The Architecture of Backbends & Arm Balances

This video shows the culmination of the detailed instructions from the previous clip. The student achieves a deep, supported backbend over a bench, demonstrating how precise verbal guidance translates into a physical opening.

One of my most important learnings about backbends is understanding where in the spine you are arching from. Most of us bend from the flexible lower back. Here, I guide a student to open the stiffer upper back, which is key to a healthy and deep back arch.

This clip shows the fascinating relationship between twists and backbends. We use seated twists on a chair to mobilize the spine and shoulders, directly preparing the body for the deep arch of Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose).

Do you soar when you arch back? This sequence using a chair and bolsters supports the body in a modified warrior pose, allowing for a feeling of expansion and lift in the chest without strain. It's a joyful exploration of backbending.

This is Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose), a powerful backbend and shoulder opener. The video shows the full expression of the pose and then how it can be 'pulled back' or deconstructed to understand its essential actions.

The classical asana is the source from which all therapeutic adaptations originate. This clip shows the reference point for Purvottanasana, reminding us that while props are useful, understanding the final form gives our practice direction and purpose.

Arm balances can feel mysterious, but they are built upon simpler principles. This video shows a preparation for Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose), connecting the dots from foundational hip and arm movements to the final, complex balance.

This clip connects the preparatory work for wrists and elbows to the final expression of an arm balance. Healthy, strong joints are the foundation for these poses, and my workshops focus on this essential conditioning.

This is one of the foundational rope work exercises for shoulder strength and spinal extension. Any movement that challenges the spine is potent because the spine is a direct pathway to our central nervous system.