Bend over backwards with these yoga poses
“In Yoga we do back-bends, which are harder than jogging, but that does not irritate the heart because we don’t get out of breath and our heartbeat is maintained in a rhythmic pattern throughout.” — From The Tree of Yoga by Sri BKS Iyengar Place a hand over your heart. Inhale fully and lift your heart up into your hand.
Keep your heart lifted as you exhale.
Inhale and lift your heart higher, exhale and keep your heart lifted.
Do this same thing one more time and this time hold the inhale in for a count of five. Exhale and release all you have held and lifted.
Take a few breaths and notice how you are beginning to feel a slight shift in your prana/energy.
When we lift our heart space up, we literally lift ourselves up.
We resist the downward pull of gravity and increase space for our breath to flow.
Our shoulders will naturally draw back and start to relax down our back. The shoulder blades will move toward each other to support the lift of the heart space, and you will begin to discover how to carry yourself with better harmony throughout.
By initiating the lift of your heart you will instantly improve your overall health.
When we consistently practise back-bending postures in all forms from cobra (Bhujangasana) to full wheel (Urdvha Danurasana), we are essentially retraining our bodies to flow in a more connected and natural way.
Back bends are all about the flexibility of your spine, shoulders and the ability to lift your heart. But they are also about releasing fear and those things which hold us back. To be able to comfortably attain and maintain a back-bending posture, we need to learn how to begin to consciously release what we don’t need.
As we learn to let go and surrender into the pose, we will discover that we begin to enter these poses more deeply.
There is a reason young children are able to naturally fall into full wheel, cobra, camel or Danurasana (poses featured below). It is because their bodies are generally free from misuse, stress and tension.
Inviting these things back into our lives gives us a sense of play and a renewed sense of freedom.
Find your place in each pose and be content with where you are and what your limits are today.
Work at maintaining that feeling you get when you lift your heart space, and feel your shoulders gently drop away from your ears and relax down your back.
Keep your shoulder blades drawing together and pressing in towards the back of your heart as best as you can in all back-bending postures.
Before attempting any of these poses, it is a good idea to warm your body and prepare your shoulders, spine and legs with some cat/cow, sun salutes, and standing poses.
It is an even better idea to work with a teacher you connect with and trust to guide you safely in and out of each pose.
Namaste and Happy Yoga!