In this advanced-level backbend class, we will be keeping an eye on our feet and groins. Usually, when we go into strenuous backbends, our feet tend to splay our and our inner groins want to lift. Today, we will be focussing on keeping these impulses in check. For this reason, this class will be a little more repetitive in the sense that we will be practising the poses several times in order to get the feeling just right.
We will start off with a 30-minute warmup, doing several basic standing poses and going through some heating inversions — Adho Mukha Vrksasana, Pincha Mayurasana, and Salamba Sarvangasana.
Then, we will move on to the main section of the class, going through several repetitions of the more advanced backbends — Urdhva Dhanurasana, Kapotasana, Ustrasana, and others — in an attempt to improve our understanding of the motions involved in these poses. Before moving on to the cool-down session, we will also practise the splits in order to even out our pelvis and hamstrings and round off the practice in a more wholesome way.
During the final half-hour of the class, we will cool down with some supine stretches and restorative poses, giving ourselves time and space to contemplate the results of the practice.
Video stills from this sequence
