You may not guess from my pictures but backbending was definitely not my forte 15 years back when I started my Yoga journey.
I would see pictures of people holding the wheel pose with one leg up and I’d wonder if I would ever be able to do this in my lifetime.
This pose is One Legged Wheel Pose or Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana. It was this particular pose was the one that got me back to my Yoga journey in the first place. I had put a picture of this pose on my computer screen as one of my life goals. (I’m glad I did).
Understanding the Importance of Backbends
Backbends open the front of the body, strengthen the back muscles, and stimulate the nervous system. They can help counteract the effects of prolonged sitting and slouching, making them essential for modern lifestyles. Deepening your backbends can lead to greater physical and emotional release, providing a sense of freedom and expansiveness.
So if you’re like me and are looking to deepen your backends, I am sharing my tips. These are not specific to this particular pose for almost all of the back-bending Yoga asanas. Here’s how to improve your backends or get better at back bending.
Never Skip the Warm-Up
Before attempting to deepen your backbends, it’s crucial to prepare your body with adequate warm-up exercises. This helps to prevent injury and enhances flexibility.
- Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
- Start on your hands and knees.
- Inhale, arch your back and lift your head and tailbone (Cow Pose).
- Exhale, round your back and tuck your chin and pelvis (Cat Pose).
- Repeat for 1-2 minutes.
- Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
- Lie on your stomach with your elbows under your shoulders.
- Press into your forearms and lift your chest.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes, focusing on lengthening your spine.
- Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
- From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot forward between your hands.
- Lower your left knee to the ground and lift your torso.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes on each side, opening up the hip flexors and quadriceps.
Key Poses to Deepen Your Backbends
Don’t underestimate the power of easier back-bending asanas. The day I held Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) for three minutes, was the day I was able to hold my deepest backend for the first time.
That’s why when I teach Yoga or practice at home, I always include a series of Bhujangasana where the participants gradually go deeper with each one and hold the last one.
So, here are a few poses that I mentioned which you can try holding for longer than you would normally do, and build on your backends.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
- Lie down on your stomach.
- Your legs can be apart, but make sure they are active. Traditionally legs are together in Bhuajangasana but it depends on your body. You can keep them apart but don’t rotate your thighs externally. Try to keep a neutral hip rotation.
- Place your hands under your shoulders and exhale.
- As you inhale, lift your head, neck, and chest.
- Your elbows can bend, but make sure your pelvis remains on the floor.
- If you can do a deeper cobra pose, you can somewhat straighten your arms, as long as you stay in the cobra pose and your pelvis and legs remain on the mat.
- Do a set of cobra poses for 3-5 times. Hold each for 5-10 breaths and try to increase the duration and depth each time.
- If there’s a pain in your lower back in this asana, then come out of it. Over time as you learn to engage your core and bend more from your upper back, this pain will go away.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
- Kneel with your knees hip-width apart.
- Place your hands on your lower back for support.
- Inhale, lift your chest, and begin to bend backward leading with your upper back.
- If comfortable, reach your hands to your heels.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, ensuring you engage your core and avoid compressing your lower back.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
- Press into your feet and lift your hips.
- Clasp your hands under your back and roll your shoulders under.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, focusing on lifting your chest toward your chin.
Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
- Place your hands beside your ears with your fingers pointing toward your shoulders.
- Press into your hands and feet, lifting your body into an arch.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, ensuring even weight distribution across your hands and feet.
Use Gravity
Whenever possible, use gravity to make backends easier for yourself. Put Yoga blocks under your shoulder blades or upper back, and head for support and lie down on them. Adjust the height of your blocks as per your body and lie down.
It is important that you find a position that you can hold without pain or stress, and not the deepest one that you can hold.
Use Props
I did talk about using Yoga blocks under the upper back/shoulders and head. That isn’t all but you can use your Yoga props in many ways to deepen your backends.
Try using your Yoga belt for “shoulder flossing” as you hold your belt in both hands, lift your arms up, and take the belt behind you. At first, you will need to widen your arms but over time your hands will move closer.
In a half-bridge or bridge, you can try holding a Yoga block between your thighs and squeezing it. This will help you engage your glutes so that you can lift higher in this supine back bending asana.
Similarly, you can use a strap to “flip your grip” in pigeon pose.
Strengthen Your Core
Understand that a backend is back muscle contraction but core muscle stretch. So, the quickest way of deepening your backends is by strengthening your core. Spend 5-10 minutes every day for core strengthening moves – such as boat pose, half boat, and boat twists with namaste hands.
Activating your core muscles protects your lower back and provides stability during backends. Moreover, backbends start to feel effortless when your core muscles grow stronger.
Work on Shoulder Mobility
Shoulder mobility is crucial for deeper backbends. Now this is one part of my body that I initially struggled with while practicing backends. So here’s what I recommend based on what helped me and my students. Incorporate shoulder mobility moves like:
- Shoulder Flossing,
- Thread the Needle,
- Forward Fold with hands bound behind,
- Eagle arms,
- Thoracic twists with binds, (in low lunge, side angle, or even high lunge),
- Cow Face Pose,
- Compass Pose (Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana) or Twisted Janu Sirsasana pose
For me, the last one helped me in a way nothing else helped.
Be Consistent (with Breaks)
Unpopular opinion: Don’t do backends every day. Yes, regular practice is key to progressing in your backbends. But aim for 3-4 times a week, the rest of the days you work on building your core muscles or leg strength, which brings me to the next point.
Strong Legs & Arms
You may hate me for saying this but as a Yoga teacher, I have often observed that many women struggle with arm strength at the start of their Yoga journey more than men do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a feminist too but I’m just sharing what I have observed as a Yoga teacher because as women, our bodies are built differently than men’s.
You need strong arms to lift you in wheel pose. Even if you have the flexibility in your spine, without arm strength, you may not be able to come up. So, holding planks and practicing vinyasas with “knees-chest-chin” or Ashtanga Namaskara and Chaturanga Dandasana will help you build your arm muscles.
Not just arms but you need strength in your legs to support your backends. Let’s look at primary backends like Sphinx Pose and Cobra Pose – in both, I asked you to engage your legs. Over time, if you hold these poses for longer and actively engage your legs, you will notice that you are able to go deeper with just an adjustment of leg engagement.
Similarly, when in bridge, holding a block between your thighs forces your muscles to engage, thus lifting your body higher in this pose. Imagine if you worked on your leg strength, then you wouldn’t have to think about the block between your thighs, it would happen on its own based on your leg, thigh & glute muscle activation.
Listen to Your Body & Take it Easy
Advance Yoga isn’t about holding the deepest Yoga asana, but being aware of your body and listening to it. In most situations, I say it is better to get out of your comfort zone, but sometimes not in extreme Yoga asana because trust your body’s intelligence when it doesn’t want to get into a pose. Don’t force it.
So, never force a backbend. Ease into the pose and respect your body’s limits to avoid injury.
Always Cool Down After Backbends
After deep backbends, it’s essential to cool down with forward bends and gentle twists to balance your spine. Otherwise, you may end up with back pain instead of a nice yummy feeling in your back post your yoga session. Here’s how to cool off after back bending.
- Child’s Pose (Balasana)
- Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms forward.
- Rest your forehead on the mat and breathe deeply for 1-2 minutes.
- Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
- Sit with your legs extended.
- Inhale, lengthen your spine, and exhale as you fold forward.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes, allowing your back to gently release.
- Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
- Lie on your back and draw your knees to your chest.
- Drop your knees to one side and extend your arms out.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes on each side, releasing any tension in your spine.
Conclusion – Deepen Your Backbends
Deepening your backbends is a journey that requires patience, dedication, and mindful practice. By incorporating proper warm-ups, practicing key poses, and following safety tips, you can enhance your mobility and enjoy the profound benefits of backends.
Remember, the goal is not to achieve the deepest bend but to find a balance that feels good and sustainable for your body.
Keep practicing, stay mindful, and enjoy the transformative power of backbends in your yoga journey!