Two-Minute DIY Practice: Opening the Chest and Heart

Before You start reading this article
We Highly Reccomend you to read our popular article Unlock Your Hip Flexors pdf free download it is very usefull for our health

If you want to get started on this week's theme, here's a quick DIY practice that's great for opening the chest. If you're sitting at a desk (or even slumping on a couch) for an extended period of time, it's nice to get up and practice this every once in a while...

1. Begin standing with your arms at your sides (Tadasana, Mountain Pose). Tuck the tail bone and gently hug the belly button inward to support the lower back.
2. Bring your breath into the lower ribcage - keeping a firm, steady base in the lower body as you expand and lift the ribcage on each inhale. Press your feet down into the ground to lengthen the spine, and think about making your ribcage sit a little less heavily on your torso.
3. Now that you've got that expansive action going for you, let's incorporate some movement and stretching. On an inhale, sweep your arms up to the sky. Exhaling, sweep them down and behind you.
4. Clasp the hands together behind you and gently start to press the hands back away from the body (remembering to keep the tailbone tucked and belly button gently hugging inward to support your lower back). Lengthen your spine even more as you draw the shoulders down and lift the heart toward the sky.
5. Remember to breathe.
6. If you feel like an even deeper stretch in the upper chest, press the palms of the hands together in this pose.
7. Smile!

This pose will help counteract "office chair slump," and - if the yogis and researchers are right - it might just help brighten your mood as well.

If you want to use this pose as an opportunity for meditation:

1. Picture something that's challenging you right now - a situation, an idea, a project, a relationship, whatever. 
2. With each inhale let your heart slowly open. 
3. With each exhale send a little love toward that challenging thing you're picturing. (This part may not be easy. That's okay.)
4. Keep breathing until you start to feel the tension melt.

As always: take what serves you, leave what doesn't. It's all good.

For more information about The 3 Week Diet System go to this article The 3 Week Diet System Free Download