The Gripping Truth

Here's how to avoid tightening the buttocks in backbends, which can lead to compression and pain in the lower back.

By Julie Gudmestad

You can also more deeply engage the hamstrings in Bridge Pose with the help of a friend. Have her kneel at your feet and place her fingertips on the upper shin just below the kneecap. As you lift your pelvis, emphasize the lift of the tailbone so that you get a posterior tilt of the pelvis and full hip extension, avoiding lower back compression. Now pull your upper shins away from the helper's fingertips, fully engaging your hamstrings as well as giving more lift to your chest. Do not let the external rotators do all the work: Keep your thighs parallel and the weight balanced between the inner and outer aspects of each foot.

You can apply similar awareness to your feet, thighs, and shins in Urdhva Dhanurasana. Again the goal is to get a big lift of the pelvis and tailbone without externally rotating the legs and hips. Put a belt around your thighs, just tight enough to hold your thighs parallel. Lift into the pose and press your thighs out against the belt, using the gluteus maximus as an external rotator. You will notice that this action grips your tailbone and shifts your weight to the outer edges of the feet. Try the pose again: This time, after pressing out against the belt, keep the lift and lightness in your pose and pull your thighs in, away from the belt. While this action isn't easy for many of us, it does create a big, open backbend without lower back compression.

Now that I've provided you with all this anatomical information, you should be able to answer our original question: In backbends, the buttocks should be active and firm, but not gripping the tailbone.

A licensed physical therapist and certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, Julie Gudmestad runs a private physical therapy practice and yoga studio in Portland, Oregon. She regrets that she cannot respond to correspondence or calls requesting personal health advice.

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