Visit the yoga pose library and Yin yoga pose library to see the benefits of specific backbend poses. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) is a really good way to test this – most of us will have a tendency to want to either pull more with the legs or with the arms depending on where we are more flexible in our spine.
#YOGA ARCH BACK FULL#
In all full backbends you are looking to experience the bend throughout your spine. In Bridge Pose you can place the block lengthways and hold it between your knees as you lift your hips. Then, draw your lower belly in and up before you start to lift your torso up and then back into the pose. In Camel Pose hold a block between your thighs and imagine you are pushing the block out behind you by rolling your inner thighs in (without letting the knees roll in).
In both of these cases a block can be really helpful. in Camel) and letting knees fall out (e.g. Try curling up to Cobra keeping the chin tucked, the gaze can be forwards instead of up to keep the base of the neck relaxed. For example in Cobra there can be a tendency to tilt the head back whereas the back bend should be coming from sending the chest forward and up. Dolphin pose) in between your core work and backbends can help to neutralise your front and back muscles while also warming up the back and shoulders further. If you have done a very strong core practice however, your muscles can feel contracted so doing something like an inversions (e.g. Backbends then become a really nice counter-stretch to core work. Core work can be helpful to do before backbends because by giving attention to those muscles on the front of the body we are more likely to use the core safely in backbends. You can practise wide legged forward bend with the hands clasped behind you ( Prasarita Padottanasana C) or some of the contraction style backbends such as Locust are good preparatory poses before going into stronger variations such as Wheel or Dancer’s pose. The front of the chest and shoulders also need to be warmed up and open for backbends. Lunge (Anjaneyasana) or Reclined Hero pose (Supta Virasana) can give a great stretch to the front of the thigh. Take a look at Sandra Carson’s great article on the psoas. Which poses help backbends?īackbends are also front body stretches – so they benefit from open and relaxed hips and surrounding muscles including the top of the the thighs (quadriceps), hip flexors and the psoas. Sun Salutations are great preparation as they warm the whole body – go easy on your first one so that when you go through Cobra or Upward Facing Dog you’re not coming into the full expression of the pose straight away. When warming up think about mobilising your spine in all different directions for example with Cat Cow variations, gentle twists and side bends. When warming up, think about mobilising your spine in all different directions In backbends we do the very opposite (one of the reasons why they are so great) so we need to start gently and give ourselves a helping hand. It’s stating the obvious I know but due to our daily activities lots of us will be habitually rounding our shoulders and backs with things like computer work, driving, texting, cycling, playing with kids etc. Some fundamental principles Warm up first! These are generally poses where you are lying on your front such as Locust (Salabhasana). Where the muscles on the back contract to overcome gravity. Where the strength of the arms or legs are used to deepen the backbend, Poses like Bow (Danurasana) or Cobra (Bhujangasana). These are poses such as Camel Pose (Ustrasana) or dropping back to Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana). Where the body is bending with gravity and the muscles on the front of the body are active, helping to control the range and rate of movement. Backbends can be broadly divided into three categories 1.
With regular backbends we can help to protect this wonderful balance by increasing mobility while strengthening the supporting muscles around the skeleton. Strong bones and large muscles give us structure and protect sensitive nerves, while flexible ligaments and tendons allow the spine to move in all different planes. Our spines are an incredible combination of strength and flexibility – of Sthira and Sukha.
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