Backbends

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. 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) Camel Pose (Ustrasana) Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) 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: 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