I wrote most of this blog post in the early spring, after surviving the winter in Denmark. I was hosting a heart opening spring workshop, and felt it was useful with a blogpost about the amazing benefits of backbends.I am re-posting it all! Because it is still useful, it is always useful – and on top of that, I am hosting my popular backbending workshop on the 4th of November.
Let’s embrace this winter with an open heart and a strong, but flexible backbody!
The workshop is not about how deep you can go in a backbend – it is not about dropping a full wheel, or letting the toes touch the back of the head.
The workshop is about listening to the story the spine is telling you. It is about building up strength and courage to lead with the backbody and the back of your heart.
The workshop will give you techniques to work with your spine in a holistic and heathy way.
My spine got a long and deep story to tell you, but so does yours. The journey towards the capacity of my backbends has been a rocky one. And I have had a lot of trauma in my backbody. But THAT IS the reason why I got such a huge passion about backbends.I will share my story with you another day.
Here is what I got for you today; Backbends - reasons to love them. .
1. Your posture will improve
In the process of backbending you will work on your shoulders and strengthening the back body. And that work will be a lot of counteraction to your daily life. We spend so much time bending forward and letting our shoulders drop forward. Look at your day! How much time have you spend today sitting down in front of a device, a book or driving? And how was your posture? Probably not how it is supposed to be. Backbending helps you to open the front side, letting the shoulders come back to where the should be, and working on the strength in your backbody so you can stay in an upright position.
2. Your chest will open and breathing will be easier
Working on a better posture, your chest will be free to open up. So many of us are really closed on the front side of the body - almost hiding the chest and the heart. In backbends we let the heart shine forward. And doing that, expanding your chest your lungs will have more space, and in a very beautiful way breathing will become easier.
3. Your psoas and hips will become more free
Backbends are stretching the whole frontside of the body - which means you will be working with your hips and your psoas as well. The psoas muscle is also called 'the muscle of the soul'. It is directly connected to your respiration-system, so every time your breathing changes so does your psoas. (read in between the lines - when you get sad, so does your psoas!) The psoas muscles also gets effected by all the sitting down we do - so .. backbends are the way to free the psoas!
4. The antidote for backpain
Back pain is such a common thing, and do you know why? You are right - because we are not using it right. The spine is supposed to be mobile - and to be moved. It can bend in so many directions, but sadly enough we spend the most of the day in a forwardbend not being aware how it affects us. By working with the posture, strengthening the back body, we will help the internal scars to heal, be stronger and being able to avoid further pain in the back.
5. It an energizer
Forwardfolds are known to calm the nervous system. They are recommend to do before bedtime. By stretching the back side of the body, we work on the 'moon' side. Backbends to the opposite. They wake you up. Bringing you new energy, giving you a clear mind and brings a lot of bliss. Why? Because we activate the front side of the body - which is - your are right - waking up the nervous system and bringing a lot of sensation in the body. So maybe next time you feel like a cup of coffee, try with a backbend first.
6. Open your heart Chakra
As mentioned before - backbending opens up for the chest and the heart. By opening up the heart, we open up the energy center located at the heart; Anahata Chakra. With a bad posture, too many times with a broken heart and with a lot of fear we close down for the stream of energy running through the body, and it gets blocked around the heart chakra. By practicing opening up the front side, you will experience a lot of bliss, a blooming heart and courage to love again.
You probably get it by now. I am a huge fan of backbends. Not that they are super comfortable for me either, but I still love them. They give me courage. They support me. The bring up joy. I hope this could give you a little push towards start loving your backbends instead of fear them. Read more about the workshop; here
May you have a blissful day. Hope to see you on the mat one day soon. Stay happy. Love and Laughter, Stine Brink
