Getting Started 10: Backbending

[muck_a_luck]

Disclaimer: I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga. But I have come to love yoga and am completely self taught.

You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. Remember to balance where you are now with where you could be in the future. There is no perfect pose.


Backbending

What should be in every (vinyasa) yoga session, ideally? Standing poses and sequences with a lot of movement, such as sun salutations, to generate heat. Twisting. Extensions to the side, as with Triangle (OMG we have not done Triangle!) and Reverse Warrior. Movements in opposite directions, as with any lunge. Building strength. Practicing and enjoying relaxtion while developing flexibility, in seated postures.

What's left? What's left will get your heart pounding and you doing things you haven't considered in years.

Backbending and inversions are what's left! Yup. We still need to really max out moving backwards in space, and we need to get our feet over our heads.

I've been stuck on this backbending post, because I know that while once you are warmed up and have developed some arm strength and confidence, it's not that hard just to pop up into Urdhva Dhanurasana, but the best, most rewarding deep backbending comes after thorough preparation of the knees, quads, abs and back, and I wanted to give you good advice about how to approach that.

Postures of Increasing Depth

Let's talk about the postures first, then learn how to use them. Just glance over these, don't try to memorize them all. I'm going to link you to some serious YouTube guidance, so that you can follow an instructor through the postures before you set out to build them into your own practice.

You've already been doing low and high Cobra, as well as Upward Facing Dog.

Cat and Cow. Cat is technically not a backbend, but a common warm up for backbending or abs work is to alternate Cat and Cow, gently stretching and loosening up the back, abdomen, shoulders and hips.

Salambhasana (Locust Pose). Yes, the posture named after a bug. This posture generates a lot of heat, and if you hold it very long will get your heart pounding. A nice variation is to do this posture "freeform" - bending one knee, while extending the opposite arm, then alternating, as if you are swimming.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose II). A deep quad opener. I don't like this one much, as it always hurts my back knee. I suspect I am doing it wrong somehow. A very deep quad opening posture. You should definitely be warm before you try this one.

Natarajasana (Dancing Shiva or Lord of the Dance Pose). A standing backbend and balance posture. In variation it can be done with both hands holding the raised foot.

Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). A nice backbend on its own, and often the final stepping stone to Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose). Early in my practice, this was one of my favorite postures. A very deep backbend, but not as stressful as Camel nor as scary as Upward Bow. Once you are familiar with this pose, you can try rocking it, so that you roll yourself forward onto your chest and hold the postre "exploring the strength in your legs," or rock yourself back more onto your legs, more fully opening the heart. You can deepen this pose through use of a strap, as well.

Ustrasana (Camel). This posture is allllll about your thighs and abs. The key is to engage those muscles, so that your upper body just falls open and back, completely relaxed and without strain, as you reach first for your heels, in the early stages, then later for your knees, so that your whole body tips backwards and your head touches the floor. Some Camel examples from YouTube: A GREAT explanation from Lucas Rockwood, though don't let him freak you out with the super-advanced practice he demonstrates at the end; Instruction by Jennifer Kostel; Slimtree.com's example; Ten Toes Yoga, with another approach to entering the posture.

Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel or Upward Bow). Last but not least! Some examples from YouTube: CorePower Yoga; Sonya Spray (I prefer this method, NOT stopping on the crown of the head, which kind of freaks me out, sorry).

There are more, even deeper backbends, but these are the ones that are easily within your reach right now.

The main thing to remember about backbending. People tend to get freaked out by it. These will probably be some of the more difficult postures in your practice, but just as with Warrior II or Uttanasana, the point is to maintain calm and equanimity in a stressful situation. Continue to breathe deeply and calmly (though from my experience I will tell you that your breathing will speed up with your heart rate in the deeper backbends). Follow the guidance your body gives you about your capabilities, and move forward into the deeper backbends as you feel ready. But don't chicken out. I suspect you will amaze yourself the first time you do a full Wheel, and you're hanging there, hips pressing up, feet and hands pressing down, looking at your mat under you!

Some sequences to get you started

Those are a lot of poses. But to get to the big back bends, it's important to start with the smaller ones, and to get the rest of your body ready.

With that in mind, here are a few instructional examples from YouTube. Before you actually try to do these, you should do your usual practice of sun salutations, to get warm and stretched.

Backbend Routine with Deborah York. This is a really nice session that will take you all the way to Dhanurasana. However, it is part of a longer session. I tried to find a link to the longer session, but it is on a pay website called Yoga Studio 9. This could be a good resource for a home practitioner that is ready for more instruction. It would be interesting to research this group more.

Toward Urdhva Dhanurasana. This is an eight part series with Kira Ryder. She does use some props. She does not do a good job of linking her series together on YouTube. Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8.

Diane Bruni instructs on Wheel preparation. This is in a class context. The audio is terrible, but this might be worth reviewing just to give you an idea of things to consider when developing your own sequences.


Adding Deeper Backbends to Your Practice

As you are building your own practice, one strategy to incorporate backbends is to put them into your vinyasa, alternating with standing poses.

Think about Surya Namaskar B. You have been putting in standing postures in place of Warrior I, right? Now I suggest you start adding backbends after Chaturanga.

So do your usual practice of Surya Namaskar A and B, then when you get to the point that you are exploring more standing poses, take the vinyasa down to Chaturanga, but instead of rolling into Up Dog this time, slowly lower your Chaturanga all the way down to the floor. Then add Salambhasana (Locust Pose). Hold the backbend for three to five deep breaths, and then relax onto the floor, relaxing, letting your forehead rest on your folded hands. Rest for two deep breaths, then place your hands under your shoulders, push up into Up Dog and continue your vinyasa to another standing posture.

The next Chaturanga, drop to the floor, and try a swimming Salambhasana. Relax for two breaths.

The next standing posture, try Natarajasana (Dancing Shiva or Lord of the Dance Pose). Follow with a regular vinyasa, or another swimming Salambhasana.

After the next Chaturanga, try a flowing Dhanurasana (Bow Pose). Reach back for your feet, press your feet into your hands, and rise up on the inhale, relax down on the exhale. Three to five breaths. Relax on your hands.

After the next Chaturanga, try a full Bow Pose. Three to five deep breaths. Relax on your hands.

After another vinyasa, from Down Dog, come to hands and knees and take an alternating Cat and Cow for five breaths. Breathe in as you move your chest forward and spine down in Cow, then exhale as you contract, nose to your naval, naval to the back of the spine.

Come to the front of the mat and try Ustrasana (Camel).

Lay on your back and take first a flowing Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). Inhale, lifting your hips as your arms rise up to lie on the ground over your head. Exhale, lower hips and arms together.

After three to five breaths, place your hands for Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel or Upward Bow), and press up. Rise onto your toes for a breath. Then lower your heels again. After three to five breaths, lower onto the mat. Attempt to do three rounds of Upward Bow.

After these deep backbends, you need to do some forward bending and twisting counterposes. I suggest you follow the seated bending session from Getting Started 8. Supine twists are nice after backbending, too, but I haven't covered any of those yet.

So! Now frighten impress your spouses, friends and children by doing a full backbend, just like you used to do when you were eight! :D


Namaste.

Comments

[recessional]

Is the King Pigeon one hurting your back knee in an overstretching-the-connective-tissues way, or a "dear rest of body: you are GRINDING ME INTO THE FLOOR. DIAF. no love, the knee" sort of way? If it's the latter, that's pretty common afaik, and the solution is to fold your mat/stick a towel or something under it to cushion.

[zats_clear]

thanks for this! I have been doing Shiva Rea's Daily Energy (CK reviews it) and one of the sequences makes me go into that pose and UGH! Knee has NO LOVE. Even my folded towel is not helping, but at least I know it is normal!