I’ve always loved the way yoga backbends look.
But I’m not a natural backbender. Forwards? I am freakishly flexible. And then there is the whole emotional aspect that backbends bring up: opening to the new, lighting up your heart, making yourself vulnerable, yadda yadda. Blech.
For years, the forward bends just seemed a better option.
When I first went to yoga school in Chennai back in 2006, the teachers felt quite free to point out how weak my lower back was. I’ve worked on it, and on getting the pelvic position right for backbends.
So, as a non-natural backbender who can now do backbends that are fairly flashy, I feel qualified to give you a few pointers on how to get into a backbend that won’t do bad things to your shoulders, your spine, or your SI Joints.
- Start with simple backbends like Bridge Pose and Cobra (Bhujangasana, lying on your tummy), and try to do these poses every time you practice, so you can build the strength to support yourself in the deep backbends.
- Learn about how your body moves and what structural limitations you might have. This will help you back off when you are getting to your edge, so you don’t recruit flexibility from vulnerable joints like you SIJ’s.
- Practice getting your pelvis into a posterior tilt, which is the correct setup position for backbends. When your pelvis is posteriourly tilted (i.e. tilted backwards), your lower back is lengthened out so there is less pressure down there. This is A Good Thing.
- Learn to consciously relax your psoas muscles and activate your buttocks muscles to facilitate that posterior pelvic tilt.
- Be patient and gentle with yourself. Forcing and rushing are sure-fire ways to injure yourself.
- Understand that the process of working on something that challenges you is what brings the transformation. Getting into the pose? Is not really the point. And your body is different every day, just as your emotional state is. Honour that.
Happy back bending!
Moving from Stability: Understanding the Pelvis in Posture (Online workshop)
Light Up Your Life
Great post! I don’t teach any deep backbends and have mostly been laying off them in my practice since giving myself a little SI injury last year. Instead I stick to shalabasana (I consider it safer than bhujangasana because students can’t push themselves into too deep a bend) and bridge pose. Also, I really emphasise the role the abdominals play as stabilisers to the SI, and have started entering all my backbends on an exhale to maximise that stability. It makes a world of difference!
Thanks as always for the excellent, safe posts!
Nice one, doing backbends on an exhale. I like that you are explaining the why to folks too. I love cobra, but I never teach it with arm-pushing (except if the student is…full-chested, which I learned from one such student). Nope, people have to use the strength in their backs and glutes.
Fantastic article, thanks Nadine. As someone with dodgy SI joints and scoliosis, flashy backbends are attempted only on days I feel brave & centred (I’ve been avoiding them this winter). I have a question about prone backbends, particularly cobra & salabhasana, which I often struggle with. During cobra, teachers often say to press the tops of your feet firmly on the floor….I find this massively difficult and rely more on grounding the pelvic region to the mat, which in turn makes it more tricky getting the feet against the floor etc…you get my drift. Could you explain a little further what happens anatomically with pressing the tops of the feet on the floor?
Yes I can, it’s a bit of a long answer though. I’d like to have a good look at how you use your body (maybe on Sunday) then I will be able to see what’s up. If I don’t know, I will ask Jenifer – she’s a real anatomy whiz!
I think this might be next week’s tutorial, thanks Ros!
Ooh that sounds great, thanks Nadine! x
Very cool.
I have this niggle in my lower thoracic spine that’s giving me a fair amount of pain if I go too far these days. The kraken has gone to rest, but now I think there’s a snail in my spine. I think he’s just there, eating leaves and taking naps.
Every girl needs imaginary friends, right?
Anyway, for clarity around posterior tilt of the pelvis, what are we talking about? I look at it in terms of making sure the glut medius is properly activated, that the pelvis is at neutral really (that’s how I feel/see it, and describe it). A lot of folks drop the tailbone back, which leads to compression in the lumbar spine (and particularly around the sacrum), and so by keeping it “neutral” . . . though it’s slightly posterior really because you’re not squeezing the whole glute. . . then it opens the space.
Maybe that’s just describing things differently. Like, how I could have a slight disc compression in the thoracic spine there OR it’s a snail.
It’s definitely a snail though.
You have a very valid point!
I am DEFINITELY not talking about tucking the tailbone, rather, as you say, something that’s a bit more neutral with (some) glute activation. I can always trust you to call me on not communicating clearly