Anahata chakra yoga asana- Uttana Shishosana
| Common Name(s) | Uttana Shishosana and Anahatasana in Sanskrit, Puppy Dog Pose and Melting Heart Pose in English |
| Meridians | Lungs & Large Intestine , Heart & Small Intestine , Kidneys & Bladder |
| Chakras | Throat Chakra (Vishuddha Chakra) , Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra) , Sacral Chakra (Swadisthana Chakra) , Root Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) |
| Elements | Ether , Air , Water , Earth |
Anahatasana, also called the Puppy Dog Pose or Melting Heart Pose in English or Uttana Shishosana in Sanskrit, is a yoga posture which is done in sitting position and involves forward bending of spine. It is a beginner level pose which affects the Kidneys, Bladder, Heart, Intestines and Lungs of a person. It regulates the air, water, ether and earth elements of the body.
This yoga asana activates four chakras of body-throat, heart, sacral and root, and controls Vatta, Pitta and Kapha elements in body.
This yoga pose is considered to be good for joint and muscles of arms and shoulders, lower back, upper back, knees, neck and pelvic region.
Anahata chakra yoga asana helps strengthen the Heart muscles and helps in opening the Heart Chakra energies.
Please consult a Chakra yoga teacher to understand the details and the ‘how to’ of this yoga asana.
Anahata chakra yoga asana benefits
1/9. Stretches and opens the upper and middle back.
2/9. It helps to open shoulder joints and make them pliable.
3/9. It helps in impacting the heart muscles and helps in opening the heart energies.
4/9. This asana helps in stretch of abdomen, spinal cord and chest region along with the ribs.
5/9. The stretch in ribs and chest opens the heart and the lungs.
6/9. The stretch on stomach stimulated the organs such as stomach, spleen and pancreas resulting in a better flow of vital fluids.
7/9. The arm meridians are stretched; offering a degree of flexibility.
8/9. Humerus joints are activated with the postural movement.
9/9. Shoulder joins are revitalised with stretching and revolving.
Contraindications or Precautions for Uttana Shishosana Pose
1/3. People having afflictive neck may experience strain in this asana.
2/3. Be aware of any prickling sensation in hands or fingertips. Such sensations may happen due to continuous suppressions of the related nerves. Try adjusting the hand positions or avoid this posture if hurts more.
3/3. If at any moment, you feel crimping sensation in any part of the body, you should gradually come back to normal position.
How to Start?
1/7. Get yourself sitting in a comfortable position.
2/7. Get on your knees and hands with a 4-legged posture.
3/7. Gradually stretch both of your hands forward away from the body.
4/7. Keep both hands wide apart as per your comfort level.
5/7. Allow your chest to drop vertically down to touch the ground.
6/7. Keep your hips over your knees and hip and knees should be vertically erect at 90 degree to the ground.
7/7. Remaining portion of legs should stay parallel to ground and towards back of the knees.
Alternative measures
1/6. If you experience pain on your shoulders, try keeping your hands apart and stretch as much possible.
2/6. If you are flexible enough, try touching the chin to the ground and look straight ahead of your body. Remember, this may strain your neck and hence you should be cautious doing this.
3/6. Try practicing with a blanket under your knees. This prevents aching of the knees.
4/6. You can keep your legs a little apart or tuck your toes as per your convenience.
5/6. If you feel uncomfortable, try resting your chest on a pillow or a high blanket. This will rest your body and allow some relaxation.
6/6. The Anahata asana can also be done with stretching of one Arm and resting your head over the forearm of the other hand.
How to revert to normal/ Counter Poses
When you feel satiated with this yoga asana, you can simply slide forward to lie on your belly or lean back to a Child’s posture; a counter pose.
Recommended stretch of time
1/2. Ideally this yoga asana should be practices for 3 to 5 minutes at a stretch. It may be shorter than this but is not advised for a longer duration than this.
2/2. A person needs to observe carefully for minor strains on the neck and other muscles while going for extreme stretch of resting chin on the ground.