How to Gently Open Your Heart During Stressful Times with Urdhva Danurasana

Many of our hearts have become constricted over the last few months with the stresses of the pandemic, the economy, and the protests . These stresses show up in our minds, hearts, and our bodies - our shoulders round foward; our head droops down; our lower back is rounded, our hips are tight...... How do we start to open our hearts again? Try this mindful and accessible way to come into Urdhva Dhanurasana, Upward Wheel Pose. By starting with a bolster it allows you to access your legs and core a little more easily, which will protect your spine and allow you to more easily open your heart.

Urdhva Dhanurasan is a powerful backbend and heart opener. It strenghtens your spine and opens your chest. As it opens your hips and shoulders it counteracts the slouched and sitting postures we have all adapted over the last four months. Wheel pose can help to create inner peace and joy. Before coming into this pose try warming up with several standing poses, pigeon, and then cobra.

Lie on a bolster with your head and spine resting on it, your tailbone will hang off. Place your hands on blocks, situated on either side of the bolster. Lift your arches, engage your inner thighs, lift your lower belly and use these actions to lift up onto your head. Draw muscle energy up through your arms into your heart. Stay here for a few breaths. Take a long, slow, deep breath in and continue to use the lift of your arches, inner thighs, and lower belly helping to guide you into Urdhva Dhanurasana from a place of strength and groundedness. Try to stay here for 5 - 10 breaths. Let me know how it goes.:)

If this hurts your back, try just coming onto your head and stay in bridge pose creating muscle energy by engaging your legs and core. You can also try this on a chair. I will post on that next week because who doesn't need to open their heart and stretch their spine right now!:)

xo Lindsay