10 Heart Opening Yoga Poses to Release Stress and Emotions

Have you ever realized how much you automatically hunch your shoulders when you are stressed, anxious, or overworked? That hunchback posture is an indication of how your body protects your heart.

Heart opening yoga poses are used to counteract what you have done to your shoulders and spine. They can help open up your heart and create more space for a greater range of movement for your body while breathing and emotionally. 

In this guide to heart openers, we discuss the benefits of heart opener yoga poses, what the science of heart openers tells us, and how you can incorporate heart opening yoga postures into your life in order to eliminate stress and get back to feeling like yourself again.

WHY DO WE NEED HEART OPENERS?

Today's lifestyle has us in a forward bent position for the majority of the day. Whether we are bent over our phones, laptops or steering wheels, we are in a constant state of compression of the chest, shortening of the front body, restriction of breath, and, according to neuroscience, affecting our mood and confidence. 

Studies prove a strong relationship between emotional and physical body positions. When a person shrinks in on themselves, it sends messages to the brain indicating distress or failure. When we open the chest and inflate our lungs, we activate the vagus nerve and switch from stress mode to calm, safe, and open.

A study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found evidence that breath work helps decrease the amount of stress in the body and relieve suffering caused by body stress.

According to a 2024 review, heart opening types of movement also result in greater activation of the vagus nerve and therefore, stronger immunity to disease and greater emotional resiliency.

According to the yogic traditions, the location of Anahata (the heart chakra) is in the center of the chest. When Anahata is in balance, the feelings of love, compassion and connection are present. Conversely, when Anahata is out of balance, feelings of anxiety, emotional detachment, and constriction occur. Heart opening yoga is considered the bridge between the two extremes. 

10 HEART OPENING YOGA ASANAS TO PRACTISE TODAY

1. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

The Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) is an ideal  yoga pose for heart opening due to its gentle lift of the chest while strengthening the spine. Lie on your belly; place your palms under your shoulders and as you lift your chest, make sure to use the muscles in your back. Be conscious of keeping your elbows slightly bent and your shoulders away from your ears. Breathe deeply into the anterior portion of your chest. This heart opener stimulates the cardiac plexus and begins to undo the negative effects resulting from hours spent hunched over.

2. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

The Camel Pose (Ustrasana) is perhaps the most emotionally impactful heart-opening pose. By kneeling and thrusting your hips forward while arching backward deeply, you open the front side of the body completely. Many practitioners experience an emotional release and sometimes tears when performing that pose. Scientific research has confirmed that heart opening poses, such as the Camel, contribute to increased activity of the body's parasympathetic nervous system, which allows us to release built up tension/emotion from our bodies. You could begin by placing your hands flat against your lower back as you reach back for your heels. 

3. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge Pose is a gentle but deeply effective heart opener. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent; then press down through your feet into the ground, lifting your hips off the floor. Clasp your hands underneath you, and open your chest toward your chin. By doing this pose, you will gain a greater range of motion in your spine while gaining strength throughout the posterior chain; therefore, you will have a physical lift in your sternum. Studies show that practicing this pose can decrease cortisol levels as well as facilitate the release of emotions, making it a safe pose for both novice and advanced practitioners of heart opening yoga.

4. Wheel Pose (Chakrasana / Urdhva Dhanurasana)

For those practitioners who desire to go further into their backbends, wheel pose provides a true heart opening yoga experience for practitioners of all levels. To perform a wheel pose, lie on your back with your hands at shoulder level (point your fingers toward your ears), press through all parts of your body, including your hands and feet, and lift your chest toward the sky, inflating your heart. In this position, you will stretch the pecs, hip flexors, and shoulders all at once, energizing and filling your body with fresh oxygen and energy. Urdhva Dhanurasana is one of the heart opening yoga asanas in both classical and modern interpretation of yoga. 

5. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

Fish Pose is referred to in ancient yoga texts as the 'destroyer of all diseases,' and with good reason! From a supine position, arch through your chest and allow the back of your head to gently rest on the ground. This heart-opening shape opens the rib cage, enhances lung capacity, and provides a stretch to the throat and the front of the neck. Fish Pose is one of the best heart opening yoga asanas for creating ease with breath and soothing the nervous system.

6. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

Up Dog is a significant component of Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India. This dynamic heart-opening shape improves spinal strength while opening the chest. From a prone position, press your palms into the floor, straighten your arms, lift your chest and thighs off the ground; and gently gazing forward or upward. The chest traveling up and forward is an opposite movement to our daily tendency for slouched posture. 

7. Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)

The Wild Thing is an exciting and expansive heart opening pose that combines both a backbend and side stretch. Flip over to your right from Downward Dog, reach your arm straight up to the sky (creating an arc over your head) and open your chest up towards the heavens. This heart opening yoga pose is energizing, uplifting on an emotional level, and can be practiced by someone at an intermediate level. The Sanskrit name for this pose (Camatkarasana) means 'The Delighted Heart opens Ecstatly' which sums up everything you need to know about this pose.

8. Low Lunge with Chest Opener (Anjaneyasana)

Step into a Low Lunge and interlace your hands behind your back, bringing your shoulder blades together, lift your chest as high as you can. This yoga heart opening pose stretches both the hip flexors and opens your shoulders while also expanding your rib cage. It is ideal for anyone who sits too long. The lift of your chest activates the cardiac plexus and helps you engage in deep, abdominal breathing, both of which are important components of heart opening yoga. 

9. Supported Fish Pose with Bolster

Lie with rolled blankets/bolster between shoulder blades (as for Fish Pose); arms out to sides, palms facing upward, eyes closed. This is a sensual telling pose for opening the heart that is very restorative in nature, even though it is the least strenuous to do. With no muscle activity to hold up the body, you are completely surrendered to the furnace (chest) which does all the heart-opening and you can feel yourself being released into a fully open heart (furnace) pose. Many studies on restorative yoga demonstrate this type of passive heart opener is most beneficial to regulating the nervous system as well as releasing stress hormones from the body while assisting to facilitate emotional processing.

10. Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

The Sphinx pose is the easiest heart-opening yoga pose as it has a very gentle, mild backbend that can be performed by complete novices or those with lower back sensitivity to the lower lumbar spine. You will be lying prone (face down) with the body on the forearm and naturally raised chest. The only thing you need to do is focus on breathing and allow your chest (furnace) to expand with every breath. Just five minutes per day could make an enormous difference in decreasing thoracic stiffness, improving posture and allowing you to feel more emotionally open. 

THE SCIENCE IN SIMPLE TERMS

When you practice heart-opening yoga poses your physical body goes through a number of physiological changes:

• Your rib cage expands, allowing for a greater volume of air to enter into your lungs. Thus increasing the amount of oxygen in your body will mean increased energy levels and less anxiety. 
• The chest expansion and the way in which the breath moves through the lungs stimulate the vagus nerve, which serves as a natural regulator for stress. 
• Cortisol levels within your body are reduced.
• There is an increase in your heart rate variability (HRV), which is an indicator of cardiovascular health and emotional resilience. 
• The muscles that exist in the front of the body (pectoralis major/minor & intercostal and upper back) tighten during times of stress; heart-opening asanas (yoga poses) promote gentle stretching, lengthening and opening of these muscles. 

Research shows that yoga is effective in reducing symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, while helping improve one's emotional regulation. Heart opening practices such as yoga heart opening asanas also help create new pathways/connections in the brain (neuroplasticity) that relate to emotional processing and empathy. 

For external reading on the vagus nerve and yoga backbends: https://www.rockawaytimes.com/opening-the-heart/

COMMON MISTAKES IN HEART OPENERS

When doing a heart opener, keep the following considerations in mind: many beginners force their head backwards too aggressively with necks (it is important to keep the neck back long) ; an incorrect lower back position (ie, collapsing the lumbar area rather than lifting from the sternum) can affect the chest lift in this pose as well; and finally, remember to create a strong breath so you can maintain the integrity of the pose.

DEEPEN YOUR PRACTICE AT RISHIKESH YOGA ASHRAM

One rewarding aspect of yoga is finding a more profound understanding of heart openings through anatomy , philosophy , and therapy . Heart openings in a yoga practice offer great opportunities for personal growth - and, in turn, allow the student to gain deeper levels of understanding by making their own discoveries during their practice of yoga .

At Rishikesh Yoga Ashram, we provide thorough training on all the major items associated with heart openings (alignment , mechanics of breath , conscious breathing patterns , and emotional aspects of being) through our extensive range of programs. This training will give you a solid grounding in yoga from which to build your work as a yoga teacher and practitioner .

In addition, we offer a 200 Hour Teacher Training in Rishikesh that covers the core emphasis of all asana families - including backbends, chest openings, pranayama, and yogic philosophy. For those seeking an advanced level of Yoga Teacher Training , we offer a 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh which will refine your own practice and teaching methods to a high standard. 

People who haven’t practiced yoga before can begin to learn about the art of yoga by taking our 100 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, a comprehensive and supportive introduction to the classical style of yoga. Another option is to take our 100 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh. It is suitable for people who want to learn how to flow through a series of dynamic positions, using synchronized breathing to create a deeper connection between body and mind. Ashtanga yoga is a rigorous form of yoga that demands a high level of concentration and discipline. Ashtanga is one of the ancient traditions of yoga and is known for its heart-opening poses.

Heart-opening yoga poses do more than simply stretch the front of the chest (also known as the chest wall). These poses provide you with an opportunity to breathe deeply, to feel fully, and to move through life with a sense of ease. When you open your chest through heart-opening poses, you are sending a message to your nervous system telling it that you are safe and that you can relax. The poses to open the heart can also be a helpful starting point for anyone who is dealing with stress and anxiety, for those who are having difficulty processing difficult emotions, or for anyone who is tired of feeling tense and contracted in their body.

If you want to explore heart-opening poses in yoga, you can start with the 10 heart-opening poses in this guide: Start slow, focus on your breath, and trust that your heart will lead you.

BOTTOM LINE

Heart opening yoga poses are more than just chest stretches. They are an invitation to breathe more deeply, feel more fully, and carry yourself with more ease in the world. Every time you open your chest in yoga, you are sending a signal to your nervous system that says: I am safe. I can let go.

Whether you are working through stress, processing difficult emotions, or simply tired of feeling tight and contracted in your body - the ten heart opener yoga poses in this guide are your starting point. Begin gently. Stay with your breath. And let your heart lead the way.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. What is a heart opener in yoga? 

Heart openers in yoga are any of the asanas that stretch and open the front of the chest, shoulder girdles, and upper spine. Heart-opening asanas counteract the forward flexion/loss of posture people assume during their normal daily life through increased lung capacity and spinal alignment; therefore they improve emotional well-being. Additionally, heart-opening poses connect with Anahata, the source of love, compassion, and connection found in yogic philosophy.

Q2. Which yogasana is best for the heart? 

The most effective masons for heart opening are Camel Pose (Ustrasana), Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana), and Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana). These asanas not only open and expand the front of the chest but stimulate the vagus nerve, improve circulation, and decrease cortisol. Supported Fish Pose is among the most effective asanas for providing deep relaxation throughout the nervous system and for opening the heart.

Q3. What are some advanced heart opening poses? 

Wheel Pose (Chakrasana), King Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana), and Scorpion Pose (Vrschikasana) are among the advanced heart-opening poses. These asanas all require good spinal flexibility, open hip flexors, and strong shoulder girdle stability to perform these asanas; therefore, it is important that people have established a solid foundation of the basic heart-opening poses before attempting any of the advanced heart-opening poses and ideally have the guidance of an experienced teacher when doing so. 

Q4. Which asana opens the heart chakra? 

The Anahata chakra (the chakra of the heart) will be open when practicing various types of heart-opening postures (asana). Camel, fish and wheel pose are some of the best poses to practice for opening the heart chakra. The physical area connected to the anahata chakra (the heart chakra is also known as the anahata chakra) that is opened in heart-opening postures is located in the torso or chest region between the breast bone and the centre of the ribs. There is scientific evidence to support this assertion. Heart-opening yoga postures can positively affect your heart rate variability and your vagus nerve activity, which contributes to your ability to be emotionally resilient. This is why, as I mentioned above, the Anahata chakra should be opened through outside reconnection to the heart.

Q5. What are common mistakes in heart openers? 

 When doing heart-opening poses, the most common mistakes are: (1) straining the neck instead of allowing the neck length to remain long; (2) falling into the lower back instead of lifting up through the base of the sternum; (3) holding your breath while opening your heart; and (4) pushing yourself too far too quickly into the heart-opening poses. Remember that the aim of doing heart-opening yoga postures is to create space, rather than to create strain. Always do heart-opening yoga postures from your own level of ability and with a slow, deep, consistent breath. 

Q6. How do you know when your heart is open? 

Genuine signs of heart openness are often characterized by a sense of lift or expansion in the chest, free and easy deep(s) breath(s), relaxation in the shoulders, uplifted feeling, and sometimes the release of unexpected emotion (crying) or a wave of warmth coming over you. With regular practice of heart opening yoga poses, you'll begin naturally to cultivate a sense of heart openness, compassion, and emotional ease that will carry far beyond your practice.

Q7. Can beginners do heart opening yoga poses? 

Of course! As a beginner, you can perform heart opening yoga poses such as cobra, sphinx, supported fish and bridge. These gentle heart opening yoga poses are safe for all levels; even if you have no previous experience or flexibility. Take it slow and use supportive props (such as blankets and bolsters) to assist you while emphasizing breath throughout the practice. As you stick with the practice, eventually your contracted chest will begin to soften and open up.