Back Bends 101: Why are back bends so good and why we should be doing more of them
Our human form in general, and our spines in particular, exhibit an extraordinary resolution between the contradictory requirements of regidity and plasticity.
– Leslie Kaminoff
Back bends are so good, but for some reason, we don’t do enough of them. Life today has doomed us to a kyphotic curvature in the spine (that’s that slouched forward, shoulder-hunching, tech-neck pose we all adopt when sat down). Back bends are not necessarily a natural position for the spine, but are essential for functional spine movement. So why should we be doing more of them?
Back bends are important, as they help strengthen not just your back, but also your shoulders, chest and hips. They can help to increase spinal mobility and flexibility, and help to relieve tension and back pain. More mobility and strength in the spine and back means you’re more likely to live a more pain-free life, and less likely to cause injury from weaker muscles. But what if your back bends are creating more pain?
How to avoid lower back pain in your back bends
Ever get that pinchy pinchy, discomfort in your lower back and top of the hips that stops you from going into your back bends deeper?
A lot of the time, when coming into a back bend, we tend to focus on the back muscles. Worse, we are often told to RELAX the lower half of our bodies (and most of us can’t do this anyway!)
We’ve been told not to over-tense the glutes, as this results in us taking the strain of the bend into our lower back, leading to complications down the line such as bulging discs, commonly at the T12/L1 vertebrae site.
The problem with this is that if we over-relax the glutes and legs, most of us can’t lift our hips off the ground, and are missing out on big, open back bends.
Related: Want to learn how to come deeper into your dancer pose? Check out this video on YouTube
Why it’s easy to do back bends wrong
Tight hamstrings and over-tensing the gluteal muscles can lead to compression in the lower back when we come into strong backbends such as wheel pose or dancer pose. Some teachers teach to relax the glutes, some say to tense them. Unfortunately, cues can vary from one teacher to the next. So which way is better?
Well, both are sort of right! But it’s more to do with how you distribute your muscle engagement in your yoga poses. If you are able to lightly tense the glutes and activate the hamstrings, you are going to find that you can make big, open backbends without the lower back compression (and pain).
“Relax the glutes or tense them? Cues can vary from one teacher to the next”.
The Solution?
So what’s the solution? By using a balance of hip flexion and extension muscles, you can minimise the compression experienced in the lower back.
According to Yoga Journal, “Even a little bit of bend at the hips causes your tailbone to drop down and the back of your waist to lift up. This position, an anterior tilt of the pelvis, creates a sharper bend in the lower back and often causes feelings of compression or pain.”
Anterior tilting of the pelvis can indicate a lack of full hip extension, and then the spine over-extends to compensate for the lack of flexibility in the hips.
A lack of flexibility in the hips is not helped by our sedentary lifestyles of prolonged sitting down. To counter this, it is important to stretch the hip flexors before coming into backbends.
Which back bend poses should I practice?
Practice these key poses regularly to help you come into more advanced back bends:
1. Warrior I
(Virabhadrasana I)
Try these 4 yoga poses to help deepen any backbend:
Starting at the top of your mat, bring the left foot back so both feet are facing forwards, bend the right knee, stacking it over the ankle.
As you raise the arms up, try to envision a sensation of sinking into the hips, maintaining a 90° angle in the front knee. At the same time feel a sense of lifting and expanding in the chest, although try to avoid any over-arching in the lower back.
Pivot round on the feet and repeat for the opposite side.
Flow Option: With the right foot forwards, release the left hand towards the ground and raise the right hand to the ceiling, opening the chest into Revolved Side Angle Pose (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana).
Related: Why not try your next Frananda Yoga class today? View the schedule
2. Bridge with a brick
(Setu Bandhasana)
Squeezing a brick between the thighs can help to focus on the adductor muscles, which play a role in back bends.
To come into the pose, come to lie on your back, placing the brick between the thighs, avoiding the knees. Tilt the pelvis towards you (posterior tilt rather than anterior tilt), and then press into the heels, slowly lifting the lower, middle then upper back. Once you get as high as you can, tighten the glutes slightly and push the hip bones up, maintaining a long line in the body from shoulder to pelvis. Hold for a few breaths before gently lowering back down.
Option: You could try to raise the arms over and behind the head as you lift the hips.
3. Locust
(Salabhasana)
A MUST for any back bend pose, locust helps to build strength in the back muscles, and helps you to connect and use a good proportion of leg muscles (hamstrings) and glutes (buttocks).
To come into the pose, begin on your belly, hands resting down by your thighs. Place the palms gently on the floor. Start by imagining you have a marble under your nose and you want to gently push it towards the top of your mat, lifting the chin, followed by the chest. Feel the back muscles engage, avoid over-tightening the glutes by visualising pressing the hip bones into the mat and creating space in the lower back to neutralise anterior tilting in the hips.
Option: Lift the hands away from the floor, and then if this feels okay, try lifting the feet and legs, keeping the knees straight.
4. Upward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Allowing the hips to sink down (without too much pressure in the wrists!) can help to warm the hip flexor and extensor muscles, ready for back bends.
To come into the pose, begin on your belly like in locust pose. Place the hands under the shoulders, and begin to lift the nose, followed by the chin, then the chest in the same way as for locust pose. Keep the hips grounded to reduce anterior pelvic tilt.
Practice these key poses regularly to help you prepare to come into more advanced back bends, such as dancer, wheel pose and many more!
As with any movement, always practice mindfully, and don’t come into a pose you’re not sure about unless you have talked to your yoga teacher. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have, please use the contact page to get in touch!
