Our hearts hold so much: the weight of our experiences, the love we give, and the love we send to ourselves. In this gentle trauma-informed yoga class, we’ll open your chest, release tension in your upper body, and slowly reconnect with your heart space through slow, grounded movement.
This class is supportive for opening your heart space if you feel tight or closed in this area. Signs of a closed heart space can be standing with rounded shoulders, tightness in your chest, shoulders, and upper back, as well as emotionally feeling like it’s difficult to trust others, yourself, or fear of closeness or vulnerability.
When we move our bodies and open this gentle area, we can free up this stuck tension and sometimes emotions release with it. You may feel lighter, more open, and even more confident after freeing this space.
This 13-minute heart opening yoga class stays low to the ground and uses a bolster for additional comfort and support. We’ll explore poses and movements like shoulder rolls, cat/cow, sphinx, supported fish, gentle twists, and child’s pose. If you have been feeling closed off, heavy in your chest, or disconnected from yourself, I welcome you to learn more about this class!
What to Expect in This Practice
This is a trauma-informed yoga practice, which means everything offered in this class is optional and an invitation. You are always welcome to move at your own pace, modify poses, rest when you need to, or skip anything that doesn’t feel right for your body or energy levels. There is no need to perfect or perform and how you choose to arrive is perfect.
This class is supportive for all experience levels and there are no standing postures. I welcome you to include a yoga bolster for comfort, but I provide additional options if you prefer not to use props.
We’ll explore:
- Seated Warm Up and Release (0:30) We’ll begin seated, arriving in your body and settling your nervous system. We’ll move through shoulder rolls and gentle neck releases to soften tension many of us hold in our upper bodies.
- Gentle Stretches for the Heart Space (2:50) We’ll move into gentle chest opening stretches, exploring cat/cow and spinal movement to invite more openness into your heart space. We’ll also explore other poses like sphinx and child’s pose.
- Supine Heart Opening Poses with Bolster (7:09) We’ll lower down to the ground and explore supported heart opening poses including twists and supported fish. The bolster opens your chest while keeping the rest of your body supported. You might choose to use these moments to soften, release, and unwind. There’s an option to bring awareness to your heart space and breathe into your chest if you feel comfortable.
- Closing (12:00)
Who This Class Is For
This class may be supportive if you:
- Are experiencing tension or tightness in your chest, shoulders, or upper body
- Wish to feel more open in your heart space and explore self-compassion
- Are looking for a short, gentle practice to reconnect with yourself
- Prefer low-to-the-ground movement with no standing postures
- Would like to feel lighter in your body and mind
13 Min Gentle Heart Opening Yoga (Free Trauma Informed Class)
If you’d like to open your heart space, release tension in your upper body, and reconnect with your own softness, I invite you to join me in this class. We’ll move gently, stay low to the ground, and give your body the time and space to feel lighter and more open.
A yoga bolster is welcome but not required. Options are shown in the top right corner of the screen throughout the class if you prefer not to use props.
If you’d like to explore this class, I welcome you to join me below!
This class is also available inside the Embody and Bloom membership, where you’ll find a growing library of trauma-informed yoga, somatic healing, and nervous system support for sexual trauma healing.
