The heart chakra — Anahata in Sanskrit, meaning "unstruck" — sits at the centre of the chest in the traditional yogic energy map. It is described as the bridge between the lower three chakras of earthly life and the upper three of subtler awareness. The themes associated with it are familiar to anyone who has paid attention to their own life: love, compassion, connection, openness, and the simple physical sensation of a chest that breathes freely.
Approach this as an energetic practice in the yogic sense, or simply as a sequence that opens the front of the body after too many hours hunched over a screen. Either reading is honest. The sequence below combines six chest-opening postures with a short breath practice. Move slowly. Stay only as long as the breath stays smooth.
Before You Begin
Warm the body first with a few rounds of cat-cow or gentle sun salutations. Place a folded blanket and a bolster or firm cushion nearby. If wrists, shoulders, or lower back are tender on any given day, scale every posture down. The point of a heart-opening sequence is openness, not achievement. A small version held with breath is worth more than a deep version held with strain.
Pose 1: Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Lie face down, hands under the shoulders, elbows tucked close. On an inhale, press lightly into the palms and lift the chest. Keep the shoulders away from the ears. The legs stay grounded. This is a small, intelligent backbend — the front body opens, the back body supports. Five slow breaths. Lower. Repeat twice more.
Pose 2: Camel (Ustrasana), Approached Gently
Kneel with knees hip-width apart, shins pressing into the floor. Hands on the lower back, fingers pointing down. Inhale, lift the chest toward the ceiling. If the body wants, reach the hands back toward the heels. If not, stay with hands on the lower back. The lift comes from the sternum, not from collapsing into the lower back. Five breaths. Come up slowly, head last.
Pose 3: Fish (Matsyasana), Supported
Place a bolster or a folded blanket lengthwise along the spine. Lie back over it so the chest is supported in a gentle arch and the head is fully held. Arms spread wide, palms up. This is a restorative posture — stay five to ten breaths. Notice the front of the chest softening. Notice the shoulders releasing into gravity.
Pose 4: Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)
Lie on the back, knees bent, feet hip-width and parallel, heels close to the sitting bones. Press into the feet and lift the hips. Roll the shoulders under and interlace the fingers, or rest the arms by the sides. The chest lifts toward the chin. Five breaths. Lower slowly, vertebra by vertebra. Repeat twice more.
Pose 5: A Modified Wheel — or Skip It
Full wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana) is a deep backbend and not appropriate for every body or every day. A safer version: stay in bridge with a yoga block under the sacrum, supporting the pelvis. The chest still opens, the lower back stays kind. If you have a regular wheel practice and the body is warm, take one or two breaths there with care. Otherwise, the supported version is more than enough.
Pose 6: Supported Backbend Over a Bolster
Sit with a bolster lengthwise behind you. Lie back over it so the spine is fully supported and the chest opens to the ceiling. Arms wide, palms up. This is where the sequence lands. Stay here for two to five minutes. The body has done its work. Now the work does its work on the body.
The Breath Practice: Slow Three-Part Breathing
From the supported backbend, or seated upright afterward, settle into a longer breath. Inhale slowly into the lower belly, then the ribs, then the upper chest. Exhale in reverse — upper chest, ribs, belly. Five rounds. Then let the breath return to natural and sit for two minutes in stillness.
A heart-opening practice traditionally finishes with a moment of attention placed at the centre of the chest. Not pushing anything. Not visualizing anything in particular. Just noticing what is there.
The Role of Props and Practice Pieces
A good heart-opening practice depends on good support. A bolster that holds the spine. A blanket that pads the knees. A handcrafted wooden piece — a sadhu board for a grounding standing practice before backbends, or a low altar to mark the space where you practice — gives the work somewhere to live.
For a striking practice piece with deep symbolic resonance, our hand-carved Dragon Balance Board brings a strong, focused energy to a home practice space. For a grounding piece that holds the corner of a room used for daily yoga, our balance boards collection offers handcrafted options.
Closing
The chest opens slowly over weeks and months. One sequence is one breath. Done two or three times a week, this set of postures and the breath that follows them can quietly change the shape of how you carry yourself through the day. Walk taller. Breathe more easily. Take up the space that is already yours.
Build the corner. Lay the mat. Set the wooden piece in view. The practice will meet you there.
About the author. This piece was written by Eugene Oliynyk, founder of METADESK, together with the workshop team in Kostopil, Ukraine. Eugene has practiced daily on sadhu boards since 2018, including the most advanced 20 mm nail-spacing boards. METADESK has been handcrafting wooden wellness tools since 2016. Reach the team at metadeskukraine@gmail.com.