How To Prepare For Chest Expansion

I started getting into yoga after the birth of my second child, and there is one class that I will never forget. The teacher guided us into forward fold with chest expansion. She told us to interlace our fingers behind out back, push our knuckles down towards the floor, bend over and let our arms float up and over head. And do you know what happened? My hands remained in place on the small of my back. No matter how hard I tried, they would not budge.

I remember looking at the teacher and some of the other students in awe. How did they manage that? It seemed utterly impossible. What I didn't understand at the time is that I had very tight shoulders. This is really common for a great many people. We live in a very forward facing world. Most daily tasks require us to work in a front facing position. Driving, washing dishes, working on the computer, scrolling on our phones. Unless you intentionally move your body in the opposite direction, chances are, your shoulders and chest are tight.

As I continued to grow in my yoga practice, and actively work on stretching the front body, my shoulders slowly started to open up. And then one magical day, I was able to lift my hands off of my back in chest expansion!

There's no magic pill or movement that will make this happen over night. It does take time. But if you are consistent, with purposeful movements and stretches, you too can open up your chest and shoulders. Below I go over some of my favorite stretches for opening up the front upper body.

8 Poses/Stretches To Open Up Your Chest And Shoulders

The following stretches can be done together in one stretching session, or individually as you see fit. Mix and match as many as you like to create your own sequence. I have listed them in an order that, to me, goes from less to more intense. Hold each stretch for 5 to 10 breaths. Be sure to do both sides when working one side at a time. Some stretches require the use of a prop. If your don't have yoga blocks you can use thick books or something fairly solid that measures about 4 inches in depth. If you don't have a yoga strap, you can use a belt or a towel.

This pose makes use of 2 blocks. Place them on your mat in the shape of a T. One vertical for the length of your spine, and one horizontal to rest your head. Choose the block height you want to explore (Low, Medium, or High. I suggest starting with the low height). Lie on the blocks with your arms out to the sides, palms facing up. You may have to readjust your blocks to find the most comfortable position for you spine and head. Resting in supported fish allows gravity to help with opening up the shoulders with minimal effort.

Come to a comfortable seated position (either on your bottom or on your shins) and grab your strap. Holding your strap with both hands in front of you, measure out how far you want your hands apart so that it is fairly taut. (note: for tight shoulders, your hands will be further apart. As your shoulders start to open, you may find over time, you can bring them close together). Lean to one side and place you hand on the floor while the other arm reaches over head coming into a side stretch, holding the strap firmly in both hands. Start to send the lifted arm behind as you twist your chest up toward the sky. Make the movement dynamic by moving the torso and lifted arm from a neutral side stretch to and open twist and reaching your arm behind you (floss).

From a seated position (either on your bottom or on your shins), interlace your fingers behind your back. Then bring your clasped hands to one side and rest on your low back or toward front hip crease. Working with the arm that is reaching across your body, draw the shoulder blade down toward your hips and squeeze toward your spine.

Come to lie on your belly. Place your forearms on the floor and stack your elbows under your shoulders. With your palms face down, press your hands and forearms down and then pull them back toward your body. As your shoulder blades squeeze together and down toward your hips, pull your chest forward through your shoulders. Keep soft engagement of your glutes and draw your belly in to keep from dumping into your low back.

Come to lie on your belly. Reach on arm forward as the other arm reaches to grab the foot of the same side leg. Press you extended hand into the floor to lift your torso. Pull your hand against your foot while pressing your foot into your hands . If you cannot reach your foot with your hands, option to loop a strap around your foot and hold the strap with the same side hand. Keep opposite forearm on the floor.

Come to lie on your belly and send your arms out in a T position. Start to roll over to one side propping your free hand in front of your chest and stacking your legs. For a deeper stretch, option to kickstand the top foot behind the bottom leg and continue to press your free hand into the floor as you roll further on your side. (Repeat on the second side)

From a table top position, walk your hands toward the top of your mat. Keeping your hips high, lower your chest down between your shoulders. If you have enough space for your head to reach the floor, option to bring your hands together in prayer, bending your elbow and bringing the heels of your hands behind your neck. With each exhale, try to release your chest closer to the floor.

From a table top position, place your forearms on the floor (option to keep the palms flat on the ground or interlace your fingers with the pinky edge of your hands pressing into the mat). Tuck your toes and lift your hips up to the sky. Continue to press your forearms firmly into the floor and walk your feet toward your face as far as you are able. As you actively reach your heels toward the ground, keep your knees as bent as needed and press your chest towards your thighs.

Benefits Of Chest/Shoulder Opening

Opening up your chest and shoulders is helpful for more that just chest expansion. From a yoga perspective, these postures can also be useful when preparing for binding poses as well as Pincha and handstand . Beyond yoga, regularly stretching your chest and shoulders can help decrease muscle imbalances as well as improved posture overall. As always, listen to your body and don't push yourself before you are ready. Postures like dolphin and half bow can be quite intense. Be sure to start small and use your breath to deepen into the stretch. As you inhale, observe where tightness shows up, and as you exhale, begin to soften and release. Be consistent and you'll start to notice improvement in your flexibility.