Curves Ahead
Forget about pushing higher and harder. The key to backbends is to focus on an even spinal curve.
By Andrea Ferretti, sequence by Rodney Yee
3. Ardha Virasana (Half Hero Pose), variation
Bring your left leg into a squat and your right leg into Virasana. Place your fingertips behind you and lift your pelvis up. As the pelvis rises, let the chest follow. Tuck your tailbone as you relax your inner groins. Even though your pelvis lifts, press the right thighbone back toward your hamstrings. Gaze at your chest or drop your head back. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths, then switch sides. |  |
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Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, hip-width apart. Place a yoga block under your sacrum at whatever height is comfortable for you. Place your heels firmly on the ground. Bring your right leg into Virasana. If you can, reach down and grasp your right ankle and bring the top of your right foot close to your hip. (If you feel any knee pain, keep both heels on the ground.) Lift your chest as you lower your right knee toward the floor. Then lengthen your tailbone and sacrum as your thighbones descend toward your hamstrings. After 5 to 8 breaths, switch sides. Rest for 10 breaths with both feet on the floor. |  |
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Place the back of a chair against a wall. Wrap your fingers around the sides of the seat. Bring your shoulders directly above your wrists. Extend your legs behind you powerfully, and internally rotate your thighs. Drop your tailbone, keep your groins soft, and press your thighbones back. Lift your chest and gaze up, but don't jam your neck. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths and repeat several times. |  |
6. Standing Drop Back
Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels, firm your legs, and press your thighbones back. On an inhalation, lift your chest as high as you can until you begin to drop back into a backbend. Remember that the entire spine should bend evenly—avoid compressing your lower back. Take your hands to your upper thighs and bend your knees slightly if you need to. Stay for a few breaths and exhale to come back up. Repeat 3 times. |  |
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Kneel on your shins with your thighs perpendicular to the floor. Once again, press your thighbones back toward your hamstrings as your tailbone moves forward. On an exhalation, lift your chest and arch back, bringing your hands to your heels. If you feel any back pain, stay upright, placing your palms on your sacrum with the fingertips pointing up. Repeat 3 times, staying for 3 to 5 breaths each time. |  |
8. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)
Sit with your legs extended straight in front of you and your fingertips about 8 inches behind your hips. Inhale, press your palms into the floor, and lift your pelvis as high as you can without jamming your lower back. Hollow your belly as you did during Cobra Pose. As you stay for 3 to 5 breaths, focus on lengthening your entire body as much as you focus on lifting up. Repeat 3 times. |  |
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Sit with your sacrum at the edge of a round bolster, and have three blankets and a strap nearby. Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together, drawing them close to your pelvis. Fold two blankets and place one under each thigh; it's important to support your legs so that you can fully relax in the pose. Place the last blanket at the top of the bolster for your head. Next, make a very large loop out of the strap; wrap it around the back of your pelvis and the outside of your feet. Pull it tight enough so that your legs feel supported, but not so tight that it causes discomfort. Lie back on the bolster. Your head should be slightly higher than your chest, and your chest should be higher than your pelvis. Rest your arms on the floor, with your palms facing up. Stay here for 3 to 5 minutes, or longer if you like. |  |
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