“The only beauty that lasts is the beauty of the Heart” — Rumi.
Heart ‘Hridaya’ is the ultimate dimension of our being. Named as Atman or supreme ‘Self’ in yogic tradition, it is a place of knowledge, pure emotion, sensation, and consciousness. The heart is the core, the vitality, and the center of everything.
A ‘Heart’, the principal life-giving organ is home to uplifting emotions like courage, valor, compassion, honesty, and altruism that strengthens this organ. While constrictive emotions such as guilt, remorse, stress weaken it.
Through the practice of Heart melting yoga posture or Anahatasana, a practitioner can understand the real significance of heart and can open the core to noble and liberating feeling. A cross between the Balasana (child pose) and Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog posture), Anahatasana is a mystical yoga pose that strengthens the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the practitioner.
Here are steps to practicing the Anahatasana so as to live a life characterized by love and health. Please take a look at the pointers below:
1. Begin in Vajrasana on the yoga mat.
2. Exhale, bend forward and rest your forehead on the ground. Keep your neck relaxed.
3. Extend the arms in front alongside the body and place the palms beyond the head on the floor.
4. Elevate the hips upward and straighten your spine.
5. Rest your chest on the yoga mat while the keeping the stomach lifted up.
6. Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.
7. To release, lower your hips, and reach into a child yoga posture. Stay here for a while.
Here are the benefits of heart melting pose that you can harness through a dedicated and correct practice of Anahatasana:
1. Stretches the Spine: The spine is the central nervous system of our body. It is connected to various integral organs. The spinal cord is responsible for running the nervous system, for giving us greater mobility, for correcting the posture, and for maintaining the health of body tissues. Poor spinal health degenerates the functioning of body organs and quality of life. The Anahatasana stretches the spine that makes it strong, supple, and helps it to function properly.
2. Calms the Mind: The hectic office schedule, the exhausting household chores, managing relationships leave our body and mind in a poor state of health. It seems like stress, anxiety, and tensions have taken a permanent place in our lives. But, with a heart-melting pose, we can burst the stress bubble and varying problems of our life. The act of resting the head on the floor provides a soothing effect and calms the body and mind.
3. Good for Respiratory System: Respiratory diseases range from influenza, bacterial infections to chronic diseases like asthma, obstructive pulmonary disorder, etc. One of the health benefits of anahatasana is its ability to expand the chest and to cure the respiratory problems. A regular practice of heart melting pose shall greatly benefit your respiratory system.
4. Beneficial for Shoulders: Fix the stooping shoulders through a committed performance of heart-melting yoga posture. The pose effectively opens and corrects the roundness in the shoulders and grants a perfect posture while preventing shoulder injuries.
5. Activates the Anahata: The Anahatasana opens the heart chakra (also known as Anahata) and facilitates a deep immersion in delightful and beautiful feelings. It is the divine chakra within which the flame of life resides. When the heart chakra is opened, we experience boundless love, radiating relationships, and infinite pleasure.
6. An alternative to Balasana: Heart melting pose serves as a powerful alternative to a Balasana (Child Pose). People suffering from knee problems who find it hard to practice the child pose can perform the Anahatasana to benefit their body, mind, and soul.
7. Healthy For Upper and Middle Back: The upper and middle back area can be the source of trouble for many individuals. Effectively treat the problem through the practice of the heart-melting pose. The posture holistically heals the upper and middle back and strengthens them.
Open the body, mind, and soul to positivity, compassion, and wholeness with the Anahatasana ( Heart Melting Pose).
To know about Anahatasana in further detail, explore our Yoga Teacher Training In India.