Posted by on 7/8/2021 to
Let's Talk Yoga!
Backbend Type Yoga Poses: 3 Beginner Backbend Yoga Poses
Free your emotions, open your heart to the amazing beauty of life and bravely face all the challenges it poses to us: from a psychological and emotional point of view we could summarize in these three points the main benefits of backbends in yoga (backbends in English). It is not difficult to understand why. Back bending, such as Ustrasana, the camel pose, exposes the front part of our body to the outside world, without any defense. It is an unprecedented position for the contemporary man and woman, who between hours at the desk, at the computer and with other mobile devices, end up crystallizing in a curved posture closed in on itself. And also for this reason, from a physical point of view, back bends can present themselves as a considerable challenge.
One of the reasons we are very rigid is because we spend a lot of time sitting. This makes it difficult to tilt the pelvis backwards (in retroversion, with the hip bones rising and the coccyx descending downwards), which is one of the first fundamental things to do, before taking us to the backbend. If aligning your pelvis is complex, then it will happen that when we work backwards, we compensate in the lumbar area.
On the other hand there are people who are very flexible in backward openings, and personally I think I belong to this "category" ... but do not think that for these people there is no work to be done, or that the openings are in simple realities as they come!
For each of us, working with the back requires a lot of attention and in a particular way, everyone must work recognizing their limits and peculiarities.
Sphynx pose, Salamba Bhujangasana
https://worldpeaceyogaschool.com/blog/benefits-of-sphinx-pose/
Kneel on the mat with your hands in prayer in front of your chest, place your hands on the ground, point your feet and straighten your legs to bring yourself into the downward dog position, extending your legs and back well. Then bring your knees, chest and chin to the ground, and sliding forward rest your belly and forehead. Spread your legs slightly apart and stretch your arms out in front of you. Start walking backwards with your hands until your forearms are resting on the ground. By leveraging the forearms, open the chest wide, bring the coccyx back towards the pubis, and if you have no cervical problems, prune your gaze upwards. Stay in this position for five long, deep breaths. Then slowly bring your forehead back to the ground.
Cobra Pose, Bhujangasana
Kneel on the mat with your hands in prayer in front of your chest. Place your hands on the ground, point your toes and extending your legs and back into the downward dog position. Then bring your knees, chest and chin to the ground and, sliding forward, rest your belly and forehead on the mat. Push your legs hard on the ground, slide with the pubis forward, perform a slight retroversion of the pelvis, keeping the pubis strong on the ground, elbows bent at the hips.
Open your chest by letting your shoulder blades slide down and inhaling expand the front of your torso upward. If you can, extend your arms progressively, but keep your pubis always resting on the ground and lift your gaze to the sky like a snake that stretches vertically. Stay in the position for five breaths, then slowly bend your elbows and return to the ground, resting your chest and forehead. Bring your buttocks towards your heels and rest your forehead on the ground. Then you slowly lift yourself up.
Upward facing dog, urdhva mukha svanasana
https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/upward-facing-dog/
Lie on your mat with your stomach on the ground, your legs extended and together and your instep flat on the floor. Place your palms on the mat with your fingers open, at shoulder height, keeping your arms bent. Relax your muscles in this starting phase. You can look forward or rest your forehead on the ground.
Pushing from your hands, lift your chest up and arch your spine taking care not to push too hard if you feel pain. Open your chest, contract your glutes and keep your legs active. Try to keep your shoulder blades relaxed and lower your shoulders. This opening will allow you to fill your lungs more than usual and breathe better.
Now try to fully extend your arms, the pelvis comes off the floor, the abdomen and chest are stretched, look ahead. Do not force if you feel pain or discomfort in the spine. In the final posture, the body is fully active, the spine very arched and the legs slightly raised from the floor. Maintaining your posture will go a long way in strengthening your shoulders and arms. Stay in the posture for a while, continuing to breathe regularly, before slowly returning to the starting position.
Camel pose, Ustrasana
https://howlermag.com/ustrasana-camel-pose
On your knees bring your hands behind your back with your thumbs touching. As you inhale, push your chest out and exhale let your head, shoulders and torso slide back. Slowly bring your hands to your heels and hold the position for a few breaths. To dissolve the position by inhaling, raise the torso slowly, sit on the heels bringing the forehead to the ground and relax.