Open your heart, your body and your soul.
I really love to open my chest! Heart openers in yoga give me more energy and i feel it all over my body. Opening your body makes you happy. BUT you really have to think about many things to do them in a wright, smooth, save and worthwhile way.
Chest opening yoga poses certainly can help you reverse the mechanical constriction that can overcome the skeleton.
Because we make the spine bend in another way than what we do all day, chest openers are very difficult for most of us. But it is not only about the posture!!! -> If your chest is caving in, your heart and mind are probably going on along with it.
-> Improve Your Posture and Your Attitude Will Follow :-)
In daily, modern life, we spend long ours at the computer, in the office, in the car or at the table.
=> Because of that, the chest is drawing in on itself, the shoulders are rounding forward, we have a turtle neck and the upper body is “hanging down”.
=> Specifically, the pectoralis minor muscles (upper part of the chest), that underlie the bigger pec muscles scrunch up while your upper back muscles -- especially the serratus anterior -- become weak. This muscle imbalance can cause chest pain and restrict your range of motion. Throw a frozen rib cage into the mix and you have a recipe for oxygen depletion, thanks to the fact that drawing a full breath can make the intercostals that connect the ribs feel a bit touchy.
=> All that upper body tension is the gift that keeps on giving and next thing you know the pain is travelling all the way down your spine into your lower back.
=> Chest openers can help reverse that process. J
=> Emotionally, chestopeners are good for releasing sadness, grief, anger and frustration.
I love the "lord of the dance pose" or "Natarajasana", my version of it. I feel it all over my body. It's a beautiful marriage of strength, balance, flexibility, meditation and focus.
Source = http://www.livestrong.com/article/334793-what-are-the-benefits-of-yoga-chest-openers/
How lovely is it to open your chest, making yourself happy, rebalance your body and cleaning your mind, just relaxing and "hanging" out on bolsters and blankets.
-> Mat, strap, mat towel and blocks @Manduka.