Backbends again this weekend

Actually, we are doing backbends through the first of the year. Christina has been away and I depend a lot on her for my deep backbend practice.

This one is from a Patrica Walden Workshop at the Abbey last April. Thanks to Randy Just and Susan Goulet for the excellent notes.

Sunday
Asana should reflect the source of your being
Feel the inhale moving from the core to the surface and watch how the exhale returns to the source
Adho Mukha Virasana
Adho mukha svanasana
• hands at the wall
• heels at the wall
• hands up on tall blocks at the wall to ground the heels and bring mental stability
• eka Pada

Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana
• take the abdomen to the spine
Adho Mukha Vrksasana
• go up with each leg but balance and come down with both legs
• go up and down lightly
Adho Mukha svanasana eke pada
Uttanasana standing on a chair
Sirsasana
• went up she thought the feet looked dead
• we came down and belted big toes together
• lift the whole body up with the toes
• Virasana
o Take the thighs back and the lumbar extends up
o Point toes down
o Don’t let the lumbar collapse
o Come down and take strap off
• Parivrtta Eka Pada
o Learn to find the rhythm of bringing the leg back the appropriate amounts.
o If the front leg crosses the middle line there will be a constriction in the perineum
o When you come up lift from the outer hips
o See that the eyes are not projected forward variations sometimes
Adho Mukha Vrksasana
• Come down with both legs and touch the floor by the hands

Paryankasana with a brick and two belts
• One belt on the thighs the other on the upper arms at the oxiput
• Set up close enough to the wall so you can extend the arms to the wall and just barely touch the wall
• Brick under chest
Urdhva Dhanurasana x5
• Lay down and without lifting the buttock lift the spine up into the body
• Come up into the legs with the knees beyond the ankles
• Lift the heels up and keep them up to lift the scapula up higher then bring the heels down without dropping the buttock
• Coordinate the actions stay with one action until it leads to the next be methodical read 1-17


Urdhva Dhanurasana
• Come to the crown of your head – to lift the shelve of the shoulder
• To get the back ribs to lift bring the shins back

Standing up and drop back work:

Standing up from the chair hands on the wall coordinate the action move gracefully
Over the chair like tall stool first the shoulder blades and then the tailbone
Drop to the wall arms over head
Middle of the room arms up belt on arms

Patricia showed how to help
Eka pada rajakopotasana
• Shin is perpendicular to the front of the mat
• both arms back simultaneously to catch the foot
• support both the back leg and the front hip if using a blanket or bolster
Prone savasana
Uttanasana standing on a chair
Halasana
Sarvangasana
Halasana