As a long t
ime yoga practitioner I am familiar with teachers talking about opening up the heart during class. Poses like back bends and twists really expand the ribcage.
Why is it important to open your heart?
Compassion, empathy, letting go and understanding all originate from the heart centre. If the chest, shoulders and ribcage are open without pain or restriction one can be open to life, receptive and joyful.
Physically a closed off heart centre, which in TCM terminology would be Heart Qi stagnation, can restrict breathing leading to shortness of breath, a tight chest, rib pain and hunched shoulders. By promoting the circulation of Heart Qi and blood pain and restriction can be reduced.
In Traditional Chinese medicine conditions that may arise from Qi getting stuck in the chest are depression, anxiety, palpitations or breathing difficulty. Therefore breath work is another important component to opening the heart centre. Meridians that run through the chest and connect with the heart are Pericardium, Heart, Kidney, Stomach, Spleen and Ren.
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