Back bends - fundamental principles
The backbends as a group have the following qualities:
• Open the chest, heart and lungs;
• distribute the extension as evenly as possible throughout the length of your back; opening asanas; emphasis on opening the heart, lungs, and chest ; re-balance our autonomic nervous system - our 'self-caused' system - work on the hormone-producing glands – our emotions – return to normal; regulates our willpower.
• Strengthen the arms and shoulders;
• Give energy and are rejuvenating;
• Make the mind alert and active;
• Increase circulation ie are heating;
• Combat depression;
• Slow down degeneration of the spine - Increase flexibility in the spine;
• Stimulate digestion (especially pancreas);
• Stimulate endocrine glands – thymus, and adrenals as well as pancreas.
• Aids the entire body
• Expand the chest aid flexibility in the upper body
• Build strength in the legs
• Stimulating and heating
• Challenge every day habit
• Open extroverted
• Energizing
Backbends are thought of as poses that open our awareness to the outside world. While the front of the body is being stretched in backbends (specifically the thighs, front groins, belly, chest and armpits), we should continue to focus our students' attention on the back torso. As they come into a backbend, ask them to lift the pubic bone toward the navel and rotate the thighs strongly inward. Make sure they keep the buttocks firm (but not tight or squeezed) and keep the tailbone pressed forward, which helps keep the lower back long and protects it from compression.
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