Have you ever noticed how life pushes and pulls you forward? Sometimes it literally pulls you forward, like while doing computer work and your head ends up 5 inches in front of your shoulders!
Other times it’s more figurative, like when something bad happens but later that same door opens to reveal something great. Don’t just let life push you around, let yoga help you embrace the ups and be ready to springboard off the lows!
Forward Bends
When practicing forward bends, the body is folded over in half. If you’re quite flexible, you may find your nose near your shins, but even for those who are not flexible, you’re still looking at your legs.
Forward bending are introspective postures. In Paschimotanasana (sitting forward bend), Uttanasana (standing forward bend), Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog) or any other forward bend, you are forced to look at yourself and cannot see anything else, literally!
By taking time to be introspective, to examine yourself without judgement, you can understand how you got to where you are and hopefully accept where you are now. It’s about looking at the present relative to the past.
Backward Bends
Backward bends are the opposite of forward bends, because the back extends instead of flexing forward. The spine is less flexible in this direction so the back of the head doesn’t go anywhere near the calves! The main difference from forward bending is that the chest is pushed forward from the rest of the body.
Opening up your chest to the world is not an easy thing to do. With the arms behind and the heart and throat thrust forward in a vulnerable position, there is nowhere to hide – you’re completely exposed and defenceless. It takes courage to practice the backward bends.
Some classical poses include Bhujangasana (cobra), Dhanurasana (bow), Chakrasana (wheel), or Ustrasana (camel).
In times of vulnerability, the default response is protection so you try to shield yourself – not only emotionally, but also physically. Heart-opening postures can feel impossible at that time, even if they were easy in the past. The body fights it, creating signals of discomfort and even pain to avoid these postures.
In this situation, don’t avoid back bends completely. Don’t shrink back from life. Practice slowly and gently, listening to the body and only going as far as it feels comfortable. The body will release when it’s ready – physically and emotionally.
Backward bends hold the key to facing life with an open heart and mind and with confidence. It’s about looking forward and making the blind leap from present to future. Moving forward is about taking one step at a time, even if you don’t know where the end point is, yet believing that you are worthy, and believing in yourself.
Balance in Bending is Key
It’s important to have a balanced practice, one that includes both Forward Bends and Backward Bends. If your practice is not balanced, the body soon becomes unbalanced and the mind follows after a while. To move forward, one must know where she stands now, and how far she’s already come.
Let yoga help push you to great things in life with calm and grace in the face of stress and difficulty. Use yoga to accept what you cannot change and to prepare for what you can.