehead to the ground, you are welcome to use a support underneath the forehead - a folded blanket, a yoga block - or of course you can take the forehead all the way to the ground. Allow your hips to lift high up toward the ceiling, opening up the chest and bending the back. Let’s remain here for 10 breaths.

As you inhale begin to walk your hands back towards you and then press yourself upright. Remain here for a few breaths.

If Shavasana is calling to you, move into it now. Otherwise, with an open heart, move on with the rest of your day or week - ready for whatever comes your way!