Posts Tagged ‘backbends’
A royal pain
Leslie on 4:13 pm April 21st, 2010 / 3 Comments »
I’m curious about the energetic differences between backbends and forward bends and how they relate to one’s affinity for and ability in headstand (the so-called king of all poses) vs. shoulderstand (the queen).
A very sweet and influential teacher whom I’ve studied with, Aadil Palkhivala, says that “energetically, backbends move you from the past into the present” and “open the three major energy centers in the body: the pelvis, the heart and the throat.”
Backbends and headstands are energizing and, let’s say, extroverted poses. Forward bends and shoulderstand are calming and, let’s say, introverted. So if I’m drawn more toward the latter set and they are easier, does that mean I’m stuck in the past? Am I overindulging a dosha? If backbends and headstands are much harder, am I resisting living in the moment? Am I afraid of something besides falling over and breaking my neck (a very real fear, by the way)? Am I constipated, heartless and choking on myself in every way? Or do I simply have physical limitations and sit at a desk too much?
This becomes a chicken and egg question. I do have some spinal issues that present very real problems in backbends. Did the physical issues come first, perhaps at birth, and manifest in my personality? Or has my personality, which tends toward the introverted and melancholic (but this was not always so!), had an effect on my body? For me, backbends feel like “undoing.”
If I judge myself based on the quality of my headstand, the message would be “I suck.” But I am not my headstand, or any other pose. Donna Fahri says, “When we realize that what we are advancing toward is not some physical form but an inward recognition of the truth of who we are, then we will not feel ourselves to be failing if we cannot attain difficult postures. ‘Advanced’ practice is any movement that brings us closer to this recognition of our true self.” I can live with that.
I have a Slinky on my desk at work, opened from one end to the other in a rainbow shape. I pick it up now and then and jiggle it from side to side and stretch it out straight. I’d like to feel like that in backbends and headstand, that loose but coiled energy.
What is your experience of energy in backbends (headstand) and forward bends (shoulderstand)? Is one set naturally harder than the other? How do you practice the harder set?
This Week’s Pose: Bhujangasana
Emily on 3:06 am October 20th, 2009 / Be the first to comment! »
Think of a snake. They are almost all spine. The snake’s long spine would appear to be fragile, but it is wrapped and stabilized by a lattice of muscle. This combination of makes them capable of grace and power simultaneously.
The aptly named bhujangasana, or cobra pose, captures flexibility and strength of a snake. Bhujangasana takes the attitude of a cobra hooding up in a threat display. The spine extends, supported by a network of muscle, and the chest broadens and lengthens. The limbs are secondary in this pose.
Since we’re not snakes, bhujangasana can be a challenging and subtle pose. Learning to rely on the strength of the small muscles of the back is hard when you’re not used to it. Cobra pose can help build strength and flexibility for deeper backbends.
Join boundless this Sunday, October 25 for an exploration of bhujangasana.
Bhujangasana by Emily Sloat Shaw
One Pose at a Time: Salabasana
Emily on 2:54 am October 14th, 2009 / Be the first to comment! »
Salabasana, or locust pose, prepares the body for deeper backbends, increasing the strength and flexibility of the muscles on either side of the spine.
Many people don’t realize that these muscles of the back, like the abdominals, are part of the ‘core’ that protects the spinal column.
Practicing salabasana starts out as rather thankless work. It takes a while to build strength among the lattice of muscles along the vertebrae. Even for an experienced practitioner, salabasana is a subtle pose, a shallow backbend with more length than curve to it. It a good way to practice distributing the curve of a backbend evenly along the spine. Mastering locust translates into better backbends all around.
Join boundless this Sunday, October 18, to explore salabasana.
Salabasana by Emily Sloat Shaw
