Ep 79: All Backbends Are Not The Same! Let's Explore Why...

Not all backbends are the same & that might sound obvious at first, but I can’t tell you how many classes I’ve been in, or even taught in my early years, where backbends were treated as one interchangeable category. Whether it was Cobra, Bow, Wheel, or Camel, I was taught to prepare the body in the same way, taught a sequence full of them, and assumed students would be able to do all of them safely.

Today, we’re going to talk about the differences, plus alternative ways to help your students prepare for specific backbends without just simply backbending…

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Transcript

Monica: 0:00

Not all back bends are the same, and that might sound obvious at first, but I can't tell you how many classes I've been in or even taught in my early years where back bends were treated as one interchangeable category, whether it was Cobra Bow. Wheel or camel, I was taught to prepare the body in the same way, taught a sequence full of them and assume students would be able to do all of them safely. Today we're gonna talk about the differences plus alternative ways to help your students prepare for specific back bends without just back bending. Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you are a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you. My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, strategies and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you, whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you wanna dive deep and set yourself up for success. I am so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Monica, and I'm so glad you're here. Here is where we get real about yoga's role in helping students with conditions and injuries and what you can do to help them find relief while they're in your classes. Today we're diving into a topic that may challenge how you think about sequencing and teaching spinal extension, and that's the point. Not all back bins are the same. It might sound obvious at first, but I can't tell you how many classes I've been in or even taught in my early years where back bins were treated as one interchangeable category, whether it was Cobra, Bo Wheel, Camel or even King Pigeon, I was taught to prepare the body in the same way, taught a sequence full of them and assumed students would be able to do all of them safely. But the truth is, while these poses all involve spinal extension, the movement demands across the shoulders, hip, the abdominals and the nervous system vary widely. And if we don't understand those differences. We may be unintentionally setting our students up for discomfort and maybe even injury. First, let me define what I mean when I say back bend as. A back bend is a yoga posture that involves spinal extension, which means the front body lengthens and opens while the spine moves into a backward arched shape. This generally increases the angle between the front of the torso and the legs and can be paired with chest expansion and hip extension. But here's where we get into trouble. We categorize all of these postures under back bends as if they're biomechanically identical and they're not. Let's look at some examples. First is bridge pose. It requires spinal extension, some hip extension and shoulder extension where the arms reach back and not up and overhead. Then there's wheel pose. It requires spinal extension, hip extension, and shoulder flexion. Here, the arms reach overhead, which is a different positioning than in bridge. Think about camel pose. It requires spinal extension, hip extension, and shoulder extension. If the hands are on the heels, then think about upward facing dog, which requires spinal extension, hip extension, some shoulder extension, wrist extension, and an active posterior chain. And finally, bow pose, which requires spinal extension, hip extension, shoulder extension, and internal rotation when holding the outside of the ankles. Knee flexion and quad and glute coordination. You can imagine the differences, right? These poses have very different movement demands, yet they're often sequenced back to back or prepped with the same handful of poses. So let's hone in on the shoulders because this is one of the most commonly misunderstood differences. Shoulder extension is when the arms move behind the body, like in bridge pose, camel pose, or upward facing dog with a hand slightly behind the torso. Shoulder flexion is when the arms move overhead, like in wheel pose, or say king pigeon or king dancer, where the arms are reaching up and back. The muscles required and the common limitations are different and shoulder flexion. You need good movement of the lats, pecs, and Terry's major, as well as strength and control in the upper back. And rotator cuff muscles that surround the scapula in shoulder extension, tightness in the pecs, anterior deltoids or biceps could contribute to limited movement. If a student struggles in bridge pose with their arms reaching under them, it's not necessarily a good sign that they'll be ready for wheel pose. They may lack the flexion needed for that overhead reach, even if they're strong in extension. So if you're teaching wheel or king pitching, which requires shoulder flexion and you're prepping with locust or bridge. Which use shoulder extension. These may be useful for the spine and hips, but not for the shoulder mobility that those poses will demand. I'm gonna say it again, so let's just slow down. Imagine it while I say it. If you're teaching wheel or king pigeon or king dancer, which require shoulder flexion, arms overhead, and you're prepping with locust or bridge, which use shoulder extension arms behind the torso. This may be useful for the spine and hips, but not for the shoulder mobility that Wheel King, pigeon or king Dancer require. Now let's talk sequencing. Imagine you're planning a class that builds to wheel pose common prep poses might include. Cobra, locust Bridge and Upward Facing Dog. But here's the issue. Cobra's closed chain, which means the hands are connected to the floor and it doesn't require overhead. Shoulder flexion. Bridge also doesn't prep. For shoulder flexion, it works on shoulder extension and locus strengthens the back body, which is great, but the arms are often either by the sides or in extension. None of these adequately prepare the shoulder joint for flexion the wrist joint for extension with load or thoracic mobility needed for wheel. A better prep sequence might include. Puppy dog pose to prepare shoulder flexion with spinal extension. Wall assisted handstand variations to safely explore overhead, arm strength and wrist extension with load. Forearm plank with scapular movement and control to bring awareness to its movement supported bridge with arms overhead to practice shoulder flexion in a supported orientation and quad and hip flex are opening for preparing the lower body. Now, compare that. To sequencing for camel pose, which also involves spinal and hip extension, but with the arms reaching backward, not overhead for camel, your prep might include low lunges with a chest expansion. Think fingers interlaced behind you to encourage shoulder extension. Prone chest openers, like half bow or a quad stretch, to prepare the shoulders for extension and stretch anterior hips and the quads and across the chest. Think about triceps strengthening and biceps stretching to encourage the external rotation and extension required to hold the heels in camel pose, and finally. Ankle or foot mobility, especially if students reach for their heels. This is often missed or overlooked. Can you spend time stretching the toes and the soles of the feet so that when you get to camel pose and offer the variation to tuck the toes to bring the heels closer? Students are already prepared for the demands of this movement. Another thing that's rarely discussed in back bend sequencing is the nervous system load. Back bends are inherently stimulating, and for many students, they can feel exposing, vulnerable or emotionally intense. This is especially true for trauma survivors or people with a highly activated sympathetic nervous system. When you're sequencing back bends, give students choice. Different entry points, use of props, and even permission to skip. I recently taught a class and I said at the top, we're going to explore back bending because students are at different phases of their personal lives where they may not be very open to opening on the frontline. And it's important to honor that you should pair intense spinal extension with neutralizing shapes. My favorite is a neutral spine and stillness, as well as slower transitions that include a focus on the breath. Be mindful and avoid long held passive back bends early on in class. Most bodies are not prepared for this, and it can be very off-put and extreme. And finally, cue internal awareness. You could say notice the pace of your breath and how it moves through your ribs. Or you may say, acknowledge the movement of your rib cage with each breath cycle. Remember, safety and back bending isn't just physical. I would argue that it's more emotional and nervous system triggering as well. Here are a few sequencing considerations that often get overlooked, but can completely change how your back bend focus classes feel. One, you could train spinal extension at different levels of the spine. Not all students extend evenly through their thoracic and lumbar spine. Think about adding targeted mobility and strength. If you have access to a foam roller, try thoracic foam rolling to help with awareness, massage and opening through the thoracic spine or prone thoracic lifts. Cue students to place their hands behind their head or overhead and lift their chest from their mat and you could incorporate side lying spinal extensions for segmental awareness throughout the spine. Next, you could address hip flexor and quad tension with control. Don't just rely on stretching. Use active lunges, you could include pulses, essential quad loading, think step downs. So have your students stand on one block, bend the standing knee and tap the opposite heel down on the mat with control of course, and bridge with a block between the knees and a slow five count for intentional and controlled lifting. Thirdly, think about using eccentric loading on the posterior chain. Slow lowering from bridge or lo Cobra can strengthen and build resilience in the tissues used in back bends. And fourth, integrate lateral and rotational spinal movement earlier and throughout class, it's always important to include a variety of spinal movements. Practicing rotation can support healthier extensions by giving the spine more space movement and a feeling of overall fluidity. So here's the takeaway. Okay. Just because one pose is a back bend doesn't mean it prepares you for another back bend. As yoga teachers, we must have an inherent understanding of what each pose asks of the body and prepare for that with care, some creativity and respect for individual variation. If you wanna go deeper into how to sequence for spinal extension, shoulder mobility, pain sensitive students, and nervous system safety. This is exactly what I mentor yoga teachers on. I'm currently working with a teacher who's working deeper on her sequencing, and she's moving from putting poses together to understanding the effects on the body and sequencing with intention. That's very different whether it's to prep the body or to recover and regulate the nervous system or to sequence and include movements that may not have posed names, but they get your intended job done. You don't need to memorize every joint direction of movement to be effective. You just need to understand how to support the students in front of you, and that's what I help teachers do, if you wanna inquire about working with me, let's jump on a strategy call and discuss your current needs and ways I can help you right now. Understanding anatomy, biomechanics, and the effects yoga Asana have on the body helps you help your students. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that students of all shapes, sizes, alignment, and abilities come to your classes. And you can serve them all. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life, and it's important to understand movement and the issues that students come to your classes with. In the meantime, subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops, and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. and thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. Alright, that's it for now. Bye.