In the winter our posture often becomes closed by hunching shoulders and keeping the head down to protect ourselves from the cold weather. Spending long days sitting, reading or working at the computer and generally living in a world that doesn’t always invite openness can all take a toll on the posture as well.
These backbends work with the ideas of strengthening by softening, and opening to receive. The following postures emphasize opening and trust in the body. To bend backwards in the Ustrasana variations one must develop the internal strength to offer up an open and joyful heart.
If you have chronic or acute back pain or abdominal pain, hiatal hernia or if you are pregnant please consult a certified yoga teacher before practicing these postures. Always practice on an empty stomach, in a place that feels safe and peaceful.
Opening the shoulders, strengthening the trunk
Stand on your knees so that they’re hip width distance. Keep your shins in line with your knees so that your feet are also hip width apart, tuck your toes underneath.
Slowly bring your hips back onto your heels so that you stretch the underside of your feet.
Hold your block the long, flat direction between your palms. Inhaling, straighten your arms forward and up towards the ceiling. Once your arms are fully extended upwards take a few breaths and widen the shoulders, rolling them up, back and down, wrapping the shoulder blades down and around the ribs. Try not to let your shoulders creep up beside your ears and keep the neck relaxed. Bring your tailbone down and slightly forward so that your lower back is wide and not overarching. Engage the strength of your lower abdominals by lifting your naval slightly up and in towards your spine. Bring your bottom two ribs together and lengthen through the sides of your waist bringing your ribs away from the hips.
Keeping this alignment through your trunk and your shoulders, now take your elbows up towards the ceiling so that the block comes back to the space between your shoulder blades. Keep your elbows coming inwards, keeping them inline with the shoulders. Maintain strong alignment through the trunk, keep the lower back strong and straight and the belly in. Breath into the opening at the outsides of your armpits and into the width of the back around the bottom ribs and kidneys.
Stay for 10 breaths and release.
Lifting the chest, lengthening the spine
Stand on your knees so that they’re hip width distance. Keep your shins in line with your knees so that your feet are also hip width apart, tuck your toes underneath.
Place your block the narrow width between your thighs and squeeze inwards with your thighs. Bring the naval up and in towards the spine and feel the tailbone descend.
Strongly press your palms together in front of your chest with the fingers outstretched and the elbows coming out to the sides. With your thumbs pressing into the middle of your breastbone begin to inhale into the point that your thumbs touch your chest. Keep the lower back long and wide and try to lengthen up your spine with the inhalations. Begin to lift your chest up towards the ceiling. Take your time and use your breath. With the inhalations lift the very center of your sternum up, with the exhalations widen your lower back, reach your tailbone down and squeeze the block between your thighs.
You want to feel the length and strength of your lower body supporting your heart to lift upwards. Keep the palms pressing together to broaden the chest and help the shoulders to remain wide.
Stay as long as feels good and then release to Balasana (child’s pose).
Ustrasana variations
Repeat the previous exercise lifting the chest and lengthening the spine, when you’re ready take your right hand back onto your heel and stretch your left arm up and back towards the right so that your left side and ribs stretch. Maintain strong alignment and lifting up from the lower back (don’t overarch or crunch into your lumber spine) as you press your hips forward. Allow your body to move with your breath and experiment with different arm movements to open around the ribs, chest and connective tissue at the front of the abdomen. Let your head and gaze be where they need to be so your neck does not strain.
To release reach even further laterally to the right through your left arm. Start to take your hips back towards your heels so that your spine slightly rounds forward to bring you back to center. Either rest in child’s pose or come up again to stand on your knees.
Repeat on the left side.
When you are done, rest in Utthitta Balasana (Extended Child’s Pose) with your knees wider than your hips, the edges of the big toes touching, heels apart, and your forehead resting on your block or the floor.
This pose was modeled for you by the lovely Lita Batho
Header illustration by Elisabeth Scherer