Find emotional freedom by unlocking your chest with yoga for stress relief, and follow these poses to help you heal and let go, says Vanessa Michielon…
Words: Vanessa Michielon | Images: Shutterstock & Jacopo Landi
Have you ever felt as if your emotions were trapped within your chest, weighing you down after a heartbreak, a loss or a big life disappointment? The experience of a broken heart can leave you feeling emotionally frozen, hindering your ability to process your experiences, move forward, and build authentic relationships, where you feel safe enough to be open and vulnerable again.
In yoga psychology, the chest, home to our heart and lungs, symbolises vulnerability and love. When you experience heartbreak, grief, or loss, this area often tightens as a protective mechanism, creating a physical manifestation of your emotional pain, something that can be called “broken heart syndrome” or “emotional guarding”. However, there is a transformative practice that can help you release this physical and emotional tension: opening your chest through stretching.
Releasing tension
Your body and mind are intrinsically connected. According to yoga therapy and recent studies on the physiology of stress, directing your attention to your chest, where emotions often become lodged, helps you create space for emotional expression and more authentic connections. This is done through a combination of gentle heart-opening poses and movements. As you gradually release tension from your chest and create space for emotional flow, you can begin to reconnect with your emotions and learn how to feel them again with self-compassion.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
- Kneel on a cushion or a mat with your knees hip-width apart. Place your hands on your lower back with your fingers pointing downwards and your elbows hugging in towards each other behind your back.
- Inhale and lengthen your spine upwards, gently arching backwards while maintaining length in your lower back and reaching your tailbone towards the floor.
- Allow your neck to follow the direction of the whole spine and bring your gaze upwards or slightly backwards.
- If you wish, reach your hands backwards and place them on your heels.
- Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths, but feel free to release it earlier if this feels uncomfortable on your spine.
- To release, bring your hands back to your hips and slowly come up to an upright position.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart, flat on the mat. Place your arms alongside your body with palms facing down.
- Inhale, press your feet into the mat, and lift your hips off the ground. Optional: Interlace your fingers underneath your body, pressing your arms down to lift the chest higher and towards your face.
- Keep your neck long and gaze toward the ceiling. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths maintaining a steady lift in the hips.
- To release, exhale and slowly lower your spine back down to the mat.
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Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
NOTE: You can do this supported by a cushion or foam block.
- Place a foam block or a rolled cushion width-ways towards the top of your mat.
- Lie on your back with your shoulder blades and upper back on your chosen support, your legs extended and arms alongside your body.
- Allow your head to drop back to stretch the front of your throat, and if needed, support it with your hands or another cushion or block.
- For an extra heart-opening option, stretch your arms towards the back of the mat closer to your head or sideways with the elbows bent in a cactus shape.
- Hold the pose for a couple of minutes, feeling a gentle opening in your front body, allowing your jaw to unclench and your belly to rise and fall with your breath.
- To release, press your hands into the mat, lift your head, move your props away and slowly lower your spine back down.
Puppy Pose (Anahatasana)
- Start on all fours, aligning your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Walk your hands forward, lowering your chest towards the mat, while keeping your hips over your knees.
- Extend both arms forward and allow your chest to sink towards the floor and your body to relax and surrender, keeping your hips lifted.
- Optionally, you can add a pulsation: as you inhale, gently lift the chest off the floor, as you exhale, let your heart melt deeper towards the ground. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths.
- To release the pose, slowly walk your hands back towards your body and come back to the tabletop position on all fours.
Kneeling Lunge with a Backbend (Anjaneyasana)
- Begin in a kneeling position, knees hip-width apart and toes tucked under.
- Step your left foot forward, placing it flat on the mat, with your knee directly above your ankle.
- Keep your right knee on the mat, hips squared and facing forward.
- Gently shift your pelvis forwards and, lengthening through the spine, allow your chest to arch up and backwards with a sense of support from the centre of your body.
- Reach your arms up overhead, lengthening through the fingertips and bring your hands behind the neck with the elbows wide apart.
- Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths, lengthening the front of the body and opening your heart centre.
- To release, lower your arms and step your left foot back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Vanessa Michielon is a yoga and dance lecturer in higher education and founder of the Transformative Movement Method, empowering everyone to embrace yoga, Pilates and dance to improve physical health and achieve a balanced state of mind. Download her free stress relief e-book, Release Your Body, Ease Your Mind at vanessamichielon.com. Follow her at instagram.com/vanessamichielon.
