Pose Breakdown | Anahatasana – Melted Heart

August 8, 2016

Nancy Nelson

Good morning, friends!

As a part of my grand comeback, I’ve decided to post a yin pose breakdown every Monday morning. My hope is that you can utilize these specifics of the postures to find more freedom and release in your practice.

Anahatasana – Melted Heart Pose

Getting into the pose…

Starting from table top, begin to walk the hands forward.

Keeping the hips above the knees, begin to drop the chest down toward the earth, resting your forehead on the mat.

Variations

If you have a healthy neck and are craving more sensation, begin to reach your gaze forward and place your chin to the mat instead (top image). This should cause NO PAIN. If it does, back out of it. If dropping your chest this low is uncomfortable on the shoulders, neck, back - bring a block under the chest for support (bottom photo). — If you have a healthy neck and are craving more sensation, begin to reach your gaze forward and place your chin to the mat instead (top image). This should cause NO PAIN. If it does, back out of it. If dropping your chest this low is uncomfortable on the shoulders, neck, back – bring a block under the chest for support (bottom photo).

If you find the need for more release in the shoulders, elevate the pose to intensify the stretch. Placing your triceps onto two blocks and bringing the hands to prayer above the head. Once you're set up, let the head hang low. — If you find the need for more release in the shoulders, elevate the pose to intensify the stretch. Placing your triceps onto two blocks and bringing the hands to prayer above the head. Once you’re set up, let the head hang low.

If this pose is too much for your body all together, you can find a similar stretch in childs pose.

BENEFITS

Releases commonly tight areas of the body: shoulders, neck, upper back
Enhances mobility of the shoulder girdle
Energizes: backbends are known to create a natural surge of physical and mental energy

ENERGETICS

Stimulates the urinary bladder meridian (spine), heart/lung lines (arms), and the spleen/stomach (chest release). Tapping into these energetic lines in the body can help to improve overall function in these associated organs.
Practicing this pose can lead to a sense of openness and joy. Two emotions we express from the heart region. In the same respect, it has the tendency to also guide us into an awareness of the fear and worry present in our lives. These two emotions are a major root of the physical stress we see in Anahatasana. If you experience any of these emotions while in the pose, practice a complete (3-part) breath and trust that you are releasing what you need to let go of here. You can always back out if it becomes too much.

USE CAUTION: Contraindications for this posture include…

Vertebral issues in the cervical spine (neck). Be sure to support yourself using props so you are careful not to strain these already sensitive joints.
Numbness. If you start to feel tingly, please be sure to back out of the pose until this numbing sensation ceases. You do not want to put pressure on your nerves in this way as it will damage functionality over time.

HOLD: 3-5 minutes, depending on your own personal needs.

COUNTER POSTURES

Childs pose (arms back)

Hero/Saddle pose (seated) + add neck release if it might feel supportive in your body

Questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to follow up!

Namaste

3 Responses

Roberta says:

July 2, 2017 at 5:03 am

Thank you Nancy, as always! Great pose but what about inverted curve in the neck? We should skip this pose at all? How to support this asana?

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1. nancynelsonadventures says:
  
  July 11, 2017 at 1:32 pm
  
  Hey Roberta! Great question. It’s always good to be mindful of the neck. If the practitioner feels any kind of pain or has a history of whiplash, I encourage them to support their chest (a block is a great support for that) and let the forehead land to the mat without the extension in the neck. However, if someone has a healthy neck and feels no pain, the slight compression and extension can be very beneficial – especially in a society where we are so often looking down (at our phones, etc!). Make sense?
  
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jessicaconstable says:

July 7, 2017 at 5:47 am

Great post! Will keep your points in mind during teaching!

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