There’s more than one way to stretch the chest with yoga poses. However, few are as simple and convenient to do as yoga standing chest stretches. Whether you make it a regular part of your daily yoga routine, or it’s something you do on your lunch break at work, yoga standing chest stretches are a great way to open up the lungs to deeper breathing and rejuvenation.
Recycle a Yoga Mat
Yoga mats do not last forever and eventually become flat. Once the mat is flat, the item no longer supports your weight and may work against you when you are performing various yoga positions. Like other exercise equipment, there are various ways of recycling your yoga mat and giving the object a second life. Recycling your yoga mat helps keep it out of a landfill and can even helps other people, if you donate the mat to a charity or other group.
Do a High Lunge Pose in Yoga
The high lunge or utthita ashwa sanchalanasana is a yoga pose that brings a lot of beneficial contributions to the body--it increases the strength of the lower body structures, opens up the hips which improves circulation around the area, stretches the thigh, groin and the deep muscles of the pelvis (psoas muscles) and elongates the spine. The position of the chest increases lung capacity and the placement of the abdomen enhances essential stimulations on the abdominal muscles.
Do a Diamond Pose in Yoga
The diamond pose allows a yoga practitioner to rest, meditate or easily move into a more complex pose. Also referred to as the thunderbolt pose, the diamond pose is formally called the Vajra-asana posture, and is said to allow the yogi to tap into psychic powers. Whatever reason you have to take this pose, you'll find that it is one of the easier positions to attain.
Boost Your Thymus Gland
The thymus gland is located in the center of the chest underneath the breast bone and plays a vital part in the immune system. It is a two-lobed organ that stores T-cells, which are the white blood cells, until they are mature and then releases them into the bloodstream. T-cells are important for producing antibodies that fight bacterial and viral infections. During the time the T-cells are stored in the thymus, they will not attack foreign bodies because they are not yet mature enough. Once released from the thymus, they travel to other organs where they wait to fight invading organisms.