Eagle Pose technique how to double wrap the legs

by | Jun 10, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

GARUDASANA – EAGLE POSE

How to Double Wrap the Legs

Eagle Pose

GARUDASANA – EAGLE POSE

Why is it hard to double wrap the leg?

Garudasana, known as Eagle Pose, is a challenging hip opener and hip strengthener. It’s useful in developing balance, but for many people, double wrapping the leg is not accessible. For sure, some people have no trouble at all, but others are completely perplexed.

There are three reasons why it would be challenging for you or your students to double wrap:

 

  1. Lack of flexibility of the abductor muscles (outer hip muscles). These are the muscles that are lengthened when we cross our legs.
  2. Lack of strength of the standing hip abductor muscles. This is a bit confusing unless you watch the video below. The standing hip abductors help to elevate the opposite side of the pelvis, making it more possible to cross the top leg over the bottom leg.
  3. Lack of technique and timing. In most cases, if you are not applying deliberate technique while moving into a pose, you will be entering the pose the hard way, which means you will only be able to do the postures that match your set of physical muscular patterns. This is a disservice, not because you will miss out on the poses but because you will miss out on the opportunity to change your muscle patterns. In the video below, you will see the timing and techniques for getting into Eagle Pose with double-wrapped legs.
yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

HIPS & HAMSTRINGS IMMERSION

  • Increase range of motion of your hips and hamstrings
  • Learn techniques such as facilitated stretching
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your hips, back, and knees
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Pigeon, Lizard Variations, Lotus, Eagle, Hanuman, Fire Log, Seated Straddle Splits, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

How to Increase Flexibility of the Abductors — Outer Hips

If flexibility is inhibiting you from accessing Garudasana and you want to find ways to access your greater range of motion of the outer hip muscles, there are a couple postures you can work with. Any posture that includes crisscrossed legs will be useful and effective in increasing abductor flexibility. Although there aren’t many traditional postures, aside from Eagle Pose itself, one that comes to mind is Gomukhasana, Cow-Faced Pose. However, I would say that Eagle Pose should usually precede Gomukhasana because Eagle Pose requires less flexibility. The posture that I use in the Hips and Hamstrings immersion to prepare for Eagle is a straight single-leg forward fold with crisscrossed legs.

 

How to Get into the Straight-Leg Crisscrossed Forward Fold

  1. Start in Lunge Pose with your right foot forward.
  2. Heel-toe (move) your right foot to the left side of the mat.
  3. Step your back left foot to the right side of the mat so that both legs are crisscrossed.
  4. I suggest using block under both hands prior to the last step.
  5. Straighten your legs to a degree where you are stretching without strain.

IMPORTANT KEY ACTION: Wag your tail bone to the left to increase the stretch along the outer hip and IT band. If that’s too intense, wag your tail to the right to decrease the outer-hip stretch.

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WHY LACK OF ABDUCTOR STRENGTH HOLDS YOU BACK IN EAGLE POSE

Strength of the abductor group (outer hip muscles) is super important for two reasons. First, the standing hip abductors are what lift the opposite side of your pelvis, which allows you to cross your top leg over. Second, without outer hip strength on the standing leg, you would struggle to balance the pose! Outer hip muscles play a major role in balancing any single leg pose. If you find it challenging to balance Garudasana, then you will want to start with a strength-training routine for the abductors. We focus in on strengthening these muscles in the Hips and Hamstrings Immersion

FREE VIDEO TUTORIAL: HOW TO DOUBLE WRAP LEGS IN GARUDASANA, EAGLE POSE

This video clip was taken from Class #3 in the  Hips and Hamstrings: 12 Class Immersion

HOW TO DOUBLE WRAP THE LEGS

 

    Notice in the video that I am focused on squeezing the outer standing hip inward and lifting the opposite side of the pelvis upward as a result. This allows the thigh bone to more easily cross the midline of the body. You will also notice that my thighs are significantly rotated inward; this helps to access the wrapping of the legs as well. In the class leading up to this tutorial, we used a wall to eliminate the necessity to balance while working with these actions. In this video, I joke about the use of a wall, but I highly recommend you try it that way.
yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

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HOW DO I INCREASE FLEXIBILITY OF MY HIPS FOR OTHER YOGA POSTURES?

The easy answer to this is to practice in such a way that you are deliberately strengthening each muscle group around the hips. To learn more about what muscle groups are involved in hip opening, check out the article I wrote on The 4 Quadrants of The Hips, where I share my methodology and approach for my personal practice and in my teaching. Once you understand which muscles surround the hip joints, the next step is to begin strengthening each muscle group. Strengthening one muscle group through range of motion will increase the flexibility of the opposing muscle group. This is the magic of an educated and deliberate practice — we take the guesswork out, and efforts are more effective in achieving intended results.

To increase your strength and flexibility of the hips, you can join the Hips and Hamstrings Immersion,which will take you through twelve 75-minute online yoga classes, each focused on a different pose and the relevant muscle group(s). I take you through creative ways of strengthening, then I provide you with effective techniques for stretching and accessing various yoga postures.

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

HIPS & HAMSTRINGS IMMERSION

  • Increase range of motion of your hips and hamstrings
  • Learn techniques such as facilitated stretching
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your hips, back, and knees
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Pigeon, Lizard Variations, Lotus, Eagle, Hanuman, Fire Log, Seated Straddle Splits, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

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hips and hamstring flexibility

by | Jun 2, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

HIP AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY

“The 4 Quadrants of the Hips”

Hip & Hamstrings

Hip And Hamstring Flexibility

Why Is Hip Mobility Important?

If you practice yoga, you are sure to increase the flexibility of the hips and hamstrings. However, that doesn’t mean you will gain greater mobility and functionality, or even be able to access the myriad of hip opening postures, because most of us don’t realize how many muscles surround the hips. Since hips are ball-and-socket joints, there are ample available movements, yet most of us only utilize two daily — flexion and extension — when we walk, sit, and stand.

Because we only make use of two movements, we tend to be overdeveloped in one or two muscle groups and underdeveloped in the others. The problem with this is limited range of motion and, more importantly, imbalanced hip alignment that could lead to hip pain or increased friction in the hip joint over time, potentially damaging soft tissue. Bottom line: it’s important to work toward evenly balanced strength and flexibility in all the muscles that surround the hips.

Before we dive in, let me be clear: there is no magic place of health and balance where everything is perfect and no pain ever exists. We can, however, find a place where our body feels consistently good and we have the awareness to recognize when one muscle group is too tight, strong, weak, flexible, or inflexible. In other words, we can build a relationship with our body, learn what it needs, and be able to catch an issue before it becomes a long-term problem.

THE BENEFITS GO BEYOND PAIN RELIEF. Developing awareness of your hips can allow you to move better on a daily basis AND access more postures within the context of yoga.

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

HIPS AND HAMSTRINGS IMMERSION

  • Increase range of motion of your hips and hamstrings
  • Learn techniques such as facilitated stretching
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your hips, back, and knees
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Pigeon, Lizard Variations, Lotus, Eagle, Hanuman, Fire Log, Seated Straddle Splits, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

The 4 Quadrants of the Hips

To simplify the development of your hip and hamstring flexibility, we can break down muscle groups into 4 basic categories: front, back, inside, outside. There are muscles in each of these areas that create movements.

  1. Front: hip flexors and quadriceps
  2. Back: buttock muscles such as gluteus maximus and piriformis
  3. Inside: adductors such as longus, brevis, magnus
  4. Outside: abductors such as gluteus minimus, medius, and TFL

This is, of course, a simplified way of looking at the hips. Some muscles cross over from the outside to the inside, such as the sartorius, or from the back side to the inside, such as the adductor magnus. But the simplification is helpful if you aren’t an anatomy nerd and just want to feel better in your hips.

 

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WHAT ARE “THE 4 QUADRANTS OF THE HIPS”?

THE #1 BACKBEND TECHNIQUE TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN AND INCREASE SPINAL FLEXIBILITY

“Bowing the Spine” is a technique that combines a few key elements that I go over in detail in the video below. The dominant action is sliding your intervertebral discs forward, which requires a deliberate shifting of your rib cage. The secondary action is lengthening the distance between the upper and lower body.

If you want to try this technique in your practice and learn how to develop greater strength, range of motion, and body awareness with backbends, join me for this 12-class immersion: Heart Openers: Discover the Joy of Backbending

FREE VIDEO PODCAST: STRATEGY FOR HIP AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY

To implement this technique and access your flexibility

 Hips and Hamstrings: 12 Class Immersion

WHAT ARE THE ACTIONS AT THE HIPS?

Each quadrant of muscle groups has actions, meaning movements that we are capable of when we engage one or more muscles.

  1. Front: hip flexion & anterior tilt of the pelvis
  2. Back: hip extension & posterior tilt of the pelvis
  3. Inside: adduction — moving thighbones toward each other
  4. Outside: abduction — moving thighbones away from one another
yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

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  • Learn to share the practice with others
  • Build your confidence in speaking
  • Learn postures, biomechanics, alignment, and techniques
  • Learn how to structure a class and sequence postures
GET THE DETAILS

How do we apply the “4 Quadrants” to develop greater hip and hamstring flexibility?

The easiest way to develop your flexibility is to strengthen each muscle group until it can perform to its potential. The rule of thumb is to pick a side that you want to increase flexibility on and strengthen the opposite. That means if you want to increase hamstring flexibility (back quadrant), you would strengthen the front quadrant (hip flexors and quads). It’s actually simple, but we make it super complicated. Instead of just trying to stretch a muscle, hoping that gravity will do the work for you, strengthen the muscle that does the action you are intending, and flexibility will be the inevitable result. In this way, you gain flexibility AND build strength. It’s a win-win!

In the video above, I also explain facilitated stretching as another technique. Be sure to watch the video for more details on this method, and if you want to develop flexibility, access more postures, and release nagging pain, then join me for the Hips and Hamstrings Immersion. I will see you on the mat!

Co-written and edited by 300-hour Chromatic yoga teacher, Donna Morin.

 

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

HIPS AND HAMSTRINGS IMMERSION

  • Increase range of motion of your hips and hamstrings
  • Learn techniques such as facilitated stretching
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your hips, back, and knees
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Pigeon, Lizard Variations, Lotus, Eagle, Hanuman, Fire Log, Seated Straddle Splits, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

Continue Learning

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Yoga Sequencing: Teaching Technique Reverse Engineering

by | May 14, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

INTELLIGENT YOGA SEQUENCE TECHNIQUE

REVERSE ENGINEERING

Yoga Sequencing

HOW TO DESIGN AN INTELLIGENT YOGA SEQUENCE

REVERSE ENGINEERING

Designing an intelligent yoga sequence for your at-home practice or for your students can create a massive lifelong impact. Whether you are an an aspiring yoga teacher, an at-home practitioner looking to build your personal practice, or a seasoned teacher looking to increase the efficacy of your classes, this is for you.

Because most of the 200 hour yoga trainings in the West have so much material to cover in a relatively short amount of time, the element most often neglected is anatomy, especially in designing yoga sequences that help your students get the most from their time with you.

So today I want to share a yoga technique with you that I teach in my 200- and 300-hour trainings.

Designing a class is much like a puzzle; there is a clear destination in mind, but we need to put one piece together at a time. Or consider sequencing as an instruction manual, a step-by-step, action-oriented guide for what to do and when to do it. In order to design an intelligent yoga sequence, we can use a technique I call “reverse engineering.” What does that mean?

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

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First you want to know what your peak posture is.

A peak posture is a yoga pose that is challenging to your student. That challenge may present itself as requiring one of 4 anatomical elements.

  1. Strength
  2. Flexibility
  3. Balance 
  4. Proprioception (knowing where your body is in space)

Balance and proprioception can overlap, but they each present their own challenges, so I count those as separate features.

So choose a peak posture. For today, let’s work with Dancer Pose (Natarajasana), because it requires a few different anatomical elements.

After you choose your peak pose, assess the anatomy of the pose.

In my 200 hour and 300 hour trainings, we go into much more specificity of many yoga poses — covering anatomy, biomechanics, and technique. To clarify, the 200 hour training is designed for yogis looking to deepen their practice and learn the skill sets for teaching yoga. The 300 hour training, on the other hand, is for certified yoga teachers looking to certify at the 500 hour level. In this training, you wish to both develop a masterful understanding of the body as it relates to the yoga practice and attain highest-level skill sets as a teacher (200 hour + 300 hour = 500 hour certified).

You don’t have to be an anatomy expert to design a yoga sequence that will help your students get the most from your classes and come to know their bodies better. Anatomy is really just a language — names for bones, muscles, joints, etc. These are important, of course, but communication and connection with your students is arguably even more important.

A surgeon might be incredible at her craft, but if she doesn’t have a good bedside manner, she won’t make her patient feel comfortable, and that can impact how well the surgery goes. A yoga teacher might know a lot about anatomy, but if they aren’t connecting with their students, the students may not return, and a valuable opportunity is missed.

So let’s think about Dancer Pose. If you’re an anatomy geek like me, you may already be thinking about what makes this posture challenging for some and accessible for others. To assess this, we need to look at which muscles are lengthening and which will require flexibility. If you are a yoga teacher already, this will likely be familiar: Typically, you learn this at the 200 hour level. In my 300 hour training, we go a step further and consider the required strength as well as actions, techniques, and biomechanics. To keep things simple, I won’t be diving into all these avenues here. My intention is to convey the structure of an intelligent yoga sequence. Once you understand the structure, it can be applied to all aspects of the physical practice.

 

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Assessing the Peak Pose

What is a peak pose?

Many people get worked up when I mention a “peak pose,” because they feel yoga shouldn’t be destination-oriented. This is not actually what yoga teaches; yoga has a very clear goal, or destination, in every ancient text. No sacred teaching instructs us to eliminate the destination. Rather, the teachings reveal that focused attention on actions, thoughts, breath, etc. cultivate awareness. Some would call this ultimate awareness Samadhi, or Consiousness, Being, Union, Stillness, Mindfuless … The list goes on. Point is, these are all goals.

So asana practices are what help us move toward the ultimate awareness, BUT there is a caveat. If you are focused solely on that goal while you practice, you will not be aware of the elements of your practice and will miss out on important nuances. Ironically, keeping your focus only on the goal means you’re less likely to achieve it. This applies to a peak pose as well. If you are focused only on the peak pose and rush through the preparatory poses and techniques, you miss necessary learning and will be less likely to access the peak pose in the most efficient, functional, and even life-changing way.

As a teacher, you use a peak posture as a destination and work backwards. Think of it like using a GPS in your car: you enter the destination from your original point and it delivers step-by-step instructions. If you don’t pay attention to the steps, you don’t arrive.

Let’s assess Dancer Pose and develop a road map for your students so they can step into presence and action. With you as their guide, your students do not necessarily need to know the destination. In this way, you can keep calling their attention to “the now” every step of the way. This method is for you, the designer of an intelligent yoga sequence. 

Let’s think about the shape. You know that in Dancer Pose, you will need to reach your arm back. So what could you do with your students that would prepare their bodies to reach back?

Here’s the question:

What muscles are limiting the ability to reach back?

Answer: pectoralis major (chest), front deltoids (shoulder)

Do you need to know that? NO. Another easy way to assess is to reach back with your arm and feel what area of your body is stretching. To prepare yourself for this action, you would simply do other poses that stretch the same area.

Dancer Pose also requires balance. What pose could you offer that would require balance AND reach arms back? 

If you said Airplane Pose (Dekasana), we’re on the same flight 😉

Dancer Pose also requires a backbend, so you’d want to prepare your students by including yoga poses that extend the spine, like Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana). 

Bonus: Stretch the front thighs and hip flexors. You could prepare students for this in a low lunge (Anjaneyasana), perhaps with bound hands, or reaching for the back foot. (This might be too intense for some with tight quads. Use a strap to make it more accessible.)

All these poses that prepare your students for the peak pose are what I call “layering poses.” In my trainings, I teach my students to prepare 5-7 of these poses. These are the real substance of a good sequence. You can still include other poses to help warm up the body and get your students connecting their movements to breath, but layering poses are the ones you’ve put the most thought into. They are the poses that will transform your time with your students from a class to an experience. 

So let’s review. Here are the steps to design a powerful and effective yoga sequence for your yoga students. 

1.     Choose a peak posture.

2.     Assess the anatomy of that peak pose, or look at the shape.

3.     Teach 5-7 poses that mimic that shape and prepare your students for the peak pose.

FREE VIDEO PODCAST ON CREATING AN INTELLIGENT YOGA SEQUENCE USING THE TECHNIQUE OF “REVERSE ENGINEERING”

LOOKING TO DEVELOP YOUR BACKBENDING PRACTICE? CHECK OUT

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MISTAKES TO AVOID

It’s pretty common for a teacher to think of a peak pose like Dancer Pose and think hmm … shoulder openers; I need shoulder openers. Then they offer poses like Eagle Pose (Garudasana). True, Eagle opens the shoulder muscles, but the exact opposite shoulder muscles needed for Dancer. If you were using this as a way to shorten opposing muscles before lengthening them, then that could be an intelligent decision. But in terms of preparatory lengthening, Eagle is not the right layering pose for Dancer. Accuracy is key, which is why the 200 Hour and 300 Hour are so focused on developing refined skills and understanding of the body. 

With the right sequencing, your classes will be more supportive, and your students will leave feeling like they’ve learned something. That learning will stay with them throughout their lives. This is what it means to create an impact.

Follow the structure laid out in the video:

1. Choose a peak posture.

2. Assess the challenges: flexibility, strength, balance, proprioception. I suggest starting with flexibility to keep it simple.

3. Choose 5-7 layering postures.

4. Weave these poses through your class.

Ready to go deeper into anatomy, biomechanics, and sequencing? In my 200 and 300 hour trainings, we not only cover those topics, but you will also learn techniques for meditation, pranayama, yoga philosophy, and developing your yoga business. The 200 hour training is suitable for all levels. If you have a burning curiosity to learn and develop your practice, then the 200 hour training is perfect for you. The 300 hour training is only suitable for yoga teachers at the 200 or 500 hour level looking to become more masterful as professional yoga teachers.

Not sure if the training is right for you at this time? Send me an email and we can set up a time to chat.

Co-written and edited by 300-hour Chromatic yoga teacher, Donna Morin

 

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yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes

HEART OPENERS IMMERSION

  • Increase spinal range of motion
  • Master techniques such as “bowing the spine”
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your back
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Full Wheel, Bow, Camel, King Pigeon, King Dancer, King Cobra, Scorpion, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

Continue Learning

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read more
Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

Eka Pada Koundinyasana IArm BalanceEKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA I If Side Crow is already part of our practice, then Eka Pada Koundinyasana I is like adding on another layer to that posture, because they are quite similar. The added layer is that we extend the top leg...

read more
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read more
All Videos

THE FREE TECHNIQUE PACK

When You Subscribe, You Will Get Instant Access to

  • the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
  • exclusive online course discounts
  • exclusive blogs and videos
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Best Backbend Technique to relieve back pain

by | May 5, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

BACKBEND TECHNIQUE TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN

“BOWING THE SPINE”

Bowing The Spine

Why are backbends uncomfortable for many people?

Can we do anything to change this?

Let’s dive into my #1 backbend technique to relieve back pain and provide you with maximum range of motion. Before we do, though, we need to first acknowledge that backbends are not something most of us do every day. Quite the opposite. When was the last time you bent over backwards to type on your computer, eat a meal, or scroll through Instagram? It’s not a typical functional movement, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve our health and well-being.

A healthy spine has the capability to move forward and back. The easiest starting point to relieve pain is always to figure out what your dominant movement or posture is, and slowly work to reverse it. Simply put, strengthening the back muscles and lengthening the front body muscles is the first step toward feeling great in your back. HOW to do this is the challenge.

Intuitively, we know how to move our bodies, but that gets lost due to conditioned, repetitive patterning. Think of babies just about to crawl — they push themselves up into a back-bending low Cobra first and then eventually learn how to coordinate the knees. Somehow they figure out what needs to happen to be able to move. Before your yoga practice, when was the last time your peeled yourself off the floor and did something like that Cobra? So give yourself a break. If backbends are uncomfortable, it’s not because you aren’t capable; your adult body just needs to learn it again.

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes [backbend technique to relieve back pain "bowing the spine']

"HEART OPENERS" IMMERSION

  • Increase spinal range of motion
  • Master techniques like “bowing the spine”
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your back
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Full Wheel, Bow, Camel, King Pigeon, King Dancer, King Cobra, Scorpion, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
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RECONNECT TO YOUR BODY WISDOM

Make no mistake — you have the same inner wisdom that you did as a child, but it takes some retraining. What’s more, your body develops muscle memory from all the physical and emotional contracting you do during the day. Soon, shoulders slump forward, bringing your neck and head along with them. Arms move closer together and your chest caves in.

Yoga brings awareness to the felt sense of your physical potential beyond just basic needs. Backbending is beyond your basic, functional needs, but backbends can be enriching and healing.

Learning anything new requires focused effort, routine, repetitive practice, and failure. The process is no different when it comes to learning postures in your body, except for one important distinction: Failing body postures can lead to short- or long-term injury.

To minimize risk, we have to apply smart techniques and step-by-step actions informed by contemporary anatomy education. Rather than repeating the same uncomfortable backbends over and over, hoping for change, you learn and apply new techniques. With time and repetition, you can develop the appropriate strength and flexibility that can lead to joyful backbends.

 

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WHAT IS “BOWING THE SPINE”?

THE #1 BACKBEND TECHNIQUE TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN AND INCREASE SPINAL FLEXIBILITY

“Bowing the spine” is a technique that combines a few key elements that I go over in detail in the video below. The dominant action is sliding your intervertebral discs forward, which requires a deliberate shifting of your rib cage. The secondary action is lengthening the distance between the upper and lower body.

If you want to try this technique in your practice and learn how to develop greater strength, range of motion, and body awareness with backbends, join me for May’s 12-class immersion: Heart Openers: Discover the Joy of Backbending

FREE VIDEO PODCAST ON BOWING THE SPINE WITH PROFESSOR MATT

To implement this technique and access your spinal potential, check out

 Heart Openers: Discover the Joy of Backbending

WILL THIS WORK FOR EVERYONE?

I personally don’t believe there is a practice, pose, or technique that is “one size fits all“. Everybody is different, and some techniques will be more appropriate for one body than another. I came to yoga with scoliosis, a super tight psoas, and daily back pain. Doing any backbend was torture for me. Today, backbends are my go-to pose to reset my spine and get back to feeling great in my body. Did that happen overnight? Absolutely not. It took years of practice and refinement. Bowing the spine is a backbend technique to relieve back pain and help you gain greater range of motion in your spine, but the technique itself cannot do it for you. Remember, you are the one doing the pose; the pose doesn’t do you. In other words, never try to fit yourself into a shape. Allow your body to find its own posture. That said, like any great challenge, we must learn the skills necessary to gracefully dance through it.

release low back pain in backbends with the spinal reset immersion

SPINAL RESET

Reset your spine with 12 classes focused on backbends, side bends, twists, and forward folds. This immersion is a great way to learn the biomechanics of the upper body. Get lifetime, unlimited access to all 12 classes today! 

LEARN MORE!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON IMPLEMENTING THE BACKBEND TECHNIQUE TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN, “BOWING THE SPINE”

If you want to balance your habitual physical patterns, backbends are an EXCELLENT practice to do so. Be sure that you are not just practicing shapes — that will tend to cause pain. Instead, practice techniques that give you access to the appropriate physical expression for your particular body. To learn how to apply this technique properly in your body, it is best to implement it under the guidance of someone who understands it within their own body. I highly recommend getting the Heart Openers 12-class immersion in order to take the step-by-step journey that will not only leave you feeling proficient with the technique but also give you access to a wider range of backbend postures.

TOP RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS

  1. HEART OPENERS: Discover The Joy of Backbending [12-class immersion]
  2. “Journey to Bliss” (includes Full Wheel Workshop + 11 more master classes)
  3. THE SPINAL RESET: Back Bend, Side Bend, Twist [12-class immersion]

MORE WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE

  1. Live Immersions: 3 Classes Per Week
  2. 200 hour training: Get Certified
  3. 300 Hour Online Training: Get 500 Hour Certified

 

yoga backbend techniques: 12 classes

"HEART OPENERS" IMMERSION

  • Increase spinal range of motion
  • Master techniques like “bowing the spine”
  • Release stress patterns, discomfort, or pain in your back
  • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
  • Learn postures: Full Wheel, Bow, Camel, King Pigeon, King Dancer, King Cobra, Scorpion, and more!
  • Lifetime unlimited access to all
GET THE DETAILS

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firefly pose titibhasana

by | Mar 30, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

FIREFLY POSE, TITIBHASANA

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL: LEARN TO FLY

FIREFLY POSE

FIREFLY POSE, TITIBHASANA

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL: 4 KEY ACTIONS

Firefly Pose (Titibhasana) might have you thinking, “There is no way I’ll ever be able to do THAT pose!” Yes, for sure it requires strength and flexibility, but with the right application of techniques, you will surprise yourself.

Firefly is a pose I teach in many of my workshops and online immersion classes because it brings a lot of laughter and a lot of those “Aha!” moments with it. Just have a couple of yoga blocks (or books) and a nice big couch cushion, because you are probably going to find yourself accidentally seated a few times while learning. It’s part of the fun factor!

In the video below, I collected a few clips from online classes & immersions so you could see how I come into Firefly from different angles. Try this with me, and together we will unlock Firefly Pose, Titibhasana.

There are 4 key actions you can apply to your Firefly Pose right now. With consistent practice, your Firefly could take flight.

Arm Balances

ARM BALANCES

Learn 12+ arm balances while expanding your knowledge of the body and increasing your body awareness. All classes are 75 minutes and ALL-levels appropriate 

  • Crow Pose, Side Crow, and variations
  • Flying Pigeon, Koundinyasana 1 & 2
  • Titibhasana, Bhujapidasana
  • Handstand, Forearm Stand, and many more!

 

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Firefly Pose • Titibhasana

The following tutorial footage in this video snippet of Firefly Pose (Titibhasana) is taken from the March 2021 Immersion titled MOVE•BREATHE•RELEASE

Prep for Firefly Pose, or Titibhasana

To set up for Firefly Pose, Titibhasana, you first want to separate your feet so that they’re wider than your hips. Then bring a set of yoga blocks behind your feet.  

Now, bring your arms to the inside of each leg, fingers facing forward. Bend generously into your knees, as if coming into a squat. Move your hands back behind your legs. Place the palms of your hands firmly on each block with hands wide. Fingers/hands turned outward a bit usually provides more ease on the wrists. 

The final prep step is to bend your elbows, creating a sort of table for you to sit on. Be sure to keep your arms wide.

Now you’re ready for Firefly Pose, Titibhasana!

the best yoga teacher training for alignment

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4 KEY ACTIONS TO MOVE INTO FIREFLY POSE, TITBHASANA

  1. Push into your hands and round your back, protracting your shoulder blades. That will activate your serratus anterior (shoulder blade muscles) and your core. You will instantly feel lighter as a result.
  2. Lift your heels and come onto your toes. Squeeze your legs toward each other. Miss this step and you’re likely to fall back. 
  3. Now, keep that squeeze and TURN your legs in. Better yet, try this step one leg at a time to get the feel for the squeeze. This is a really important step! Teachers — here is a key tip if you are demonstrating this for your students: If you’re demonstrating this pose, emphasize the thighs rolling in (if the knees are bent that means the feet will actually go outward, so keep their attention on what your upper thighs are doing to avoid confusion). 
  4. Lastly, and least importantly, straighten your legs (your knee joints) by activating your quadriceps.
Arm Balances

ARM BALANCES

Learn 12+ arm balances while expanding your knowledge of the body and increasing your body awareness. All classes are 75 minutes and ALL-levels appropriate 

  • Crow Pose, Side Crow, and variations
  • Flying Pigeon, Koundinyasana 1 & 2
  • Titibhasana, Bhujapidasana
  • Handstand, Forearm Stand, and many more!

 

SALE PRICE: $198.00 $128.00

GET THE DETAILS

Can’t straighten your legs?

Many people tell me their hamstrings are too tight, so they can’t straighten their legs. That may be the case, OR it may be that the quadriceps are too weak against the tightness of the hamstrings. To be honest, approaching from the perspective of what to strengthen is usually far safer and more effective than just stretching.

Sit in a straddle position (don’t worry about how wide). Activate your quads by pulling your knee caps toward your hips and straightening your knees. Now, keep your right knee straight and lift your right thigh off the ground. Crazy how much of a challenge just this can be! You can lean back at first; that might help. Try each side. Even if you can’t get each leg off the ground, you will be developing your quad strength by trying to do this. Over time, you will get it! By strengthening your quads, eventually strength will win over inflexibility.

Want to support the continuation of these blogs? The best way to do so is to share them on social media or with friends via email! Thank you for stopping by!

TOP RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS

1. MOVE•BREATHE•RELEASE (footage in above video), 12-class immersion 

2. Arm Balance Immersion: 12 Classes — 12 Arm Balances

MORE WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE

  1. Live Immersions: 3 Classes Per Week
  2. 200 hour training: Get Certified
  3. 300 Hour Online Training: Get 500 Hour Certified

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release low back pain in backbends

by | Mar 15, 2021 | Home Page, Main Page Display

YOGA ALIGNMENT: COBRA POSE

RELEASE LOW BACK PAIN IN BACKBENDS

COBRA POSE

YOGA ALIGNMENT: COBRA POSE

HOW TO RELEASE LOW BACK PAIN IN BACKBENDS

If you feel back pain in backbends, you are not alone.

Many people experience low back pain in backbends. If you’re experiencing this or just feeling stuck in your yoga poses (or you’re a yoga teacher), then you have come to the right place. When done properly, backbends feel like a lengthening of the spine rather than stiff and compressive. With the right actions, backbends also strengthen each segment of the back, which weakens after hours of sitting — something most of us do each day.

Cobra (Bhujangasana) is one of the most overlooked backbend poses because it’s not as sexy or challenging as other backbends, but it shouldn’t be. For most people, it’s one of the most effective and accessible postures to increase spinal mobility. While most teachers focus on Upward-Facing Dog, I practice and teach Cobra because it’s hands-down the best prep for backbends.

BENEFITS OF COBRA POSE

Cobra Pose is my top suggested pose to release low back pain in backbends.

Here’s why I think we should give this pose its due props. First, Cobra is done from the mat, so it’s more stable and doesn’t require balance. Why is that important? When balance is involved, the midsection will unconsciously hold tension, much of which happens in the abdominals. So? Too much abdominal engagement decreases spinal extension (backbending), likely causing compression instead of an expansion.

When the body is stable, it relaxes, and this is one of the keys to backbends. You cannot approach a backbend from a place of fear, aggression, frustration, motivation, or any emotional state associated with an overly active sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). In other words, when it comes to these postures, force does not work the way it would when approaching something like an arm balance or heavy weight-lifting.

I’m not preaching that there is no effort in Cobra, but rather that backbends require softness, surrender, and extremely accurate and well-placed effort. This is best learned in a stable environment, and Cobra Pose is where I suggest you train.

Second, students can take the pose to the level that is right for their bodies, and with consistent practice, progress becomes apparent fairly quickly. With the alignment I share in Cobra Pose, your elbows are bent, and rather than pushing your way into a backbend, you pull yourself up. This makes it harder to mistakenly compress the spine as in a posture like Upward Dog.

Today I want to share with you exactly how to release low back pain in backbends, through what I call the “3-part Cobra.”  This approach to Cobra can truly help both teachers and students access a more complete range of motion while building strength, length, and flexibility through the core region of their bodies. Let’s go over this 3-part Cobra that I teach in all of my online immersions and online teacher trainings

 

 

Heart Openers: 12 Online Yoga Classes for Heart opening & back bending technique

HEART OPENERS

The Heart Openers Immersion provides you with the necessary techniques to develop your body awareness for pain-free yoga backbends. Learn techniques to decompress the spine like "bowing the spine". Learn the anatomy of each posture while you practice. Some of the postures you will develop are

  • Cobra Pose, Bow Pose, Camel Pose
  • Wild Thing, Dancer Pose, Chapasana
  • Full Wheel and its variations
  • King Cobra, King Pigeon, King Dancer

ALL Levels Appropriate, Lifetime Access to All Classes, Unlimited Views

 

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Release Low Back Pain in Backbends with The 3-Part Cobra

The footage in this video snippet is taken from the March 2021 Immersion titled MOVE•BREATHE•RELEASE

3-PART COBRA STEPS

THE SETUP

From prone position (on your belly), bring your hands wide, bend into your elbows and come onto your fingertips.

THE STEPS

Part 1: Inhale to raise your chest, shoulders, and upper ribs off the mat, gently rounding through your upper back.

Part 2: Soften your ribcage forward, letting your shoulder blades come toward each other. This will initiate the bowing effect by relaxing the abdominals. In this step, you have the ability to control the placement of the backbend. Moving pressure out of the low back by stretching low ribs forward is relieving for most people. If you want to release low back pain in backbends, focus your attention and practice primarily on this step!

Part 3: If and only if your back feels great in Part 2, then you are ready to move to the next step. Here you re-engage your abdominals BUT NOT the outer abdominals. You’re not trying for a six-pack here. Instead, try drawing your abdomen UPWARD while pressing your low ribs forward. If you feel compression in your low back as a result, this means you pushed with your arms instead of pulling your belly up. Think of the image of a bow that I showed at the beginning of the above video. You have to press the center of a bow forward. Instead of pushing, PULL your low rib cage toward the front of the mat.

300 hour teacher training online

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

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  • Get 500 hour certified
  • Learn anatomy, biomechanics, asana techniques
  • Expand your teaching skills
  • Masterful sequencing and verbal delivery
  • Learn meditation and breathwork techniques
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WHY IS THE ALIGNMENT OF COBRA POSE ON FINGER TIPS?

Someone asked me why I don’t suggest doing this pose with the palms of my hands planted on the floor. She said doing it this way gave her a much greater range of motion, pushing her torso higher up.

She is 100% right, and I told her THAT’S exactly why I use my fingertips.

When we have palms on the ground, we have a tendency to push. We put less weight on fingertips, which forces us to use our back muscles (pull muscles). Instead of pushing the upper body into the lower body, causing an L-shape that compresses the lower spine, we will have an easier time pulling the rib cage away from the pelvis, decompressing the spine.

Of course, if you cannot do Cobra on your fingertips because it is causing you pain in your joints, then do not force it, but do your best NOT to push.

    online yoga immersion for the spine

    SPINAL AWAKENING

    November 2021 Immersion

    • Twists • side bends • forward folds • heart openers
    • Learn techniques to strengthen and mobilize your spine
    • Release back tension and discomfort
    • Twelve 75-minute classes, all levels appropriate
    • Advance your postural practice
    • Lifetime unlimited access to all

    $148.00 $118.00

    GET THE DETAILS

    PRO TIP:

    Instead of measuring how deep your backbend is externally, feel it from the inside. When you push yourself up, it will certainly look like a deeper backbend, but you are only deepening 1 or 2 joints, and that is the problem. It’s better to appear like you aren’t going deep, instead feeling the depth within. This requires letting go of instant gratification and embracing true transformation, which always looks slow on the outside until one day, you are placing your feet on your head in a backbend.

    Let’s review that one more time…
    In a supportive backbend, it’s the center of the body — the ribcage — that bows forward in order to lengthen the spine. So it’s not a push of the hands that moves the body up and back; rather, it’s an engagement of the upper back muscles that pulls the chest forward and through the arms.
    If you are ready to apply 3-part Cobra to release low back pain in backbends, then I highly recommend Journey to Bliss and Spinal Reset. Both of these immersions will share with you these steps and many more toward the goal of increasing spinal mobility and decreasing discomfort.

    To learn more about the proper setup for Wheel Pose, check out Backbends and The Glutes with a short follow-along video.

    TOP RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS:

    1. MOVE•BREATHE•RELEASE (footage in above video) 

    2. HEART OPENERS 12-Class Immersion. Learn Techniques and Biomechanics for Backbends

    3. THE SPINAL AWAKENING: 12-Class Immersion 

    MORE WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE

    1. Live Immersions: 3 Classes Per Week
    2. 200 hour training: Get Certified
    3. 300 Hour Online Training: Get 500hr Certified

    Edited by 300-hour Chromatic Yoga Teacher, Donna Morin

     

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    Counter RotationsStabilityCOUNTER ROTATIONS The isolation of specific articulations in a yoga posture can be tricky to implement when we’re still learning how our bodies move. When we begin to explore counter rotations, this layer might feel confusing or even...

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    Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

    Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

    Eka Pada Koundinyasana IArm BalanceEKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA I If Side Crow is already part of our practice, then Eka Pada Koundinyasana I is like adding on another layer to that posture, because they are quite similar. The added layer is that we extend the top leg...

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    Achieve Flying Balance

    Achieve Flying Balance

    Achieve Flying BalanceArm BalanceACHIEVE FLYING BALANCE Achieving an arm balance is quite extraordinary when you consider all that’s involved. And when we refer to an arm balance as a “flying balance,” there is even more involved. The “flying” in Eka Pada...

    read more
    All Videos

    THE FREE TECHNIQUE PACK

    When You Subscribe, You Will Get Instant Access to

    • the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
    • exclusive online course discounts
    • exclusive blogs and videos
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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