Backbending Workshop at Space Academy yesterday!

My last workshop. Coming to the end of my 2 weeks in Shanghai. It’s been a wonderful collaboration with Space Academy. Thank you to everyone who came to practice with me these last 2 weeks. I’ll miss you. And I will look forward to seeing you again soon.
This was a big workshop yesterday. We packed a lot of information into 2.5hrs. We discussed yoga theory, philosophy, anatomy review, Asana Breakdown, the spine, the tug of war actions, why we backbend in yoga, and we looked at a number of backbends in greater detail. When we backbend we are primarily looking at movement in the saggital plane, and poses that take the hips into extension, the spine into extension, and the shoulders into either flexion or extension.
Some simple things to remember:
1. We want to stabilize areas that are vulnerable and open up areas that do not have a lot of flexibility.
2. Finding the Tug of War actions in the body means in every backbend there will be a little forward fold. One side wins but the other side doesn’t just give up.
3. We want to depress and abduct (protract) the shoulder blades.
4. We want to externally rotate the shoulders.
5. When the hips move into extension they also want to abduct and externally rotate. Don’t let them!
6. Backbends are good for the spinal discs. Backbends are energizing and uplifting. They take us into the fire. They help us to concentrate but they also teach us to be vulnerable and let go. Backbends stretch out the muscles on the front of the body and they strengthen the muscles on the back of the body.