Backbending Workshop Resources

 
 
 

BACKBENDS

Don’t Neglect Your Shoulders, Hip Flexors, Ankles and Wrists

“You are only as young as your spine is flexible.” - Joseph Pilates

Spinal extension and yoga asana backbends have become synonyms, but they are not the same thing.

Spinal Extension: In its simplest definition, is simply lengthening the spine, or expanding the front body and contracting the back body.

Spinal Flexion: Is the opposite, rounding the back body and contracting the front body.

Flexion: is to decrease the degree of the joint angle, aka bringing the bones on either side of the joint closer toward each other.

Extension: is the opposite, increasing the angle’s degree, or simply the action of bringing the joint back to neutral.

- cervical - thoracic - lumbar - sacral -

compression vs extension

Backbends are more than just spinal extension, they are often whole front body openers. Having shoulders that are mobile is a major key to finding deep backbends.

Shoulder blades (scapula): Protraction/Retraction  -  Elevation/Depression, lateral/medial rotation

Upper Arm (humerus): Flexion/Extension, Abduction/Adduction, Internal/External Rotation

The shoulder blade and upper arm bone move well together. The humerus is attached in a shallow socket in the scapula.

Backbends are sometimes called heart openers. In order to do them we need to strike the balance between calmness and activation. Too calm and there isn’t enough egagement to the skeletal/muscular body to support the posture. Too much activation causes rigidity and often the fight/flight/freeze response, not allowing the body to soften and open.