“It’s not just strength that’s required but control, balance and restraint, bringing a wonderful sense of calm and stillness”

Step 1

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side-Stretch Pose)
Step 1
Stand in Tadasana and step back on your left leg. Join the palms behind the back and draw the shoulders and elbows back. Turn the wrists and bring both palms up above the middle of the back of the chest, the fingers at level of the shoulder blades.

Step 2

Step 2
Exhale and bend the trunk forward, stopping half way to align the back and shoulders.

Step 3

Step 3
Lower the trunk forward until the head rests on the knee or right shin. Release the arms and grasp the ankles with the hands for balance.

Benefits
A lovely stretch to the spine, shoulders, wrists, hips and hamstrings. These poses calm the mind, improve posture and create a good sense of balance.

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (One Foot Extended Upwards Pose)

Step 4

Step 4
Take the hands onto the floor on either side of the right foot and place the head or chin onto the knee. Tighten both knees and raise the left leg into the air. Keep both the toes and the leg pointed upwards. Remain in pose for 20 seconds, with even breathing.

Step 5

Step 5
Lower the leg down to hip level and hold a few seconds before bringing the foot down onto the floor.

Benefits
These asanas tone the leg muscles and reduce fat around the hips.

Virabhadrasana (The Warrior Pose)

Step 6

Step 6
With the left foot firmly on the floor, drop the hips down and lower the torso over the right leg, raise the arms above the ears and bring the palms together. You should feel the extension from the hands right down the body and into the left foot. Pull tight.

Step 7

Step 7
Lift the arms and lunge deeper, throw the head up and stretch the spine from the coccyx and gaze at the joined palms. Hold the position and remain with the breath for a minute.

Step 8

Step 8
Straighten the right leg and lower the arms to shoulder height, coming back to a frontwards standing position, bringing both feet to face forwards.

Benefits
These asanas open the groin, chest, lungs and shoulders, stretching the legs and ankles. They increase stamina and are helpful in relieving backache.

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend)

Step 9

Step 9
Place the hands on the waist and keep feet spread apart, toes facing forward. Tighten the knees and lower the trunk down to hip level and hold, breathing evenly.

Step 10

Step 10
Take both hands to clasp the back of both ankles and lower the top of the head to the floor. Stay in the pose for half a minute, breathing only through the nose before raising the head from the floor, bending the knees and slowly coming to a standing position again.

Benefits
These asana strengthen and stretch the inner and outer thighs and provide a deep elongation of the spine. They are both calming and restorative.

Fo

A flexible mind and a flexible spine go hand in hand. When your mind is tied in a knot, so usually is your body. But we learn through yoga, that whatever is twisted can be untwisted, and the spinal twists are a great way to get started. Because twists primarily work on the Solar Plexus or Manipura chakra, the chakra responsible for overall maintenance of the body, the capacity for unlocking mental, physical and emotional blockages is profound.

Eliminating imbalances and disease, the Solar Plexus is directly connected to the digestive system and proper digestion and assimilation is the key to good health. Many yoga texts talk about the fire of the navel and much of the dormant potential of the body’s power lies in unblocking this energy centre.

Twists have a wonderful effect on the body too. The twist occurs in the spine and the trunk which helps to make the back supple and releases pain. They reduce excess fat around the abdomen while making joints stronger and more supple. The twists are excellent for pain in the hips and shoulder joints, for lumbago and backache.

Internally, the pancreas, liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach and ascending and descending colons are all contracted, making twists very beneficial to tone the internal organs and help specifically with sluggish livers and relief of constipation. Twists are also good for acidity and flatulence.

In twisting, the nerve roots around the spine are massaged and the vertebral column is adjusted and realigned. Twists improve the circulation and energy flow throughout the spine. The back muscles are pulled and stretched in a different direction than usual and this relieves them of tension.

This powerful yoga asana and its vitalising effects can be felt quickly. Remember though, whatever you do to the one side, you need to do to the other too.

Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Sitting in Staff Pose (Dandasana) with your legs stretched out straight in front of you, bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Slide your left foot under the right knee to the outside of the right hip. Then, cross your right leg over the left, stacking the right knee on top of the left. Bring the right foot to the outside of the left hip. Keep the heels equidistant from the hips and sit squarely and evenly on the sitting bones. It’s most beneficial to practise pranayama in this position, specifically the alternative nostril breath (anuloma viloma) to balance both sides of the brain. Alternatively, close the pose off with a mudra (energy seal), like Gyan mudra.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose/ Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

Step 1
Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your knees, put your feet on the floor, then slide your right foot under your left leg to the outside of your left hip and rest it on the floor. Step the left foot over the right leg and stand it on the floor outside your right hip. The left knee will point up to the ceiling.

Step 2
Raise the right arm and twist your body to the left, keeping the spine erect and lengthening through the body from the tailbone.

Step 3
Press the right elbow against the inside of the left knee and place your left hand onto the floor just behind your left buttock. You can use your hand as a further lever, holding and stretching through from the ankle. Pull your torso up and deepen the twist.

Step 4
Turn your head slowly first to the front and then ease towards the back. Release the right hand and bring it through the gap between the knees and thighs and, releasing the weight of the left hand on the floor, slowly come to find and interlock fingers into the Bound Half Spinal Twist. With every inhalation lift a little more through the sternum and twist a little deeper with each exhalation. Be sure to distribute the twist evenly throughout the entire length of the spine. Stay for 30 seconds to one minute, then release and return to the starting position. Repeat to the right for the same length of time.

Step 5
Come to sit in the crossed-legged Easy Pose (Sukasana), bringing the hands and arms alongside the body. On an inhalation, lift the arms and cross your hands over at the wrist. Extend the spine and head upwards, moving the hands backwards as you go to iron out any “creases” in the back.

Step 6
On an exhalation, lower the torso towards the floor and bring the forehead to rest gently onto the floor.

Precautions:
Women more than two or three months pregnant should avoid this practice. People suffering from peptic ulcers, hernias or hyperthyroidism should only practise this pose under guidance. People with sciatica or a slipped disc may benefit from this asana, but great care should be taken.

By Angela Wood

Urdhva Dhanurasana

The Upward Bow or Wheel Pose is about complete involvement. Chakra means “wheel” which denotes a circle without beginning or end. Urdhva Dhanurasana is therefore about wholeness and unity – it is also the ultimate energising asana.

Awakening to life
Extending yourself backwards and into the unknown helps you to confront your fears when life presents you with challenges. Backbends open the chest and heart centre (Anahata chakra) and encourage inhalation – an action associated with embracing life. Because of this expansion into the heart centre, you are also bringing a joyful vitality into your life. Bending backwards turns the body out to face the world and helps you to see things from a different perspective.

As author J Chapmen puts it: “Bending back and opening the chest also unlocks the spirit within. Practicing these postures takes you along previously untravelled paths, challenging you to overcome fear and frustration, teaching you to move with ease and grace and to live with an open heart and a passion for life and love.” Looking at the subtle body, backbends predominantly work to open Anahata chakra, relating to love – for self and others – as well as Manipura chakra – relating to personal power. It however works to awaken and energise all seven chakras, clearing out your personal blockages as well as the nadis.

The Benefits
Backbends offer a fantastic counterpose to most of the forward bending we do during the day like sitting at a desk, driving and housework. They warm the system, increase energy, invigorate tired bodies and bring flexibility to the spine. Backbends also increase determination and willpower. They are dynamic postures which move to counter gravity and therefore require and build energy and strength, especially in the wrists, arms, legs, buttocks and spine. They also stretch the front of the abdomen, hips, thighs, shoulders and chest. Although they can be initially very challenging, practicing backbends can help to increase energy and counteract depression.

When you are feeling sluggish, tamasic or in a rut, backbends shift the energy and leave the mind clear and focused. Backbends make you feel invigorated, empowered and free, with expanded boundaries. Working with total awareness will bring you into contact with not only your physical capabilities and strengths, but will help you to work out your problems on an emotional level too.

Anatomical Focus
During backbends, the thymus is pressured and then released. This stimulation aids the immune system. The nervous system is also stimulated, building heat and encouraging metabolism. Cerebral spinal fluids are further pumped into the body resulting in a clearer mind and opening up of all the nadis in the body. The abdominal muscles receive a stretch and so does the digestive system and bladder. Backbends stimulate the lymphatic system, pumping lymphatic fluids by opening the chest, armpits and groin where lymph nodes and glands are located. The kidneys and adrenals are squeezed, further enhancing this cleansing action, while simultaneously releasing adrenaline, which can feel like a buzzy rush for some and create a feeling of fear for others, especially beginners.

Many people are not comfortable or encounter fear in backbends. This is one of the reasons strong backbends are usually not taught to beginners. Softer and gentler backbends (like Marjariasana, The Cat Pose) can begin this process.

Other Backbend Asanas
Backbends performed from the stomach include: Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose); Dhanurasana (Bow Pose); Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose); Salabhasana (Locust Pose); Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Backbends beginning on the back include: Urdhva Dhanurasana (The Wheel Pose); Ustrasana (Camel Pose); Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

PREPARATION
Our bodies are not used to bending backwards and special care should be taken when doing backbends. Warms ups are essential to going into our backbends and we must do counteractions when we have completed a backbend session to free the back from tension that may have built up. We should also always work according to our own capabilities as many people are on different levels in their practice and yoga is done for the self and not to please or compete with others in class. If at any moment, pain or discomfort is experienced, come out of the asana.

Warm Up Posture
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana – The Bridge Pose

Step One
Lie with your back on the floor, feet hip distance apart and bring your hands above your head to rest on the floor behind you. If necessary, place a thickly folded blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck.

Step Two
Exhale and bring your hands forward, pressing your feet and arms actively into the floor. Push your tailbone upward toward the pubis, firming (but not hardening) the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off the floor. Keep your thighs and feet parallel. Bring your hands to the ankles and lift your buttocks to the ceiling.

Step Three

Bring your hands below your pelvis to support your back and extend through the arms to help you stay on the tops of your shoulders. Stay in this posture anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute. Release with an exhalation, slowly rolling the spine down onto the floor.

Deepen the asana
Lift your heels off the floor and push your tailbone up a little further. Then stretch the heels back to the floor again.

Variation – Eka Padu Setu Bandha
On an exhalation, lift the right knee into the body, then inhale and extend the leg perpendicular to the floor. Hold for 30 seconds, then release the foot with an exhalation. Secure the foot again and repeat with the left leg.

Caution: Avoid this pose if you have experienced any neck injuries or recurring pain in the neck. Practice only under the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Urdhva Dhanurasana – The Upward Bow

Step One
Lie with your back on the floor and bend and raise your elbows over the head and place the palms under your shoulders. The distance between the palms should not be wider than the shoulders and the fingers should point towards the feet.

Step Two
Bend and raise your knees, then bring the feet nearer to the body. Exhale and raise the trunk and rest the crown of the head onto the floor. Take two breaths. Now bring your arms to the chest and then extend your arms backward towards the floor. Bring arms back forward again.

Step Three
Exhale and lift the trunk and head off the floor and arch the back so that the weight is taken on the palms and the soles of the feet. Stretch the arms away from the shoulders until the elbows are straight and, at the same time, pull the thigh muscles up. Hold asana for 30 seconds to one minute. To come out the asana, bend the elbows and knees, release the arch in the back, lowering the head back to the floor and unfolding the spine back onto the floor gently from the shoulders to the tailbone.

Deepen the asana
Pull the thigh muscles still higher by lifting the heels off the floor, maintaining the stretch of the spine. Walk the feet a little closer to the hands and then press the heels back into the floor again. This increases the depth of the backbend.

Variation – Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana

After performing Urdhva Dhanurasana, exhale and raise your right leg off the floor, bringing your knee into your torso. Inhale and extend the leg straight, keeping it at an angle of about 45 degrees to the floor. Exhale and release the leg. Repeat with the left leg.

Effects: In addition to the benefits derived by Urdhva Dhanurasana, this beautiful asana develops a sense of balance and gives grace and poise.

Caution: It is not recommended to practice Urdhva Danurasana when menstruating, pregnant, very tired, suffering from high or low blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, headache or heart problems.

Counterposes

Pose One
Inhaling, hug your knees to your chest and bring your chin towards your knees and hold your breath for five counts. Exhale and release, bring your head back to the floor again.

Balasana – Child’s Pose
Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and bring your torso down between your thighs. Lengthen your tailbone and place your hands on the floor alongside your body, palms up. Alternatively, you can rest your forehead onto your hands. Release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward-Facing Dog
Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Place your hands slightly forward of your shoulders and spread your palms out. Push your knees away from the floor. At first, keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone and lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling. Exhale and push your heels down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but don’t lock them. Firm the outer arms and your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms, don’t let it hang. Now inhale and raise your right leg parallel to the line of your torso, and hold for 30 seconds, keeping the hips level and pressing through the heel. Release with an exhalation and repeat on the left for the same length of time.

Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the poses in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. It’s also an excellent yoga asana all on its own. To come out the asana, bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest in Child’s Pose again.

The results?
By practicing Urdhva Dhanurasana you have brought tremendous energy into the spine to feed the nerve endings and therefore, energy into the rest of the body too. You have stimulated and brought circulation into the spine. You have had a frontal stretch and opened up the heart area. The bladder has also benefited. You have been invigorated. Through backbends we receive great mental alertness. For those who are introverted, it helps them to become more extroverted. It brings more confidence to those who need it. If you are depressed or stressed, go and do a backbend session – they are dynamic and you will feel revitalised, energetic and light. And don’t we all sometimes need this to cope with life?