Backbend asanas are an important component of any yoga practice, regardless of the type of yoga you practice. Backbends include bridge pose, bow, camel, cobra, crab pose, fish, locust, upward bow and others. There are many benefits to the backbend poses.
Backbends are beneficial for the spine and opening the front of the body. The deeper backbend asanas open other areas of the body, including the shoulders and hips. You can feel the tension in the back and spine released when you perform backbends.
Backbends help to realign and improve your posture. Often, people spend the day hunching forward and the backbend poses counter this forward bending motion to keep the spine correctly aligned and help prevent back pain that can result from slouching and hunching.
Backbends also have several physical benefits include increasing energy and building stamina. The movement combined with breath improves oxygenation and blood circulation, which helps you feel energized. This is great first thing in the morning, if you are feeling sluggish.
Sometimes people hold tension in the back muscles. Backbend poses can be effective for releasing tension in the muscles and spine. These asanas are also thought to stimulate the digestive system and immune system.
Some are preformed lying on your back and bringing the hips, stomach and chest toward the sky, such as bridge or upward bow pose. Others are performed lying on the stomach and lifting the head, shoulders and chest to achieve the backbends. These types of poses include sphinx, cobra and snake.
There are many backbend asanas and some are advanced level poses. In general, beginner yoga classes start off with easy backbends, such as cobra and bridge. Later, more difficult asanas are attempted. It’s important to stick to your level of flexibility and experience and not jump to the most challenging backbends. A yoga instructor can help guide you and show you preparatory poses to open the hips and shoulders, prior to challenging backbends.