Backbends

BACKBENDS AND THE MIDLINE
Moving into exploration of the spine is a natural progression from last week sequence of the midline. The spine runs along our midline, and gives us a physical element to work towards when ‘drawing into the midline’ in our practice. Maintaining awareness of the midline when practicing backbends, reminds us to exert equal effort right and left, and gives a stable structure for the front body to expand and the back body to curve with.

THE SPINE
The spine supports the body against gravity, facilitates movement of the torso, and protects the spinal cord. An understanding of the four natural curves of your back helps you to access safer alignment in your asana. Try standing in Tadasana/Mountain and trace the four curves of your back – starting with the concave curve at the back of your neck/cervical (115 degree range of motion); moving down to the convex curve of your upper back/thoracic (70 degree range of motion); diping again into the concave of your lower back/lumbar (95 degree range of motion); and finally the convex curve of the fused tailbone/sacral. Now take Ardha Uttanasana/Half Forward Fold with your hands on your shins, and look to find these same four natural curves of your spine as you reach through the tip of your crown. Often when we fold forward we lose our two lovely concave curves of our cervical and lumbar spine. These two curves enable the most range of motion in the spine, which makes them more susceptible to injury. The spine is involved in every asana with either flexion, extension or rotation. Yoga lengthens, strengthens and promotes good interstitial fluid health of the spine.

BENEFITS OF BACKBENDS
Backbends stimulate the nervous system, aid digestion, ease stress, tension, anxiety and depression. They also expand and breath, promoting healthy lung capacity and ease symptoms of asthma and sleep apnea. You’ll notice the increased energy throughout the room in a backbend focused yoga class. We spend a lot of our day hunched forward -  backbends stretch, expand and open the heart centre.  The mind follows the physical, and becomes open and energised too.

The above sequence warm up the spine with lateral bends, rotations and contraction backbends. It also works on lengthening the hip flexors and psoas muscle. Tight hip flexors prevent the posterior (backwards) tilt of the pelvis, restricting backbends and bringing increased flexion and pressure into the lower back. Click this link to get a full list of backbends.

LATERAL BENDS
Lateral bends are a lovely, gentle way to access the concept of lengthening up through the spine to find space between the vertebra for your backbends. Before you do the backbending sequence, try the lateral bends sequence below. Reach up tall through the spine to the tip of the crown before each lateral bend. There is lots of hidden lateral bends in our practice that you may not even notice – such as Viparita Virabhadrasana/Reverse Warrior, Parsvakonasana/Extended Side Angle and Trikonasana/Triangle – which are all great asana to take warm up the spine before a backbend peak pose.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Develop a home practice

YOUR SUPPORTIVE SPACE
Yoga is medicine for the mind body & spirit. Developing a home practice helps support you in times of need – combating moments of tension in the workplace, dealing with kiddie tantrums, or whatever your daily challenges are.

Putting aside some time for yourself, and cultivating a safe space at arms length, is becoming an increasing mechanism to counteract the busy, fast pace of our lives. Getting to know your own practice – your strengths, your limitations, your favourite asana – helps you create a practice to suit your needs, in your own time. It gives you the tools to support yourself, rather than looking to others for support, and is an empowering experience to feel you can respond to constantly changing life circumstances rapidly before they evolve.

JUST EXPLORE
Some days your home practice can be as simple as 5 minutes of Sun Salutations, or when you have put aside some time for yourself, a longer practice to get creative with. Learn to listen to what you need on each particular day, and have no expectations of your strength or flexibility. The body reacts differently to the practice each day, and within each day, each hour is different too. Finding your way onto your mat, through home practice and yoga classes, consistently and regularly, accumulates and intensifies the benefits of the practice.

GET STARTED
Try out some of the sequences here to get you started. As you become more in tune with what your body needs, delve into the asana section. Print out the Yoga Matrix graphics below, to have at hand and ask yourself ‘what do I need today? Practice poses that are familiar and safe, that you have explored in class with the support of your yoga teacher. Start listening to alignment cues in class to try out at home. All you need is enough space to roll out a yoga mat! Remember to always take Savasana at the end of your practice to assimilate all the work and re-enter your day. But most of all, own your practice, and enjoy it!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

The midline

ANATOMY MEETS SUBTLE BODY
In yoga, the midline is the foundation on which each asana is built. This vertical axis that bisects the whole body is more than of anatomical importance in yoga – referred to as the Sushumna, it is the central channel, or Nadi, through which pranic energy flows. It is also the line where you will find the seven Chakras, or energy centres, each bringing it’s own unique quality to the subtle body.

WHERE IS THE MIDLINE?
Drawing close to the midline in our practice makes us stronger, more supported and stable. It helps you to access the deep inner muscles of the body, and  builds your asana from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. The midline travels from the tip of your crown, through the torso, bisects the pelvis, and doesn’t stop till it reaches your foundation. In standing asana the base of the midline is the ground between your feet; twisting poses wrap your outer body around the midline; in inversions, such as handstand, the midline is flipped, starting in the space between your feet, and ending on the ground between the palms of your hands. Some asana are easier to visualise the midline in. But it’s always there, supplying energy through your whole body!

ALIGNMENT CUES
Try the above sequence to explore your midline. Before you start, stand in Tadasana/Mountain with a brick between your thighs. Bring your attention to your right side body, the right side of your face, right shoulder, right arm, right torso, right leg, right foot. Notice any areas of tension you might feel. Repeat on the left side. Then bring your attention to the midline, where right and left meet, from the inside out start to hug your body to the midline, using your brick to press against. Imagine you’re trying to make your body as narrow as possible. Press into the centre for three breaths, then release. Repeat once or twice till you get to know how the midline feels. Applying equal effort between right and left side.

Focus your attention on your midline in each asana (even while you run through your warm up Sun Salutations). Try some of these alignment cues as you flow through the sequence.

• Hug your outer hips to the midline with equal effort
• Zip up your inner legs from your inner ankle to your inner groin
• Draw your navel to your spine
• Lengthen your spine to the tip of your crown
• Press your hands/feet into the mat and drag them in towards the midline
• Track your spine running along the midline

...and then let all the alignment cues go and feel into your midline!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Staying committed

BEING PRESENT
The concept of staying committed to your practice doesn’t have to be as daunting as trying to find time everyday to get on your mat. It can be as simple as working towards staying present on your mat, when you do find time to practice. Whether it’s in respect to the fact that you got up that extra bit early to practice at home, or that you’ve managed to put aside some time for yourself to make it to a class. Take a few moments to ask yourself what it is that your practice can give you today, and honour the response that you get from your inner voice. During your practice reconnect with this intention, and be true and honest to yourself, and the journey of your practice.

PRACTICE WITH PATIENCE
The above sequence works strongly into the hamstrings in preparation for Hanumanasana/Monkey pose or Splits. As a runner, hamstring asana do not come easily to me, they teach me patience and commitment to staying present. For most people, Hanumanasana is a challenging pose. It doesn’t require strength but it gives you a very clear picture as to the level of stretch in your hamstrings, hip flexors, quads and inner groins. It also stimulates the abdominal organs; teaches you patience; reverses the effect of sitting for long periods of time and develops deep body awareness.

Try the above sequence. Start in Balasana/Childs Pose, with your knees together; hug your outer hips into the midline, using your outer buttocks muscles; strengthen your quads and squeeze the creases at the back of your knees; make your lower body as tight and small as possible. Hold for 5 deep breaths and release, repeat 3 times . Take a few breaths in the asana where you find some resistance in your hamstrings and being very gentle and patient. It takes 30 seconds for a muscle to register that you are asking its permission to open up. Use a bolster to raise your hips up in Hanumanasana. The higher your hips are from the ground the lower down your leg the support should be. Stay committed to the time on your mat, keep exploring and keep going.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Challenging stability

BRINGING IT OFF THE MAT
Often in our practice we look at standing asana which require balance as a challenge to be conquered. When we don’t manage to catch our balance, the ego and the self-critic rise to the surface. Our practice on the mat can help us to deal with situations off the mat. We become better at recognising emotions, dealing with them in a supportive safe environment, and feeling more at ease with them off the mat. There will be periods of life when we feel out of balance emotionally and physically. Learning to deal with the emotions which come to the surface won’t stop the periods of instability, but it will help you to manoeuvre through these stages more smoothly – knowing that it’s a natural wave that will pass; staying present, and pausing before you react, as you move through the process.

CREATING INSTABILITY
This sequence artificially creates an unstable physical environment – with the intention of making you feel off balance – challenging you to slow down, explore the feelings that instability bring up for you, and recognising that these feeling will pass. If you find yourself judging your abilities – bring your attention back inwards, down to the three points on the soles of your feet (big toe mound, little toe mound and centre of the heel), and visualise your feet sprouting roots into the support of the solid ground. You will start to feel an engagement and energy travelling up from your foundation. Follow this sensation, pausing at points where you feel muscles working to stabilise and support you. Pay particular attention to your supporting leg/legs in the standing asana of this sequence.

There are two Ashta Chandrasana/High Lunge flows, mark a vertical line in the centre at the top and bottom of your mat (I used chalk). Line the big toe of your front foot to the right of the chalk line and the big toe of your back foot to the left of the chalk line. A narrower stance will make the high lunge more challenging to your balance. Root down into your feet and feel for your centre of gravity. Use a strap around the ball of the lifted foot in Utthita Hasta Padangustasana/Extended hand to big toe to help keep the upper body more upright. For more information on the importance of your feet in yoga have a read of Anatomy 101 - Find your feet.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru