Open Heart, Open Mind

Recently I've been starting my yoga classes with a gentle heart opener. I have my students roll up a blanket (not too big of a roll) and place it just under the bottom tips of the shoulder blades. Head and shoulders release back to the mat and arms are in goal-post. Starting in this position not only begins to open the physical body - lengthening the Pectoralis Minor, which, when short, is responsible for causing our shoulders to hunch forward, but also it begins to open our emotional and mental bodies.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we tend to hold emotions in our chests - grief, sadness, etc - so by incorporating heart openers into our practice, we begin to unleash these emotions. I also think,however, that heart openers help us to cultivate a more open mind - open to new ideas, people, places, religions, beliefs, etc, by positively affecting our physical stance which, in turn, has a positive effect on our mental and emotional 'stances'.

Physically opening the chest, we stand taller and appear more open. The shoulders are no longer hunched forward which, in a way, closes us off from others. With an open chest, we appear more approachable, friendly, and welcoming. So, just by slightly altering our physical stance, we open ourselves up to meeting new people and from there, a chain reaction ensues. By meeting new people we somewhat unknowingly open our minds up to a slew of new - new ideas, beliefs, religions, places - the list goes on and on. Once we become more open mentally and emotionally, we begin to be more aware and more understanding of those around us - differences and similarities alike.

I think it's pretty amazing that a simple, subtle change in the physical body can lead to a whole onslaught of changes in the mental and emotional bodies. And it might not be something that happens overnight or even in a year, but wouldn't it be nice if everyone could stand a little taller and, as a result, be a little more understanding and a little more open to new ideas?