You can use your yoga practice to heal your heart.

What You Need:

A yoga mat

A yoga belt

Three yoga eggs (www.threeminuteegg.com)

Two yoga blocks

 

 

Supported matsyasana (fish pose) with head on one yoga egg and chest on two yoga eggs with legs in baddha konasana (bound angle pose), bound by a belt – at least 7 minutes

Uttanasana (standing forward fold) with hands on yoga eggs and head resting on yoga blocks so crown is resting

Prasarita Padottanasana (wide leg forward fold) with hands on yoga eggs and head on yoga blocks

Makarasana (dolphin) holding egg between the hands

Sirsasana (headstand) against the wall

Setu bandha with egg at feet and belt at thighs, pelvic lift repetitions for 3 breaths only to build up

Urdhva Dhanursana (wheel) variation lying over chair, feet on wall, belt around thighs. First hands hold on to chair for one minute, then reaching arms over head

Ustrasana (camel) variation, hands on chair behind you

Jathara Parivartanasana (reclining twist), one yoga egg between the knees – 1 minutes each side

Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) to Halasana (Plow) variation, hips on chair – at least 7 minutes going back and forth

Viparita Karani (legs against the wall pose) – at least 7 minutes

Savasana – at least 10 minutes

 

Discussion: Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States amongst both men and women. About 25 percent of all deaths in America are caused by some form of heart disease. People of all ages, shapes and sizes can get heart disease.

The top risk factors for heart disease include:

 

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Diabetes

Cigarette smoking

Overweight and obesity

Poor diet

Physical inactivity

Alcohol use

 

Nine out of 10 heart patients have at least one risk factor.

The physical heart is a muscle in the center of the chest weighing about 8 to 10 ounces for women and about 10 to 12 ounces for men. It is roughly the size of a fist.

Energetically, the heart chakra is located at the center of the chest just above the dome of our diaphragm. It is the meeting point between the two separate polarities in the body’s energy field and unites both the upper and lower chakras as well as the right and left sides.

As with all chakras, the heart chakra may either be over energy or under energy. Over energy in this chakra may correspond with high blood pressure and co dependency, while under energy in the heart chakra may make a person appear cold and unfeeling, have low blood pressure and/or depression.

Balancing this chakra has the effect of balancing the entire person.

Even those of us who do not have physical heart disease may have experienced some form of broken heart throughout our lifetime.

I designed this yoga program to draw energy into the heart chakra in a very gentle, nurturing and supportive way. It will have the net effect of relaxing you and bringing your mind into a quieter place.