You have finally made it to the ground! At this point we are complete with the standing postures in this yoga practice. During Equanimity and Grounding, you have slightly brought your energy down. When we have reached the backbends part of class, we are starting to increase our energy again. The reason the practice is laid out this way is so you don’t burn out in class. It also helps you feel completely rested by the time we get to the end of the practice.
During the backbends, it increases our heart rate again. This helps to bring us into the present moment. This portion of the sequence opens up the front of the chest. Again, much of our day is spent leaning forward. This helps to open us up in the opposite direction and because of this, backbends may feel very challenging for you. If you are newer to backbends, please pace yourself. You can rest or move into a supported bridge pose to not push yourself here. Okay, let’s get into it!
Locust
This pose helps to create strength through the back side of your body. It opens up the front of your chest. And because you are on your belly here, it massages your abdomen and organs in this area. Again, at Bright Heart, we remind you to go at your own pace here.
Alignment:
- Feet hip width distance apart
- Legs lift off your mat
- Spin your inner thighs up
- Lift chest away from your mat
- Draw your shoulder blades towards your spine
- Keep your chin tucked towards your chest
Modifications:
- Perform cobra
- Place hands on mat for extras support
Benefits:
- Strengthens muscles around the spine
- Opens front of chest
Floor Bow
This pose again helps to create strength through the back side of your body. It opens up the front of your chest even more than locust. This pose gives many of the similar benefits to locust, except it is a little deeper opening.
Alignment:
- Hands hold onto the outside edge of your ankles
- Press your feet into your hands to lift your chest away from your mat
- Draw your shoulder blades into your spine
- Keep your knees in line with your hips
Modifications:
- Hold only one foot at a time
- Use a strap around your ankles
- Perform cobra
- Perform locust
Benefits:
- Strengthens muscles around the spine
- Opens front of chest
Camel
This pose can be really difficult as it is definitely an intense opening of the front side of your body. It is important to listen to your body to determine how deep you can take it. There are many modifications you can take to stay in the practice. The best way to know you have gone to far is you are having difficulty maintaining your natural breath here. If it has become to labored, back off the depth of this pose.
Alignment:
- Shins on your mat
- Tops of your feet on your mat
- Knees hip width distance apart
- HIps stack on top of your knees
- Hands placed on hips or heels
- Draw shoulder blades to spine
- Head drops back
Modifications:
- Place block between thighs
- Place blocks on outside of legs and place hands on blocks
- Tuck toes under
- Leave hands on your low back
- Don’t drop head back and keep gaze forward
Benefits:
- Strengthens muscles around the spine
- Opens front of chest
- Stretches front of legs and hips
Bridge
Bridge is a great strengthening and opening pose. As this pose opens you up, it allows for you to take deep inhales. When you can take deeper inhales, you can take longer exhales, which helps to calm your nervous system further. And when your nervous system is calmed, you feel more relaxed and refreshed. While you might be tired when you get to this part, look at the modifications for how to do a bridge. This way you can still get the benefits of opening up for your breath.
Alignment:
- Feet hip width distance apart
- Feet at 12 o’clock
- Lift buttocks away from mat
- Draw shoulder blades towards each other
- Clasp hands behind back
- Press thigh bones towards centerline energetically
Modifications:
- Place block underneath hips
- Don’t lift hips as high off ground
Benefits:
- Strengthens gluteus muscles
- Opens up front of chest
Wheel
Wheel is considered the second peak of the Journey Into Power Sequence. You are creating a lot of energy and heat here. It is a very challenging pose as it requires fairly good mobility through the shoulders, hips and spine. Many people rely a lot on their arms to lift them. We encourage you to really use the front sides of your legs to lift and try to have your top half go for a ride. You will use your arms, and try not to over use them here. The second difficulty we see from students is they think most of the back bend comes from the low back, when in fact you are trying to create a rainbow shape with your spine. So your mid back must also extend for this pose to not feel too painful on your low back. See the modifications below if it isn’t time to do wheel in your yoga practice.
Alignment:
- Feet hip width distance apart
- Feet at 12 o’clock
- Hands by shoulders with finger tips facing shoulders
- Press hands and feet into mat
- Lift back side off mat
- Let head drop back
Modifications:
- Bridge pose
- Place block underneath hips
- Stay on crown of head
Benefits:
- Strengthens gluteus muscles
- Strengths shoulders and triceps
- Opens up front of chest
- Improves mobility through spine, shoulders and hips
Supta Baddha Konasana
Many people want to hug their knees into their chest after backbends to soothe their spine. However, to maintain the opening you just created, resist that urge and move yourself into supta baddha konasana. This pose helps to create rest after the energizing backbends portion of this sequence.
Alignment:
- Soles of feet press together
- Knees drop out side
- Shoulder blades draw towards spine
- Place left hand on heart, right hand on belly
Modifications:
- Place blocks underneath knees
- Bring heels further forward to create less of a stretch
Benefits:
- Stretches inner thighs
- Slows breath down
Happy Baby
This pose releases the low spine. It opens up the hips. And it continues to slow your heart rate down. It will continue to help you relax after the energizing back bends.
Alignment:
- Grab outside edges of feet
- Pull knees towards arm pits
- Feet stay in line with knees
- Pull tailbone down towards the mat
Modifications:
- Pull knees closer together
- Hold onto ankles or thigh bones
Benefits:
- Stretches inner thighs
- Creates length to the spine
- Slows breath down and heart rate