Do Chest Exercises in Yoga

These exercises effectively open up your chest, improving your respiration and overall wellness.

Steps

Warm-Up

  1. Do the mountain pose to warm up, plus a couple of Do Humming Bee Breathing Exercises. These will get you ready to stretch out your body in the variety of poses you'll use to exercise your chest. Notice your breathing pattern as complete the mountain pose. Settle on a consistent, slow pattern of breath as you start the workout. This breathing pattern will help calm yourself and prepare your heart rate for the more difficult exercises to come.
  2. Do the Do the Cross Beam Yoga Pose This is a helpful chest-opening pose that consists of kneeling on a yoga mat and bending from side to side at the waist. Use this time to find your center of balance before completing later poses that require strong coordination. Continue to focus on your breathing pattern, inhaling and exhaling for 6 counts each.

High Intensity

  1. Do the Do Cow Face Pose in Yoga The name of this exercise has nothing to do with its execution; simply sit down with one leg over the other and reach your arm up towards the ceiling to effectively lengthen the muscles in your back. Make sure you focus on finding a center of balance in your chest, not your back, to maximize chest strengthening.
  2. Do the chair pose. You might find this one challenging, particularly if you have poor balance, but after completing this workout a few times you'll be able to do it perfectly. This pose is also called "awkward pose" because it can be a difficult stretch, but by elongating your arms, you can find your center of balance easily. Complete this pose three times: once with your feet planted firmly on the ground, once with your heels just slightly off the ground, and once with your heels elevated {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} off the ground.
  3. Do the Do the King Dancer Yoga Pose Another balance-dependent pose, this one will relieve anxiety and increase lung capacity. If you struggle to keep your balance, remember to keep pushing your foot into the palm of your hand. The more you push, the better you will be able to keep poised and also the better the stretch. While the goal of this pose is to lift your toes above your head, if this complete stretch is not in your practice, just elevate your foot as much as possible, focusing on keeping a continuous arch.

Cool Down

  1. Do the bow pose. Also an excellent pose for an Do Abdominal Exercises in Yoga, the yoga bow pose requires effort to keep your legs bent and pulled back. Remember to look up as you complete this pose, to allow your chest to come completely off of your mat. The greater the lift, the more this pose stretches and strengthens your chest.
  2. Do the Do the Triangle Pose in Yoga to wind down. As you complete this pose, focus on keeping your elbow against your knee. Push into your knee with your elbow to find your center of balance. For a slightly more challenging version of the triangle pose, try out the Assume the Revolved Triangle Pose in Yoga (which is also in yoga).

Tips

  • The benefits of these exercises are increased strength and flexibility in your chest region.
  • The exercises are done both while sitting and standing, but you can alternate more between sitting and standing exercises for a more thorough workout.

Warnings

  • Potential injuries that may be incurred if this exercise is performed incorrectly are chest and upper back muscle strains.

Things You Need

  • Yoga mat

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