7 Best Yoga Backbends for Beginners
Backbends are beautiful, heart-opening yoga poses that many of us would love to add to our yoga practice. Backbends are great for strengthening and energizing the body. These poses help keep our spines healthy, and also stretch the hip flexors, chest and shoulders. Here are 7 yoga backbends for beginners.
Bitilasana - Cow Pose
Cat-Cow is a gentle sequence of two poses that stretches the spine and prepares the body for activity. A wonderful way to start off any yoga practice is with a round Cat Pose to Cow Pose. This Cat Cow pose helps relieving back pain and also helps to stregthen the back.
Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose
The name comes from the Sanskrit words bhujanga meaning 'snake' or 'serpent' and asana meaning 'posture' or 'seat'. From a prone position with palms and legs on the floor, the chest is lifted. Bhujangasana may strengthen the spine, stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdomen, firm the buttocks, and relieve stress and fatigue. Traditional texts say that Bhujangasana increases body heat, destroys disease, and awakens kundalini.
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana - Upward Facing Dog Pose
Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a powerful pose that awakens upper-body strength and offers a wonderful stretch for the chest and abdomen. Upward-Facing Dog stretches the chest and spine, while strengthening the wrists, arms, and shoulders. By strengthening and opening the upper body and chest, it improves posture and can be therapeutic for asthma. Upward Dog creates suppleness in the back torso and abdomen, which stimulates the abdominal organs and improves digestion. It also firms the buttocks and thighs, helping to relieve sciatica. The backbend energizes and rejuvenates the body, providing relief from fatigue and mild depression.
Salabhasana - Locust Pose
Salabhasana - the name comes from the Sanskrit words 'shalabh' which means 'grasshopper'. It is back bend, or spine stretch, using the strength of the upper and middle back to lift the weight of the legs as high as possible from a starting position face down on the floor. It improves flexibility and coordination and increases strength and stamina. It helps to exercise the spine.
Matsyasana - Fish Pose
Fish Pose is a back-bending yoga posture that opens the chest, throat, and abdomen. It is usually used as the counter-pose to Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) because it neutralizes pressure on the neck and spine, but it is also a deep stretch with many benefits in its own. The name of the posture derives from the fact that if you adopt the position in water, you will float quite easily. Try to hold the pose for half of the time that you spent in the Shoulderstand, in order to equalize the stretching effects on your spine ans muscles.
Ustrasana - Camel Pose
Camel Pose (Ustrasana) is a backbending yoga posture that opens the entire front side of the body. It is an intermediate level back-bending yoga posture known to open Anahata (Heart chakra). This yoga posture adds flexibility and strength to the body and also helps in improving digestion.
Setu Bandhasana - Bridge Pose
In sanskrit ‘Bridge’ means ‘Setu’, ‘Bandha’ means ‘Lock’ and ‘Asana’ means ‘Pose’. The poses look like the shape of the bridge, so this pose is called as bridge pose. This rejuvenating backbend will open your chest up and keep your spine flexible. Setu Bandhasana will also help to prepare you for more intense backbends. Basically this pose is effective in relaxing the body and reducing stress.
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