Yoga poses are practised for physical fitness, mental focus, and also to balance your chakras. The centres of energy that keep our mind, body, and spirit in alignment.
Another pose to balance your Heart Chakra or Anahata, is the Low Lunge. Alek Parkinson, Brit Labonte and Christi Silbaugh share their wisdom on balancing your Heart Chakra using Low Lunge, which is also known as Anjaneyasana in Sanskrit.
Day 11 – Low Lunge and Heart Chakra
by Alek Parkinson, Christi Silbaugh and Brit Labonte
Alek says, “My favourite thing about this chakra is that it is the centre for our deep well of love. With phones, texting, emails, Facebook, Instagram, TV, and all the other things that distract us, and keep us in our own isolated world, I feel like our loves often get lost and forgotten.”
A pose that helps to open your heart centre is the Low Lunge. It strengthens and stretches the legs, releases the hamstrings and hip flexors, strengthens the core and shoulders, and helps to bring you back to center.
How to rock Low Lunge Anjaneyasana:
1) Start in down dog.
2) Bring the right foot forward through to the right hand making sure you are working towards a 90 degree angle.
3) Place the left knee flat to the ground.
4) Once you feel stable, raise your body with hands meeting over head. A variation keeping hands separated with fingers pointing towards the sky.
5) Engage your core and thighs to center yourself equally over both legs.
Alek says she loves, “sunshine and clouds over fields of flowers. I love face to face interaction with people who make my heart swell with gratitude and love. I love dancing in fields in the middle of the night, and then watching the sun come up.”
As you focus on your Heart Chakra today think about all the things you love, and what makes you feel alive. They are often the simplest of things. The things we may miss if we didn’t stop to realize, that love is all around us. We just need to open ourselves up to it.
As with any exercise program you must know yourself and understand your own health before attempting.
Photo Credits in order:
Feature Image: Low Lunge under the Sun: @lifted.Goddess
Low Lunge in the Meadow: Alek Parkinson @alekmp7
Low Lunge on a Bridge: Nichole @Namaste_Nickey
Low Lunge in the Woods: Tahnee Cattaneo @tahcat1204
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