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- These heart-opening asanas stretch the chest, lungs, shoulders, abdomen, groins and front of the legs while awakening and opening the spine.
- Centered in the Anahata Chakra, backbends fluidly run energy throughout the body, giving us energy that kindles relationship.
- Largely stimulating, backbends relieve stress and fatigue, stimulate the abdominal organs and awaken kundalini.
- Emphasize backbends as a practice of equanimity, not attainment, and purification for the purpose of freedom, not perfection.
- Deep backbends should be sequenced as the peak of a practice.
- “Active” backbends that require the use of spinal erector muscles (e.g., Salabhasana) should be sequenced before backbends in which the arms, legs or a wall leverage the asana.
- Specific sequences of standing asanas can open the quadriceps, hips and groins, which contributes to greater hip extension.
- Use shoulder flexion openers (opening the latisimus dorsi, pec majors and rhomboids) to prepare the shoulders for safe flexion.
- Use asanas like Prasarita Padottanasana C to open the shoulders for shoulder extension in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana.
- While amidst a sustained or deep backbending sequence, do not draw the knees into the chest or do other forward bending positioning of the spine until the sequence is complete. Stay in a backbending or neutral spinal position until it is completed.
- Give yourself the space to lie still in a neutral spine position before beginning counterasanas. Savasana, “Happy Baby” and Supta Baddha Konasana.
- Use gentle twists for initial counterposing, then move into successively deeper forward bends, hip openers and deeper twists. Give yourself time to drop slowly and deeply into these counterasanas, following their breath your enjoying the awakened consciousness that backbends naturally stimulate.
- Core integration movements following backbends will help to stabilize the low back.
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