Ask a Yoga Teacher: Save Your Spine with Backbending
Active vs passive, strengthening vs stretching. It’s all necessary for the health of your back.
Gravity is pesky, it’s forever pulling you toward the ground. Every moment of every day you attempt to resist gravity, but often times, it wins. Every time you slouch, that’s you, losing the battle. This isn’t a judgment, resisting gravity is hard, especially when you are tired, but it’s something to notice in your daily life. How much time do you spend hunched over a computer or your phone? How does that make your back feel?
Unfortunately, the more time you spend slouching, the harder it is to maintain your upright posture. Your chest muscles get tighter and your neck and upper back muscles weaken. Eventually this will affect your lower back too and you end up in pain.
The good news is that you can do something about this! It is within your power to notice when you are slouching and sit up/stand up straight. Even more important is to stretch your front and strengthen your back so that vertical becomes your default alignment.
This month’s Ask a Yoga Teacher column is about different types of backbending, one of my favorite topics. There is value in both passive and active backbending. If you spend time doing both, even better. Let’s dig in.
How to backbend safely
As I wrote in “The Secrets to Youth Include Your Flexible Spine” and in “3 Ways that Yoga can Improve Your Lower Back Pain,” strengthening the muscles along your spine will help you stand up straight to prevent pain. The stronger your erector muscles, the easier it is to be vertical.
We have 3 muscles that run along either side of the spine, collectively called the Erector Spinae group. They stretch when you round forward and strengthen when you stand straight or backbend. The more time you spend in a slouched position, the more they ache from being overstretched. Contracting these muscles by reversing the slouch will relieve that ache.
You can strengthen these muscles in multiple ways, in multiple positions. What matters is that you contract the Erector Spinae muscles without compressing the lower back/lumbar spine. Move the rib cage away from the pelvis every time you backbend. Lengthening the spine as you extend (backbend) will keep you from compressing the discs in the lower back.
Active vs passive backbending
There are multiple yoga poses that put you in a backbend, like Dancer/Natarajasana, Bridge/Setu Bandhasana, and Camel/Ustrasana, but there are also restorative variations that put your spine into extension passively. Active backbending focuses more on strengthening the spine, while passive backbending focuses more on stretching the front body. Both active and passive backbending stretch the front and strengthen the back, but the scale leans more toward one or the other.
Active backbending poses
My favorite poses for strengthening are Cobra/Bhujangasana, Locust/Salabhasana, Bridge/Setu Bandhasana, and Camel/Ustrasana. These poses contract the muscles along the spine while resisting gravity in different directions.
- With Cobra and Locust you start prone (face down) and lift your body away from the floor.
- In Bridge, you start supine (face up) and press your hips toward the ceiling while keeping your shoulders on the floor.
- In Camel you stand on your knees so that you are vertical, then lift upward as you bend backward. I find Camel to be the most challenging of the three, but each pose encourages you to activate your erector muscles.
I go into detail on how to practice Cobra and Locust here:
The Secrets to Youth include Your Flexible Spine
Bridge pose here:
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Bridge pose/Setu Bandhasana
And Camel pose here:
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Camel Pose/Ustrasana
Passive backbending poses
I love throwing these variations into class, especially toward the end. All you need is a couple of yoga blocks or a mediation bolster. In these passive backbends, gravity works in your favor to stretch and open your chest, hip flexors, and abdomen. Because you are backbending, even passively, your erector muscles contract. These poses focus more on the stretch, but you will still experience some gentle strengthening.
Supported Bridge
Start on your back with your knees bend, as if you were going into Bridge pose. Press your feet into the floor to lift your hips. Place a block under your pelvis so that you feel your tailbone lengthening toward your knees. The block can be flat, on it’s side or on it’s end, depending on your mobility. If you don’t feel your tail lengthening forward, raise the block up a level.
Make sure the bones of your pelvis are on the block, not your lower back. This will create a passive backbend as you open the front of your hips. Stay here for 5-10 breaths.
Supported Bridge Variations
You can stay in Supported Bridge pose, or you can bring your feet together and let your knees fall open. This is Reclining Bound Angle pose, only your hips are on the block. You’ll feel more hip flexor and inner thigh opening. Gently engage your pelvic floor and lower abdominals for support.
You can also extend your legs forward, letting the thighs drop open to deepen the stretch. If you feel this in your lower back, engage the lower abdominals more. If you can’t stay out of your lower back, keep the knees bent or slightly bent. You should feel stretch, but not strain.
Stay another 5-10 breaths, then bend your knees and press your feet into the floor. Remove the block from under your hips and roll down to the floor. Lower the upper, then middle, then lower spine, one vertebra at a time. Once your hips are on the floor, separate the feet apart and let your knees fall together in Constructive Rest pose. Rest there for a few breaths.
Supported Reclining Bound Angle
For this pose you’ll need two blocks and a couple of bath or beach towels. I wrote about a similar variation that focused on heart opening here:
Always Treat Yourself with Kindness. You’ll Feel Better
In this pose, you’ll place your blocks in a “T” position, where one block is vertical and the other is horizontal. The vertical block will go between your shoulder blades, the base of it level with your bra line. If you don’t wear a bra, it is more or less level with the bottoms of your shoulder blades. This block will be flat or on its side. If you feel neck compression, slide the block slightly toward your hips. If you feel it in your lower back, slide it slightly toward your head.
The horizontal block will support your head. How high you place it will depend on what kind of support your head requires. It might be flat, on its side, or on its end. Play with the different positions and see what feels best for you.
Once you have the blocks situated, bring your feet together and let your knees fall open. Fold the towels so that each towel supports one of your thighs. Adjust the towels so that you feel a gentle inner thigh stretch, but nothing too intense. Lie down on the blocks and let your arms open to each side, palms facing upward.
This should feel comfortable, no strain in your chest or shoulders. If you feel strain, place more towels under your forearms until the strain goes away. Stay here 5-10 breaths or longer if you like. When you’re done, gently come off all of the paraphernalia and lie flat on your back for a few breaths.
Do you have yoga related questions?
I write Ask a Yoga Teacher essays on the first Saturday of each month. If you have a question that you’d like me to answer, ask in the comments or in the chat! Let me know if there is a particular pose that you struggle with or a body part that needs extra support while practicing. I’m happy to answer any pose or alignment related questions.
