In Episode 1 of this series, we looked into the dynamics and methods of teaching heart opening Yoga poses or backbends to adults and children. These are complex poses and a thorough warm up of the body main building blocks is recommended. In this episode, we will look at the emotional and mental layers to practising backbends.
One of the simplest benefits to practising mild backbends is to improve posture and breath circulation, i.e. quite far reaching and fundamental physiological benefits indeed, which in turn will have mental and emotional benefits:
-the first one is a major counterpose to everyones’ common affliction, daily leaning over our work, whether this is over books, and screens, or taking care of your house or family. By counterposes, and allowing better posture, we not only making better breath possible, but our sense of wellbeing improves, which has a direct cause and effect on how we feel, our moods and emotions improve too, as well as our perception of ourselves.
-the second one, improved circulation, through better breathing, will impact the nervous system, energy levels and sleep quality so quite far reaching indeed.
As Ilengar , on of the greatest yoga guru of the 20th century said, 80% of the benefits of Yoga derive from the simple movements, not the advanced poses. Hence benefits of backbends are accessible to all, and including many easy prone backbends in your children yoga practice, with intent breathing , will have physiological positive and noticeable side-effects.
Another well known benefit of practising mild backbends is to open the chest and allow a deeper awareness of their emotional Heart area, otherwise called Heartfulness by Jon Kabat Zinn himself. By ‘Lifting the Heart, and Dropping the Head’ these mechanics of a typical backbend, give us clues as to what path they point to. Literally practising backbends open our hearts and therefore our ability to connect, and care, to tune in to our intuitions and know what we are meant to do, such as finding a purpose, but then being able to slow down and experience ‘good’ in the moment.
A less well known benefit of practising more advance backbends is what Patricia Walden calls ‘facing the things that darken the heart’, the cause of all human. suffering in traditional yoga philosophy. These afflictions of the human condition are experienced in the chest, the main affliction being Ignorance and the other four being derived from it, including Confusion, Attachment, Aversion and Fear. Think of discomfort, fear, anxiety, they are all experienced in the chest, therefore the idea is that practising a chest-opening pose can be the best way to meet them. Patricia Walden goes on to say that this is just ‘an idea’ as in fact all yoga poses are empty, and you might meet your aversions and sense of limitations and inadequacy in lots of other poses too, depending on your physical attributes, likes and dislikes.
The point is that we learn from challenges, physical and mental, and therefore tricky poses, those complex ones that demand work over time, patience, resilience and acceptance, are bound to be the ones that present us with the most learning opportunities, physical and mental.
Not to forget that emotional states are actually felt in the body, as visceral sensations. So through the body, we can also undo emotions and work our way through them. Backbends are elating and exciting, and if we can practice safely with sincerity and intention, they can help us pierce through the clouds of dark emotions.
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