In this online Iyengar yoga class, Level 3 individuals explore the many benefits of backbends, focussing on enhancing flexibility, strength, and internal awareness. We will also be demonstrating how to use the support of a chair to unlock new depths and possibilities with backbends. Spending extended periods of time on each backbend will help students become more aware of the effects each pose has.
Backbends demand a balance of strength and flexibility while emphasizing precise alignment. These postures work on fortifying the spine, enhancing its flexibility and mobility, and stimulating the spinal nerves for increased vitality. In this session, we will start with a brief standing pose sequence to activate the legs and back body, which will in turn help to insure that we are aware of our bodies’ dimensions so that we can achieve proper alignment throughout the practice.
Video stills from this sequence
