Winter Chest Opener Ideas

As winter sets in I find that I not only tighten my muscles to try to keep warm, but I also begin to slouch and lose posture.  In an effort to remedy my winter tendencies and laziness I have been practicing a few postures that could possibly re-institute a better way of carrying myself and will definitely stretch, release and comfort my tight chest and shoulders.

I have chosen a few postures to share on the blog in hopes that you might find them useful and practice them at home.  I encourage anyone who feels weighed down by the winter chill to use these postures to open the space within their body and warm their heart.

Mini Cobra

Mini Cobra: pelvis tilted forward, hands beneath shoulders hovering above ground, chest opens and radiates forward.  This pose is great for making space in the chest and strengthening the lower back.

Cobra (Bujangasana)

Cobra:  Similar to mini cobra, but the hands are energized and press into the floor to lift the torso higher off the ground.  This pose is also a chest opener and can act as an abdomen/groin stretch, it also strengthens the gluts.

Half Bridge (Ardha Sethu Bandhasana)

Half Bridge:  Feet are hip distance apart and below the knees, shoulders are slightly tucked underneath, hands clasp on the floor, thighs are engages to lift pelvis, gaze is upward.  This pose brings blood to the head (good for memory), strengthens the quadriceps and gluts and, of course, is great for opening the heart.

Bridge (Sethu Bandhasana)

Bridge:  feet are hip distance apart, knees do not splay out, hands are shoulder distance apart.  This pose can be reached by starting in half bridge and pushing up with the hands, it is a somewhat extreme stretch so only do it if you don't have wrist issues and feel capable.

Seated Strech/Easy sitting (Sukasana)

Seated pose: Sitz bones are grounded to the floor, spine is long and straight, hands reaching up high for a full side stretch.  This is a great stretch for the the side body (the latissimus dorsi).

Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana)

Half Moon:  Sitz bones are grounded, lower arm is reached as far out as possible, forearm may come down to floor, upper arm reaches up and out, torso faces forward.  This stretch opens the side body, especially the muscles between the ribs (the intercostal muscles).

 Keeping the spine mobil is very important, especially in the winter when it is easy to stay inside and not move much.  By moving the spine in the 6 different motions that it allows the blood in the torso begins to flow, the synovial fluid (the lubricant between vertebrae) is catalyzed and space is found within the muscles of the back (intercostal muscles between ribs, erector spinae alongside the spine, latissimus dorsi from side body up to the mid arm).

Cow

Cow: Belly drops towards the floor on the exhale, knees under hips, hands under shoulders.  

Cat

Cat: Inhale the spine towards the sky, head drops, hands under shoulders, knees under hips.

C Curve Right

C Curve: Knees under hips, hands under shoulders, bring ear towards hip.

C Curve Left

Shoulder Twist

Shoulder Twist: Starting in a table pose (on hands and knees with a flat back) Place one hand under the face raise other hand on inhale, exhale bring raised hand under and through the hand on the floor, bring shoulder to the floor. Do both sides.

Spinal Twist (Barhadvajrasana)

Spinal Twist: Left leg over the right leg, bring right elbow to left bent leg to twist deeper to the left, left hand acts as a kick stand behind to prop the spine up long and tall. Inhale lengthen up, exhale twist further. Do both sides.