Backbending Postures

Seed Pose A posture that shares common principles of

alignment, architecture and awareness

with subsequent relative variations.

Seed poses are found in a basic sun salute.

Four Corners of the Feet

• 1. Ball of the Big Toe• 2. Medial (inside) of Heel• 3. Balls of 4th and 5th Toe• 4. Lateral (outside) of Heel• Rocking around the Clock• Shins press forward to weight corners 1 and 3• Hugging shins toward each other balance ankles

What are Sickle and Flat Feet?• Inner Spiral weights corners 2 and 4

Anatomical Neutral

• There is no such thing as a “straight spine”.Points of Reference for Neutral• Toes• Knee caps (patella)• Hips (ASIS) • Belly Button (umbilical)• Breast Bone (sternum)• Adam’s Apple• Nose• Ears

Bhujasana – Cobra – Seed Pose for all back bending postures

• Components:• Foundation – Primary - ASIS and pubic

bones in a triangle of support, Secondary – four corners of the hands with finger tips in line with T4 (nipple)

• Extension of the spinal vertebra, cobra allows for manual trunk distraction by the extension of the elbow.

• Legs are neutral with dynamic alignment, ankles are plantar flexed, all ten toes are extended and in contact with the floor

Foundation

• FOUNDATION

• FOUNDATION

• FOUNDATION

Strategies

• Proprioceptive Neuro Facilitation PNF

• Contract Relax (CR): It is one of PNF Techniques usually performed at a point of limited ROM in the agonist pattern. Strong, small range isotonic contraction of the restricting muscles (antagonists) with emphasis on the rotators is followed by an isometric hold. The contraction is held for 5-8 seconds and is then followed by voluntary relaxation and movement into the new range of the agonist pattern. Movement can be passive but active contraction is preferred.

• Contract-relax-active-contraction (CRAC): Active contraction into the newly gained range serves to maintain the inhibitory effects through reciprocal inhibition.Indications Limitation in ROM.

Vertebral Extension (backbend)

• Cervical spine - most extension

• Thoracic spine - some extension

• Lumbar spine - less extension, closing of foramen

• Returns disc to body of vertebrae from posterior herniation

• Distraction – creating space between articulations of a joint

Dynamic Alignment

• Awareness though the legs.• Plantar flexed – pointed• Toes extended – not pointed (sometimes called

flexed) but contact with the floor keeps them from fully extending. All ten toes in contact assists in a neutral line ankle, neither sickle (inverted) or flatfooted (everted)

• Middle toe is in alignment with center line or axis.

Virabhadrasana 1 - Warrior 1 with back heel off Seed Pose Variation

for standing back bending posture

• Components:

• Foundation – feet

• Extension of the vertebrae and extension of back leg

• Hip Flexor – iliopsoas is stretched when leg is in extension.

Setu Bandhasana – Bridge Pose – Seed Pose Variation for supine back bending posture

• Components:• Foundation – Primary – shoulders, Secondary – feet, • Extension of spinal vertebrae, extension of hips to

90 degrees, knees flexed to 90 degrees, extension of arms, for practitioner’s anatomy and level

• Cervical spine neutral• Urdhva Dhanurasana – upward bow is accomplished

by using the arms in flexion to lift the shoulder girdle from the floor allowing the thoracic and cervical spine to extend.

Poses

• 1 -Bhujasana – Cobra Pose• 2- Setu Bandhasana – Bridge Pose• • Supine• 3- Ushtrasana- Camel Pose• 4 - Matsyasana- Fish Pose• 5 - Urdhva Dhanurasana- Upward Bow Pose• • Prone • 6 - Shalabhasana- Locust Posture • 7 - Dhanurasana- Bow Pose