YOGASANA Backbend Poses FITNESS Opening Your Heart Lift your heart, mind, and spirit with backbends
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (modified) Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Dhanurasana One Legged Royal Pigeon Pose Bridge Pose Bow Pose Keep hips level. Point the belly button straight Externally rotate the arms so that you are on Hold the ankles, not the tops of the feet. Use ahead. Internally rotate the extended leg so the deltoids and the base of the neck is not the legs to raise the chest. Keep the knees in that the knee and toenails are on the floor. touching the floor. Take the breastbone high, line with the hips. Modifications: Place a block/folded blanket keep the shins vertical. Knees and feet are Modifications: Hold your pant legs if you under the hip of the bent knee. Press hands hip-width apart. cannot reach the ankles or wrap a belt on blocks to minimise weight on hips. Modifications: Place a block under the hips around each ankle. or a bolster along the length of the spine.
Urdhva Dhanurasana Ustrasana Matsyasana Upward Facing Bow Pose Camel Pose Fish Pose Arms and shins should be as close to vertical Start with fingers pointing up as the palms Classical variation has legs in Padmasana. as possible. Knees and feet should be hip- press down to glutes, push the hips forward. Place the crown of the head to the floor (not width apart pointing directly forwards. Keep thighs vertical with the hips over the the hairline). Straight legged version has Modifications: Rest shoulders on a chair seat knees. Knees and fee are hip width apart. hands under the glutes. against a wall, grip the sides of the chair back Modifications: Keep hands on the lower Modifications: Place a bloster along the and press away to raise the shoulders off the back with fingers pointing upwards, pull the spine, or two blocks, one along the spine seat of the chair. shoulder blades and elbows to each other. between the shoulder blades and one below Keep chin forward. Place hands on blocks, or the head. turn toes under to place hands on heels.
Shalabhasana Bhujangasana Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Locust Pose Cobra Pose Upward Facing Dog Pose Squeeze the shoulder blades together. Raise Keep arms in close to the rib cage. Middle Thighs and knees are off the mat. Elbows hug the thighs off the floor. Keep the feet hip- finger is parallel to the mat. Fingers are the rib cage. Strongly push the ground away. width apart. spread. Pull shoulders back and away from Raise the neck upwards from between the Modifications: Keep the legs on the floor the ears. Make the neck long by pushing shoulders. and raise only the arms and chest. Pull a shoulders downwards. Modifications: Place your hands on blocks. belt between the hands to squeeze shoulder Modifications: Keep the elbows bent, Keep the knees on the mat. Keep your chin blades together. hugging the rib cage. forward.