Restorative yoga poses offer practical benefits for achieving chest opening, a crucial aspect of physical well-being. In these poses, such as Supta Baddha Konasana and Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, the emphasis is on gentle support and relaxation.
Such poses help expand the ribcage and release tension in the chest muscles. The use of props like bolsters facilitates a passive stretch, allowing gravity to play a role in gradually opening up the chest area.
Beyond the physical advantages, there are psychological and emotional benefits as well. The act of consciously opening the chest can be symbolic, representing a release of emotional burdens. The relaxed state achieved in these restorative poses can also lead to improved breathing patterns, promoting emotional well-being.
In a world filled with daily stressors, restorative yoga provides a practical means of self-care. By incorporating these poses into a routine, individuals can experience not only increased physical flexibility but also a tangible reduction in muscle tension and emotional stress.
In this session, we will start off with some standing forward bends to open up the back of the body and warm up the shoulders. Then, we will do some shoulder- and chest-opening exercises in Tadasana, for example, Urdhva Hastasana and Paschima Namaskar. There will be no inversions in this class: we will jump right into the restorative part by lying down in Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana over cross bolsters. After that, we’ll do several variations of this pose, playing around with leg positions and amount of support. Trying out these variations will help us see what subtle differences each of them bring and how the extent of our chest opening affects our mental state. We will finish in Savasana.
Video stills from this sequence
