Themes for Back-Bending Yoga Sequences

Think back to the last time you attended a theme party. The theme probably inspired the host’s choice of menu and activities, resulting in a more interactive and enjoyable event for guests. Similarly, theme-centered yoga classes can bring focus and creativity to the sequence of asanas, or postures. For back-bending yoga sequences, a theme can help you choose which postures to perform, and it can provide motivation and guidance for your practice. Obtain instruction from a certified yoga teacher before practicing back bends at home, and do not practice back bends if you have spine health issues.

  1. Using Themes for Back Bends

    • Yoga practitioners may experience resistance to back-bending sequences. As yoga teacher Jason Crandell writes in “Yoga Journal,” back bends can be uncomfortable and cause fear and uncertainty, because your body does not naturally move that way. Once you know how to safely perform back-bending postures, a theme can allow you to notice the physical and mental feelings that arise as you practice. Crandell points out that cultivating greater awareness of your reactions to difficult situations is the true essence of yoga.

    Heart-Opening Theme

    • Themes can be centered on a philosophy from the yoga tradition or a physical part of the body. Opening your heart is a theme that covers both aspects. You can visualize opening your emotional heart, which in yoga is known as ahimsa, or compassion, and at the same time, you can physically create space in the muscles around your chest and ribcage. To implement this theme in a back-bending yoga sequence, choose postures that lift your heart up to the sky and widen your chest, such as Camel pose. To perform this posture, place your knees hip-distance apart on your mat. If you have sensitive knees, roll your mat in half to create extra cushioning. Put your hands on your hips and inhale as you lift your heart. Gently lean back, press your hips forward and hug your belly button in toward your spine to protect your lower back. Stay here for five deep breaths. If you are more flexible, you can reach back and rest your hands on your heels. Feel your chest area physically opening, and imagine compassion and love flowing into your heart.

    Vitality Theme

    • As yoga expert Kino MacGregor tells “Elephant Journal,” back bends bring energy up your spine and purify your nervous system. A vitality theme can help you focus on the strength you need to get through a back-bending yoga sequence. Powerful postures that require muscular effort from many different areas of your body are excellent energy-boosters. For example, Wheel pose is a back bend that, according to “Yoga Journal,” strengthens your limbs, increases energy and stimulates your thyroid, the gland responsible for regulating metabolism. To do this pose, lie on your back with your feet flat on the mat and your knees hip-distance apart. Place your palms on the mat close to your ears, with your fingertips pointing toward your shoulders. Take a deep breath in as you press firmly into your feet and hands, lifting your body off the mat. Take five deep breaths in the posture before slowly lowering back down to the mat. Repeat this posture twice more, resting with your legs straight out on the mat in between repetitions. Visualize a flow of energy moving up and down your spine, giving you a greater sense of overall vitality.

    Third Chakra Theme

    • In yogic philosophy, the chakras, or energy centers, are responsible for many aspects of your physical and emotional well-being. As writer and yoga enthusiast Melissa Garvey discovers in “Yoga Journal,” each of the seven chakras is involved in back-bending postures, but the third and fourth chakras are affected the most. The fourth chakra is located in the heart space, so a heart-opening theme could be used in conjunction with a focus on this chakra. As revealed by “FinerMinds,” the third chakra is associated with willpower, ambition and action. When it is out of balance, self-consciousness and low self-esteem may occur. To balance your third chakra, perform back bends that stimulate the abdominal area, such as Cobra pose. Lie on your belly with the tops of your feet pressing into the mat, hip-distance apart. Place your palms directly under your shoulders. Let your elbows brush past your ribcage as you gently lift your chest and chin off the mat. Take five deep breaths and then slowly lower yourself back to the mat. Rest with your forehead on the back of your stacked hands for a few breaths before repeating the posture two more times. Focus on breathing strongly into the area around your navel, harmonizing your third chakra.