Yoga for the Heart Ebook
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for Yoga the Heart heart-centered yoga practices to strengthen and open your heart Contents EXPLORING YOUR HEART THROUGH YOGA 3 YOGA PRACTICES TO OPEN YOUR HEART 6 YOGA HELPFUL FOR HEART HEALTH, LOWERING BP 10 YOGA: GOOD FOR YOUR HEART 15 HEART CHAKRA 101 20 THE ART OF PRACTICING SELF-COMPASSION 24 HEART CHAKRA MEDITATION 27 TOP YOGA POSES & MANTRAS FOR A GRATEFUL HEART 31 THE BEST YOGA POSES FOR YOUR HEART 34 EXPLORING YOUR HEART THROUGH YOGA By Kathleen Bryant How do you regard the human and connection, and a heart—as a scientist or as a wellspring of spiritual potential. romantic? Yoga teaches us that “Open your heart center” is a these perspectives are not common cue during yoga classes, mutually exclusive. Yogic and being informed about the traditions view the heart as a key energetics and physiology of the to good health, the source of love heart will help you to do just that. PAGE 3! Tere are many ways to explore levels, blood pressure and body and experience the heart through mass. yoga. First, a quick review of the heart’s physical anatomy: As the Yes, we can heal the heart—but the heart can also heal us. Te center of the body’s circulatory system, the human heart’s four “heart words” we use to describe our feelings (heartsick, soft- chambers create a double pump hearted, broken-hearted, etc.) about the size of a closed fst. Te heart recirculates about 1,250 have scientifc basis. Te heart secretes behavior-infuencing gallons of blood each day through 100,000 miles of blood vessels. hormones such as oxytocin, nicknamed “the love hormone,” Te right atrium and ventricle for its positive effects on social circulate blood to and from the lungs; the left, to the rest of the bonding and its ability to counter cortisol, a stress hormone. body. Te heart is cradled between the lungs, and during deep yogic Furthermore, the heart’s electromagnetic feld is several breathing, its apex, level with the ffth or sixth rib, is massaged by times larger than the brain’s, and it can be sensed several feet away. the diaphragm. Ages before scientists evaluated Healing heart disease through biofeedback and yoga has been the human heart through cardiograms or angiography, sages increasingly accepted in the West since the 1990s, when Dr. Dean used deep yogic practices to tune into the body’s energy centers or Ornish and yoga teacher Nischala Joy Devi co-designed an effective chakras. Te rishis shared their knowledge in ancient texts and program for patients recovering through oral tradition, associating from heart attacks and other coronary issues. Recently, a study the chakras with colors and symbols to help students visualize confrmed that yoga is as effective as aerobic exercise when it comes the energy body. Te heart center, called Anahata (Unstruck Sound), to improving heart health is symbolized by a 12-petaled measurements like cholesterol PAGE 4! lotus, and within it is a yantra of two overlapping triangles representing Shiva and Shakti, the divine masculine and feminine energies. Te Sanskrit word for heart is hridayam, hrid meaning “center,” and ayam, “this.” At the middle of the seven chakras, Anahata is where individual concerns (survival, food, sex) become selfess—and open into connection and love. Ramana Maharshi, one of India’s greatest yogis, center, as can practicing japa mala described the heart as the nucleus with the heart’s mantra, Yam. of the universe, saying, “It is Bhakti Yoga—sometimes called neither inside nor outside the the yoga of love—encompasses a body.” From asana to meditation, range of practices highlighting we can explore and expand the compassion and devotion. metaphysical heart in a myriad of ways. Heart-focused asanas Te rhythm of the heart include backbends, which stretch accompanies our journey from the front torso and create more inside the womb until life’s last room for the heart and lungs, moment. Its metric is both an which in turn creates an uplifting inner guide and a source of love emotional effect. Hasta mudras and compassion for all. How has such as Anjali Mudra and Hridaya yoga helped you grow to know Mudra can help energize the heart your heart? PAGE !5 YOGA PRACTICES TO OPEN YOUR HEART By Hali Plourde-Rogers How many times in yoga class spine. Including backbends in have you been told to open your your practice encourages an even heart, lift your heart, or draw your deeper physical opening of the heart forward? Tis is a very chest and heart center. Tey also common cue indicating students elongate the spine; release tension should drop their shoulders away and stress from the neck, from their ears, lift their chest, shoulders, and back; create space and bend through the thoracic for the lungs and deeper breaths; PAGE !6 and energize your practice, body, tourmaline, and essential oils of and mind. In addition to rose and jasmine. backbends, focusing on love and gratitude while practicing will Body Scan open your emotional heart. Begin your yoga or meditation Opening the heart teaches us to practice with a body scan. Sit in a be humble, vulnerable, and lead comfortable seated position and with our hearts in both practice check in with your posture. Is and life. your chest collapsed or lifted? If your chest is collapsed, you are Explore the following yoga physically protecting your heart. practices to open your heart, Lift the chest and open the cultivate gratitude and bring shoulders to bring the heart to more love into your life: the front. Ten rest one or both Set up your practice hands on the heart. Leave them there for a few deep space breaths. Note how this Use colors, stones, and feels. essential oils related to the heart chakra in your Breathe into the yoga practice space heart and on your body. Focus your breath Te heart chakra is work on your heart. located in the Imagine you are physical heart and breathing from the governs love, kindness heart and into the and compassion. It’s heart. Feel represented by the the chest colors green and rise and fall pink, the stones with your rose quartz and breath. watermelon Again take PAGE 7! note of any feelings that arise. you love or focus on feeling grateful. Mudras A mudra is a gesture or seal that Bring gratitude into your channels our life force. practice Incorporate mudras into your Lasting, loving relationships are practice to energize the heart. To signifcantly infuenced by practice Anjali mudra, bring the expressions of gratitude. palms together at the heart and According to a study published in press the thumbs into the 2014, gratitude is what holds two sternum. Use Anjali mudra at the people together. Te study beginning of practice while seated reported that after expressions of and in Mountain pose gratitude, participants reported (Tadasana). As you grow feeling more loving. Gratitude comfortable with the mudra, use also increases feelings of it with different poses throughout happiness and well-being. your practice. Practice gratitude on the mat to get comfortable expressing thanks Mantras to your loved ones. Tink of three Use a mantra during your things you are grateful for at the practice. Te mantra for the heart start or end of your yoga practice. chakra is “yam” pronounced similar to “young” or in English, Asana “I love.” If using “I love,” think “I” When practicing heart as you inhale and “love” as you opening backbends, it is exhale. important to maintain balance by using counterposes. After any Set your intention deep back-bending yoga Intention sets the stage for pose, neutralize the spine with a practice. It’s a moment where we simple twist and then counter consciously express why we are with a forward folding pose. practicing. To open your heart, Backbends energize and offer your practice to someone PAGE !8 physically open, expand, and lift (Svanasana), Cobra pose the heart. Forward folds give your (Bhujangasana), or Bridge pose heart a chance to recharge and (Setu Bandhasana). For a deeper rest. Begin with gentle backbends backbend try Camel pose such as Dog Tilt pose (Ustrasana) or Upward Bow pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana). Tese backbends bring the heart above the head. Tis is a physical representation of following or leading with your heart. For more specifc asana recommendations, try this heart-centered sequence. Heart Meditation Close your practice with a heart- centered meditation. Tis can be as simple as breathing into the heart and using the mantra“I love” as mentioned earlier. You may also incorporate a mudra here, such as Anjali mudra. Take any or all of these recommendations and mix them into your daily practice. As you move from your mat and through your day, come back to your intention of love and gratitude. PAGE !9 YOGA HELPFUL FOR HEART HEALTH, LOWERING BP By Rose Keyes Te United States leads the world battle with no end in sight. But in heart related ailments, there is hope. In a number of including heart disease and high medical trials yoga, meditation, blood pressure. For people and pranayama have proven suffering from these and related effective in treating and in some illnesses, such as diabetes, cases even reversing many heart treatment may feel like an uphill conditions. An exciting new study PAGE 10! published in the 2016 European blood clots. While these Journal of Cardiovascular treatments do provide relief, it is Nursing reinforces the benefts of often only temporary, with yoga for heart health. symptoms recurring over time. Te study focuses on atrial Eighty patients, all suffering from fbrillation, a disturbance of the paroxysmal atrial fbrillation, were heart rhythm characterized by invited to participate in the study.