Yoga for an Open Heart: 5 Heart-Opening Yoga Poses

What comes up for you when you think of opening your heart?

Perhaps it’s tenderness. Or maybe a sense of vulnerability. Or maybe it creates within you an expansion of the love, bursting forward toward those you care about.

Having an open heart can feel like all of these things. Having an open heart can feel like a physical sensation, such as a warmth in the chest, or an emotional reaction, like a sense of relief or expansion. It can be a physical sensation, an emotional reaction, or evoke something even deeper.

In yoga, we practice Satya, or truthfulness, both in terms of honesty with others and in being truthful with ourselves about what is. This can mean not looking away from the pain of heartbreak, or not letting reality get spun by what others want to convince you is the truth.

We also practice opening our hearts (and heart chakras) to cultivate feelings of compassion, vulnerability, and love toward ourselves and others.

The Somatic Connection Between Your Body and Your Emotions

While yoga postures work with your physical body, there is a strong connection between your body and your emotions. In yoga, we work with our body, our breath, and our awareness to strengthen this connection.

The chest and heart center are common areas where emotional pain is stored. Prolonged stress, grief, or anxiety can also manifest physically. This often shows up in the shoulders, upper back, or diaphragm.

Heart-opening yoga poses help release this stored tension by opening the front of the body and supporting unrestricted breath.

The Heart Chakra

The Anahata, or Heart, Chakra is associated with love, compassion, and empathy. It’s the chakra of unity with yourself and the Divine, and relationship with others. The element of the heart chakra is air, which relates to the breath and the connection between the heart and lungs.

When open and activated, this chakra radiates lovingkindness. However, it can feel hard to access when closed, as though it’s encased in armor.

5 Yoga Poses to Open Your Heart

I’ve put together a short list of five yoga postures that help you connect with the energy of your heart space and open your heart chakra. These poses create openness in the front of the body, relieving the physical tension that can arise when we guard our hearts and avoid vulnerability.

Quick List: 5 Heart-Opening Yoga Poses

• Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

• Heart Melting Pose (Anahatasana)

• Baby Cobra (Ardha Bhujangasana)

• Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

• Supported Fish (Matsyasana)Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

Start in Tabletop, with wrists beneath the shoulders and knees beneath the hip joints. Drop the belly and lift the crown of the head and tailbone for Cow. Arch the spine and tuck the hips, dropping the head for Cat. Repeat each pose 5 times.

Modifications:

• Form fists instead of flat palms if your wrists are sore or weak.

• Make the posture smaller and gentler if you have osteoporosis or are building spinal strength.

Heart Melting Pose (Anahatasana)

Also known as Puppy Pose, this combines a downward dog with a child's pose to stretch the chest and shoulders toward the floor. Start in Tabletop, then walk your hands forward and your knees back. With an exhale, sink your chest down toward the mat, bringing your lower belly to the tops of your thighs. Forehead releases to the mat, or gaze forward for spinal extension through the neck.

Modifications:

• Place a block under your forehead if it doesn’t reach the mat.

• Adjust the length of your pose as needed to accommodate your flexibility, walking your hands and knees closer together or further apart.

Baby Cobra Pose (Ardha Bhujangasana)

Start lying on your stomach. Place your palms beneath your shoulders. With an inhale, roll the shoulders together and back to lift the chest, strengthening the spine and stretching the abdomen. Keep your belly and ribs on the mat. Exhale to release. Repeat 3 times.

Modifications with Props:

• Tuck your chin to avoid straining your neck.

• Lift your palms to avoid using your arms to press yourself up.

Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

Start lying on your stomach, with the tops of your feet on the mat. Place your palms beneath your shoulders and press upward to lift your upper body into an arc, opening up through the chest and upper back. Hips lift off the mat as well. The tops of your feet and the palms of your hands are the only places your body touches the mat.

Modifications:

• Hips and legs can stay on the mat, taking Cobra as an alternative pose.

Supported Fish (Matsyasana)

Place a bolster or block vertically along the mat to support the mid-back (and head if having your neck extended is too intense). Lie back with a block or bolster placed under the shoulder blades to open the chest. Legs extend long. Arms can open wide for a deeper stretch, or elbows can rest by your ribcage for a gentler sensation.

Modifications:

• For a less intense stretch, use a folded or rolled blanket or towel under the shoulder blades or along the spine.

Explore these heart-opening poses to increase flexibility in your chest and shoulders, or anytime you want to connect with your heart. Notice what sensations or emotions arise for you as you move through them. And take note of how your breath moves in your body before, during, and after.

Whatever you notice is helpful information for learning more about the state of your heart and your heart chakra.

Keep Opening Your Heart

If you’d like guided support, alignment cues, and thoughtful sequencing that strengthens your back body while creating space in your chest, join me for online yoga classes at Nourish & Grow Yoga.

My intro offer makes it easy to begin. Start building strength, resilience, and steadiness in your practice today.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Heart-Opening Yoga

What are heart-opening yoga poses?

Heart-opening yoga poses are postures that stretch the chest and shoulders while strengthening the upper back. They help improve posture and create more space for breath.

Do heart-opening poses help with tight shoulders?

Yes. Many heart-opening poses counteract rounded shoulders caused by stress and prolonged sitting by expanding the front body and strengthening the back body.

What is the heart chakra in yoga?

The heart chakra, or Anahata, is associated with love, compassion, and connection. In yoga, heart-opening poses are often linked to balancing this energy center.

Can heart-opening yoga support emotional release?

Some people notice emotions arise during chest-opening poses. Gentle movement and deeper breathing can increase awareness and help process stress.

What are the best beginner heart-opening poses?

Beginner-friendly options include Cat/Cow, Baby Cobra, and Supported Fish with props. These poses gently open the chest without intense backbending.

Are heart-opening yoga poses good for people who sit at a desk all day?

Yes. Sitting often leads to rounded shoulders and a collapsed chest. Heart-opening poses help reverse this posture pattern and improve breathing mechanics.

About the Author

Ashley Vasas is a Minneapolis-based yoga teacher and the founder of Nourish & Grow Yoga. She has taught more than 1,000 hours of yoga classes, workshops, and special events and holds both 200-hour and 500-hour yoga certifications. Ashley specializes in accessible, nervous-system-supportive yoga that helps students build strength, mobility, and sustainable self-care practices.

She teaches livestream yoga classes online as well as in-person classes in Minneapolis.