Yoga Glossary · Muscles
Pectoralis major & minor
The chest muscles — they draw the arms forward and in, and open up in backbends and binds.
Pectoralis major is the broad fan of muscle across the front of the chest, running from the collarbone and sternum to the upper arm bone. Underneath it sits the smaller pectoralis minor, linking the front ribs to the shoulder blade. Together they adduct and internally rotate the arm and help pull the body through space when the hands are fixed.
In practice the pectorals work hard pressing and lowering in Chaturanga and pushing up in Cobra and Up Dog, then get their turn to open in backbends, binds and poses like Reverse Warrior. Hours of desk posture shorten them, which rounds the shoulders forward — one reason chest-opening poses feel so dramatic.
In practice
- Pressing the floor away in Chaturanga and Up Dog leans heavily on pec major.
- Tight pecs pull the shoulders forward and down; the minor is a common culprit behind rounded posture.
- Feel the stretch across the front of the chest in deep backbends and bound twists.
Poses that engage it
Poses that lengthen it
- Mountain Pose
- Stand at Attention
- Arms Overhead (Upward Salute)
- Crescent Lunge
- Dancer's Pose
- Cobra Pose
- Upward Facing Dog
- Locust Pose
- Bow Pose
- Camel Pose
- Bridge Pose
- Wheel Pose
- Reclined Bound Angle
- Supine Twist
- Corpse Pose
Related terms
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The Yoga Glossary is an educational study reference. Definitions are standard yoga and anatomy knowledge in plain language; nothing here is medical advice.