You need yoga backbends

Date

01.28.19 More info+

They provide caffeine-like stimulation.

Yoga backbends promote hip flexibility and encourage thoracic spine mobility, but their benefits extend beyond the body and into the mind. “Unlike forward bends, backbends open up the heart and throat chakra, which targets communication, articulation, and speaking your truth,” says Bee Bosnak, a yoga and meditation instructor at Equinox locations in New York City.

These postures may be more difficult to move into if you sit at a desk all day or have chronic low-back pain. That said, not all backbends are Scorpion-level and there’s no need to rush into them. One trick to try: Start every backbend with a neutral spine, then proceed to a backward tilt of the pelvis. This will decompress the spine, relieving pressure in your lumbar section where many people experience aches.

Below, Bosnak demonstrates three series that start with a beginner backbend and progress into intermediate and advanced poses. “Practicing these sequences will amplify your energy, both physically and emotionally, and help you be more extroverted and open to possibility,” she says.

Choose a sequence and perform it in the morning or early afternoon, but avoid doing so at night since they’re stimulating. First, warm up and prep the spine with 5 to 7 slow breaths in Cat/Cow, Bridge, and Cobra. Then aim to hold each pose in a three-part sequence for 5 to 7 slow breaths, moving straight from one to the next. If you can’t complete the full series, practice the beginner pose a few times a week. When you can comfortably hold it for 1 minute, progress to the next.

Sequence 1

Half Pigeon

Start on your mat in tabletop pose, with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Bring the right leg forward, placing the knee on the floor behind your right wrist and the ankle in front of the left knee. Next, simultaneously slide the left leg directly behind you, lower your hips to the floor, and sit upright. Keep your hips square and rest your fingertips on the floor at shoulder-width on either side of your right leg. Draw your navel in, tailbone down, and inhale to lift your chest. (In traditional Pigeon pose you rest your forehead on the mat, but this variation incorporates a backbend.) Hold for 5 to 7 breaths. Exhale and balance your weight on both legs, then push through the hands to lift the hips. Switch sides and repeat, then move on to the next pose.

King Pigeon (half)

From Half Pigeon, reach the left arm to the left knee. Raise your left foot off the ground, then move right arm overhead and backward to grab the toes. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, then slowly release the left foot and lower hands and foot back to the floor. Switch sides and repeat, then move on to the next pose.

King Pigeon (full)

From King Pigeon, reach left arm back to grab the left foot. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, with the fingertips of your right hand resting on the floor next to your right knee, then switch sides and repeat.

Sequence 2

Bridge

Lie faceup on a mat with knees bent, feet planted on floor at hip-width, and arms at your sides. Press through your feet to bring hips off the mat while keeping your feet, head, and shoulders firmly on the ground. Once your hips are in position, roll your shoulders underneath your back and interlace your hands on the ground beneath your body. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, then move on to the next pose.

Wheel

From Bridge, bend elbows and place hands at shoulder-width on the ground next to your head, with palms facing down and fingers pointing toward shoulders. Press through the feet and hands to lift the hips and extend the arms. Continue lifting yourself up by pressing into the feet and toes and reaching the chest away from the ground. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, then move on to the next pose.

One-Legged Wheel

From Wheel, slowly lift your left leg until quad is perpendicular with the ground. Keep your toes pointing toward the floor. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths, then switch sides and repeat.

Sequence 3

Eagle Arms

Start on your mat in a kneeling position with glutes on top of heels, feet hip-width apart, and the tops of your feet on the floor. Keeping your elbows straight, cross the right arm over the left in front of your body, externally rotating both upper arms. Wrap your left hand around the right wrist, inhale, bend backward, and look upward, lifting the arms so the forearms are about parallel with the floor. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths. Switch sides and repeat, then move on to the next pose.

Half Camel

From Eagle Arms, release the arms and rise into a high kneeling position, maintaining a bend in the back. Slowly reach your right arm back to grab your right heel, lift your left arm toward the sky, and drop your head back. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths. Switch sides and repeat, then move on to the next pose.

Full Camel

From Half Camel, drop the raised arm and hold each heel with each hand. Tip the head back to keep the whole spine in extension. Hold for 5 to 7 breaths.

Slide 1 of 3

You need yoga backbends
They provide caffeine-like stimulation.
Yoga backbends promote hip flexibility and encourage thoracic spine mobility, but their benefits extend beyond the body and into the mind. “Unlike forward bends, backbends open up the heart and throat chakra, which targets communication, articulation, and speaking your truth,” says Bee Bosnak, a yoga and meditation instructor at Equinox locations in New York City.
These postures may be more difficult to move into if you sit at a desk all day or have chronic low-back pain. That said, not all backbends are Scorpion-level and there’s no need to rush into them. One trick to try: Start every backbend with a neutral spine, then proceed to a backward tilt of the pelvis. This will decompress the spine, relieving pressure in your lumbar section where many people experience aches.
Below, Bosnak demonstrates three series that start with a beginner backbend and progress into intermediate and advanced poses. “Practicing these sequences will amplify your energy, both physically and emotionally, and help you be more extroverted and open to possibility,” she says.
Choose a sequence and perform it in the morning or early afternoon, but avoid doing so at night since they’re stimulating. First, warm up and prep the spine with 5 to 7 slow breaths in Cat/Cow, Bridge, and Cobra. Then aim to hold each pose in a three-part sequence for 5 to 7 slow breaths, moving straight from one to the next. If you can’t complete the full series, practice the beginner pose a few times a week. When you can comfortably hold it for 1 minute, progress to the next.
Sequence 1
Half Pigeon
Start on your mat in tabletop pose, with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Bring the right leg forward, placing the knee on the floor behind your right wrist and the ankle in front of the left knee. Next, simultaneously slide the left leg directly behind you, lower your hips to the floor, and sit upright. Keep your hips square and rest your fingertips on the floor at shoulder-width on either side of your right leg. Draw your navel in, tailbone down, and inhale to lift your chest. (In traditional Pigeon pose you rest your forehead on the mat, but this variation incorporates a backbend.) Hold for 5 to 7 breaths. Exhale and balance your weight on both legs, then push through the hands to lift the hips. Switch sides and repeat, then move on to the next pose.

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