This months focus is all about backbends!
Heart openers, back-body strengtheners and energy boosters!
There are many benefits to incorporating backbends into your life, in this modern world a lot of people tend to sit through-out their day, at their desks, driving, eating and slouching at home after work. When we sit for hours at a time we become unaware of our bodies and round off our shoulders, close off our heart space and collapse inwards. While theres nothing wrong with relaxing and softening into our bodies, when done for extended periods of time it can have an affect not just on our posture, but on our breath and therefore our energy. The medicine is in movement, it's in the opening of the heart and chest, it's in the strengthening of the back muscles and a full unrestricted deep diaphragmatic breath.
Heart openers tend to un-do what the day did, they open the shoulders and chest area to stimulate energy at the heart centre (Anahata Chakra) they allow the ribcage to expand so the lungs can take up more space and more air.
In backbends, one touches the body physically, mentally, intellectually, consciously and spiritually everywhere.
B.K.S. Iyengar
On one of my retreats last year a guest asked me as we sat in circle, "how do you sit like that? Does it hurt"
I was just sat cross legged in Sukhasana, she was amazed at how straight my spine was and how effortlessly i could sit without pain and the guests went on to say at how uncomfortable that is for them. As a society we spend so much time flexed upper back and rounded through our shoulders, collapsing and closed off in the front of our bodies and so the back of our bodies become weak and the muscles long.
Backbends strengthen the whole back body, not just the muscles but the connective tissue and bones too... lowering the risk of osteoporosis preventing kyphosis (round back)
preventing disc degeneration/collapse
reduces back pain as we strengthen and protect our spine. A lot of people fear backbends, they open us up emotionally at a place thats often vulnerable for people. Backbends are activating and energising postures that stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight” branch. Our nerves tell our brain theres a threat, but breathing steadily whilst holding these postures helps bring the parasympathetic “rest and digest” part of the nervous system back into action. Training our bodies and mind to remain calm.
Teaching our bodies and mind that it's safe to be here.
So lets energise our minds, open our hearts and strengthen our body, mind and soul.
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