Yoga for tight chest muscles – Somatic Release

Do you have good posture? Or does your upper back and shoulders round? Can you bind your yoga poses? Feel like your breathing is restricted? You could have tight pectoral muscles. Rather than stretching instead, try a somatic release for your pecs. This yoga for tight chest muscles routine takes less than 10-minutes and is a great step to better posture and breath.

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Yoga for tight chest muscles

Because this practice is focused on a somatic release for the pecs, we’ll start this yoga for tight chest muscles lying on our backs. Let the arms stretch out wide and take a few minutes for a quick body scan here. Focus on the connection your upper back, scapulae, arms, hands, and fingers, have to the floor. Plus the feeling across the front of the chest and shoulders.

Then grab a yoga block. Place the block between the hands, and raise the hands above the chest. With the elbows bent press the hands firmly into the block. Feel the contraction of the chest, front shoulder, and arms. Notice if one arm has more energy or effort. Hold this for a few seconds, then SLOWLY release.

As you release notice if one side releases more quickly than the other, or “jumps” through the release. Think of the release like an ice-cube melting in the sun. Slow, and steady. Letting the effort dissipate. Repeat twice more, and on that third repetition let the arms open back out into the “T” position. Then take the opportunity to repeat the body scan to notice if anything feels different.

While this yoga for tight chest muscles practice is done supine on the floor, this somatic release can also be done seated, or standing. However, the body scan may need to be done with the back against the wall. This yoga for tight chest muscles is a great way to open the heart chakra before poses like camel, locust, or binding poses.

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Questions

• Do you have tight chest muscles?
• Are your shoulders and upper back rounded?
• How is your posture?