Introduction
Pixie has put together a backbend sequence targeting new and intermediate students. The sequence aims to prepare the legs and the upper back for headstand and backbend work. The sequence concludes with a winding down to release the back and balance the body.
View sequence
Reclining Bound Angle Pose
3-5 minutes
Join your feet together, your heels pressed to your pelvis. Lie back over a bolster or other form of support. Relax and let your chest open. If necessary, use a strap to hold your feet in place.
Downward-Facing Hero Pose
1 minute
Join your feet together under your buttocks and keep your knees far enough apart for your ribs to fit in between your legs as you fold forward. You can rest your forehead on the floor or on a block.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
6-8 times
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Mountain Pose
30 seconds
Stand up tall and straight, place your feet close together, with your heels and big toes touching. Imagine as if you are standing with your back against the wall. Extend your whole body from the heels up through the crown of your head.
Upward Salute with Interlocked Fingers
30 seconds per side
Stretch your arms in front of you and interlock your fingers. Turn your palms inside out and lift your arms up overhead, making sure to keep your shoulders open. Change the interlock of your fingers and repeat.
Reverse Prayer Pose
30 seconds
Stand in Tadasana and spread your arms outward. Then bring your hands behind your back, join your palms together, and walk them up to capacity.
If you lack wrist mobility, you can also simply grab hold of your elbows.
Cow Face Pose
30 seconds per side
Extend your left arm up and the right one down. Bend your elbows and reach your hands toward each other from behind. If clasping them is not possible, use a belt or strap. Pull your elbows in opposite directions.
Repeat on both sides.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
45 seconds
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Full Arm Balance (Handstand)
15-30 seconds
Open your hands into the floor and strengthen your arms as you lift your body up, one leg at a time, into an inverted balance. Use the wall for support if necessary. If pushing yourself up proves to be too difficult, you can walk your feet up the wall.
Pyramid Pose
45 seconds per side
Place your feet one leg-length apart, your back foot angled out slightly. Keep your legs straight as you start to fold over your front leg, maintaining a concave spine for as far into the bend as possible.
Wide-Legged Forward Bend
1 minute
Plant your feet as wide apart as you can. Place your hands on the floor and lengthen forward through your spine. Once you have achieved the concave spine, start to walk your hands backward to capacity, aiming to lengthen and release your spine as evenly as possible.
Headstand 1
5 minutes
Activate your shoulders and upper back muscles as you lift your body up into inverted balance. Use the wall for support if necessary.
Repeat 3 times
Start in Tadasana. As you inhale, raise your arms up to the ceiling. As you exhale, fold over into Uttanasana. Walk your feet out into Adho Mukha Svanasana, stretch the back of your body, lift your hips up to capacity. Walk your feet back up into Uttanasana and let your spine release downwards. As you inhale, stand back up in Tadasana.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
On the breath
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Upward Facing Dog Pose
On the breath
Point your toes backward and activate your arm muscles as you bend your back and lift the front of your body up off the floor. Keep your hips and thighs firmly grounded. Open your chest and shoulders.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
On the breath
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Upward Facing Dog Pose
On the breath
Point your toes backward and activate your arm muscles as you bend your back and lift the front of your body up off the floor. Keep your hips and thighs firmly grounded. Open your chest and shoulders.
Bow Pose
10-25 seconds, 2 repeats
As you lie on your belly grab a hold of your feet from behind. Pull the feet as close to your head as possible, bending back to capacity.
Camel Pose
15-20 seconds, 2 repeats
Assume a kneeling position. Then, open your chest and shoulders as you reach back towards your feet. To decrease the intensity of the bend, lay a bolster over your ankles.
Four-Footed Pose
20 seconds, 3-4 repeats
Lie down with your knees bent so that your feet are close to your buttocks. Grab onto your ankles and lift your hips up above the ground. Open your chest up and breathe.
Bridge Pose
1.5 minutes
Start by lying down. Press your shoulders into the floor, using them as leverage to lift your hips up to capacity. You can use your hands to support your back to help yourself to go into a deeper stretch. You can also place a block below your sacrum for support.
Standing Forward Bend
45-60 seconds
Starting in Tadasana, exhale and reach down towards your feet. Let your spine release downwards. You can bend your knees or place your hands on blocks if you lack the necessary flexibility.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
45 seconds
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Downward-Facing Hero Pose
1 minute
Join your feet together under your buttocks and keep your knees far enough apart for your ribs to fit in between your legs as you fold forward. You can rest your forehead on the floor or on a block.
Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose
30 seconds per side
Press your back body into the floor, point the kneecap and toes of your supine leg toward the ceiling, as you extend the other leg up over your hip. Use a belt if needed.
Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose
30 seconds per side
Lie down on your back. Point kneecap and toes on your left leg upward, as you stretch your right leg out to the side. Use a belt if necessary. Change sides.
Half Plough Pose
4-5 minutes
Activate your shoulders as you lift your hips up overhead and place your feet on chair support behind your head.
Downward-Facing Hero Pose
1-2 minutes
Join your feet together under your buttocks and keep your knees far enough apart for your ribs to fit in between your legs as you fold forward. You can rest your forehead on the floor or on a block.
Corpse Pose
5 minutes
Lie down on the floor. Spread your arms and legs slightly at your side. Relax and concentrate on your breath.
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You are welcome to download the PDF of the sequence and print and distribute it freely. You may have to wait up to 30 seconds for the PDF to generate. Please credit the teacher who created it. All illustrations from Dona Holleman’s ‘Yoga Darśana’, RIMYI Institute texts and Yoga Vastu illustrators for original asana drawings.
By Pixie Lillas
Pixie is the founder of Yoga Vastu and runs the Balmain Iyengar Yoga Studio in Sydney, Australia. She has over 45 years of teaching experience and regularly runs teacher training courses. She regularly teaches workshops in Europe and New Zealand.
