In this class, level 1/2 students will have a chance to consolidate their backbends foundations and will get to practice the actions that are involved in performing some more advanced backbends: Ustrasana (Camel Pose) and Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose).
Seeing as this session is relatively brief (just over an hour), it will be quite dynamic. After a brief warm-up for our legs and hips, we will do several inversions to mobilize our shoulders — backbend asanas are more demanding in the sense that they make use of the whole body, so they need some extra preparation. Then, during the backbend part of the session, we will go through a smooth gradation, from the easier to the more difficult poses. We will pay extra attention to Ustrasana and Urdhva Dhanurasana and look at some ways of using props to help us achieve maximum elongation in these poses.
At the end, we will have a 20-minute cool-down session, focussing on releasing any strain we might have accumulated in the back muscles.
Video stills from this sequence
