the curvy yoga guide to curvy backbends & inversions · the curvy yoga guide to curvy backbends...

The Curvy Yoga Guide to Curvy Backbends & Inversions

with Anna Guest-Jelley

Curvy Welcome

Hi there!

Welcome to your guide for curvy backbends and inversions! After many requests for just such a guide, I am

excited to be bringing it to you!

Before we dig into the specifics, let’s talk first about the poses. Because let’s be honest: If I had to choose

pose categories that bring up fear for people, it would be these two. Both types of poses offer us a new

perspective -- literally and metaphorically -- and challenge us to try things we might not have before (or in a

long time). Yikes and yay!

Although those fears are true regardless of a person’s shape or size, curvy folks do face some challenges that

may be less of an issue, or not an issue, for our less curvy counterparts: death-by-boob-smush in inversions,

extra questions about the safety of balancing on your head or hands, belly compression in on-the-belly

poses, etc.

THE CURVY YOGA GUIDE TO BACKBENDS & INVERSIONS CurvyYoga.com p. 2

I’ve certainly faced my own fears in these poses and still do to varying degrees (Handstand, I’m looking at

you). What I hope you most gain from this book is a way to work with these poses that works for you

today. These are all poses that people often work with for years before “getting there” (in quotes because we

all know there’s no there there, right?). So if you find yourself in a similar boat, please know that you’re not

alone. This isn’t shape/size specific; the good and the bad (so, neutral?) news is that they’re challenging poses

for just about everyone.

And that’s what makes them useful, in my opinion: they remind us that yoga is called a practice for a reason.

And they also teach us that, when we do make our way into these poses, while it may feel good in the

moment, we’re still the same lovely people we were before we did the pose. All of the poses in yoga are

tools for self-awareness, and these are no exception.

Happy practicing!

xo

P.S. - All of the photos in this eBook can be seen in a larger format on a specially created, password-

protected page on our website. You can access that page here:

http://www.curvyyoga.com/backbends-inversions/

Password: backbends-ebook#




How to Use This Guide

It is my hope as you read through this guide that you feel empowered to play with the poses you find.

Sometimes it can feel scary to try new poses when you’re not sure if/how they might work for you. So read

along, check out the photos, and please meet me in the space where I created them: experimentation and

curiosity. Some days these poses are more available to me than others, and I know the same will be true for

you.

When experimenting with the various options in this guide, you can see how they work for you both in

home practice and in class. Both can be nice, and it’s always good to have some options in your pocket

whatever you choose.

What You Need

To play with all the options in this guide, you will need: 4 yoga blocks, 2 yoga blankets, 1 yoga strap, 1 yoga

chair (a metal chair with the back knocked out) and 2 yoga bolsters.

That’s a lot, I know! The good news is that if you don’t have all of it, you can use household equivalents for

most of the options:

Yoga blocks = something to add height, like a stack of books or a canned good. Note: If you try the

Headstand option with blocks, do NOT use anything but yoga blocks for that.

Yoga blankets = other firm blankets you have around the house

Yoga strap = belt from a bathrobe, long piece of ribbon/fabric/gentle rope, etc.

Yoga chair = doesn’t have to be an official yoga chair. Can use another metal chair; the most important

qualities are that the chair doesn’t have wheels and that it is VERY stable

Yoga bolsters = Firm pillows (or you can also use several blankets)

If you are in the market for some yoga props, I recommend YogaAccessories.com for good quality, affordable

options.


The other things you need are: (1) To warm up first. Backbends on a cold back = not a good idea (ouch!).

Focus particularly on shoulders, hips and quads, but really an all over body warm-up is best. For inversions,

focus particularly on shoulders and necks, but really the all over body warm-up thing is good here, too. (2)

An open mind and heart, with lots of gentle reminders and permission to meet yourself exactly where you

are today.

Safety First

Big disclaimer time: Please only go as far as feels safe and good for you. If you go a step further than you are

physically/mentally/emotionally ready for (and yes, all three are particularly important with these poses!), you

may risk injury. If you have any questions about whether or not something is safe for you to do, do not

proceed before talking to your doctor and a yoga teacher who you can meet with in person and help you

assess what is right for you. After all, your neck and back are pretty handy things to keep feeling good.

Backbend Precautions

If you have any of the following going on, or even close, please consult a doctor first before proceeding. As

always, listen to your body, only go as far as feels good and if something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it:

• Back and/or neck injury/problem

• Headache

• Heart problems/issues

• High or low blood pressure

• Insomnia (particularly if you practice at night because these poses are often quite energizing)

• Pregnant or could be pregnant

Inversion Precautions

If you have any of the following going on, or even close, please consult a doctor first before proceeding.


As always, listen to your body, only go as far as feels good and if something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it:

• Back and/or neck injury/problem

• Headache

• Heart problems/issues

• High or low blood pressure

• Insomnia (particularly if you practice at night because these poses are often quite energizing)

• Pregnant or could be pregnant

• Menstruation (some women prefer not to practice inversions while they’re on their cycle for a few

reasons: to not potentially interfere with the downward flow required for menstruation and

because some women are fatigued during this time. I think women can trust their bodies, so go

with what feels good – and what your doctor recommends if relevant.)

• Headstand and Shoulderstand are generally considered intermediate or advanced poses (meaning

you’ve been practicing for a while and building towards them), so if this is your first day of yoga

(yay – congrats!), or you’re relatively new, begin working with the other inversions first and then,

with the help of an in-person teacher so they can help you assess when you are ready, proceed

step by step. The way we work toward so-called advanced poses is by doing the poses and actions

that precede them with mindfulness and patience.

Final disclaimer (thanks for bearing with me, we’re almost to the poses! But this is important): This guide in no way

substitutes the advice of your doctor. It is always best to consult a doctor before proceeding with any form of

movement. If you try any of the options within, Anna Guest-Jelley and Curvy Yoga are in no way liable for any injuries

or issues that may result.

Okay, phew! Now, let’s get to the poses!


General Tips

Here are some general tips to refer back to for many of these poses, both backbends and inversions. I’ll

refer back to these in the specific pose instructions by just using the all caps name of the action, so you can

always glance back here for a refresher.

1. BELLY TOE TUCK: When lying on the belly, tuck your toes under for a moment and walk your feet

back any amount (usually somewhere around an inch or so is available). Doing this makes a little space for

the thighs and low belly to rest more comfortably, which is always a good thing! Once you’re done with

that, you can untuck the toes.

2. SIDE BOOB MOVE: When lying on the belly, If your boobs feel smushed and/or like they’re slowly

trying to strangle you, try moving them out to each side a bit to make a little more room.

3. ACTIVE LEGS: Legs are active in these poses – not clenched (because some of us like to butt clench

our way through life, including our yoga – not that I’d know anything about that, of course), not like limp

spaghetti. Find the middle way.

4. NAVEL TO SPINE: In backbends, lightly draw your navel to your spine to support your lower back.

This action is a very gentle engagement, not an Abs of Steel kind of thing (I mean, that was so 1991). Also, it’s

easy to hold your breath when doing this, so if you find yourself doing that, it will be a sign to you to ease

up.

5. HEAD PILLOW: When resting before/after poses on the belly, it is nice to rest your forehead lightly

on the mat. If this is not comfortable or your boobs preclude you from doing it (you’ll know if you can only

rest the top of your head on the ground, not your forehead), bring a blanket nearby to rest your head on

(alternately, you could cross your arms and rest your head in your arms).

6. ELBOW HUG: In on the belly poses where hands are under the shoulders, hug your elbows in towards

your torso (they often have a tendency to wing out). This helps keep your shoulder stable and, trust me, a

stable shoulder is way happier than an unstable one – if you want to keep it functional, that is.


7. EVEN HANDS: In any poses where you’re pressing the hands into the floor, do your best to press

down evenly under all the fingers. This sounds like a no-brainer, but by default, many of us will have a

tendency to dump into our wrists and the outer fingers, leaving the thumb and first finger practically waving

in the wind. As you might imagine, this doesn’t make for very happy wrists, so if you want to maintain your

ability to text and type with aplomb, give this a whirl. One way I like to do this is to make sure I’m pressing

under the pads of all the fingers.

8. JAW CHECK: Many of us have “hidden” places where we store tension. I say hidden because they’re

usually unconscious. And even when we do become aware of them, we quickly forget. The jaw is one of these

places. We often tighten the jaw without noticing it, as though the jaw could help us do the poses (which, of

course, it can’t). So while you’re doing a jaw check, you might also do a breath check (because if you’re

clenching your jaw, odds are good you might also be holding your breath), tongue check (yes, some of us

even grip the base of our tongue and/or press it vehemently behind the teeth), and wherever else you know

you hold tension. Yoga is such an interesting path of getting to know ourselves and our patterns, isn’t it?

9. ANTI-DEATH-BY-BOOB-SMUSH: So, clearly many inversions weren’t created with women’s

bodies in mind. Claustrophobia, suffocation or strangulation, much? To prevent this (because it otherwise

pretty much counteracts any positives of the pose – hard to enjoy it when you’re worried about your air

supply), we’ve got our friend the yoga strap to the rescue. Begin by creating a big loop in the strap (if it’s one

with a buckle, thread the tail up through the slot closest to the strap and then directly down through the

slot furthest away). Slip this circle over your head like you’re putting on a shirt. Cinch the loop at the top of

the breasts – right where the chest transitions to the boobs. The purpose of this strap is to counteract

gravity, hence why it goes at the top. Cinch it so it is snug but not so tight you can’t breathe.

Some people don’t like the feeling of being bound in any way, so if that’s you, you can also try a more secure

bra to see if that helps – or, just work with the poses that work for you and leave behind the rest. My

favorite practice question is this: What’s the benefit of the pose? You can get the benefit of inversions in less

suffocating poses like Legs Up the Wall, so that’s always a great way to go (and typically my personal

preference).


Backbends

Let’s get started! Backbends are up first, and just like in my classes, we’re starting from the most accessible

(generally, though depending on what’s going on with your body, that may be more or less accurate for you)

and moving along from there.

Sphinx

To get started, lie on your belly. The

tops of your feet will be resting on

top of your mat and parallel to each

other.

BELLY TOE TUCK

SIDE BOOB MOVE

Bring your arms in front of you and

rest your forearms on the ground;

elbows are directly underneath the

shoulders (this will lift your head and

chest up). Sometimes the shoulders

like to hang out high by the ears

here, so see what happens when you invite the shoulders to drop down any amount.

If the low back feels compressed at all, play with walking the elbows a little bit forward.

ACTIVE LEGS

NAVEL TO SPINE

Head stays in line with the spine, meaning you don’t look up, though you can turn the gaze down towards

the floor if your neck prefers that to looking forward. Stay here for 1-3 breaths, or however long feels good

to you.

JAW CHECK

To come out of the pose, walk the hands forward until you are lying on the ground.


HEAD PILLOW

From here you can move onto other poses on your belly or shift up and back onto your hands and knees to

come into poses where you are seated, standing or lying on your back.


Baby Cobra | Baby Bhujangasana

Begin lying on your belly. Tops of the feet should be parallel to each other and lightly resting on the ground.

BELLY TOE TUCK

Bring your hands

underneath your shoulders.

EVEN HANDS

ELBOW HUG

NAVEL TO SPINE

ACTIVE LEGS

From here, lift your

sternum, or breast bone; this

will cause it and your head

to lift. Hands will continue

pressing lightly into the mat

here, but the movement is

coming from the back, not from mashing your hands into the ground and forcing yourself up (as fun as that

sounds). Head stays in line with the spine; gaze is at the mat or forward, depending on what follows naturally

from your head position.

JAW CHECK

Continue to work here, perhaps lifting up another smidge more on your inhale. After staying here for several

breaths, lower back down to the ground.

HEAD PILLOW

To come out, bring the hands under the shoulders again and gently press up to a hands and knees position.


Other Baby Cobra Option

You can also try this pose standing – to work

with the alignment in a different way and/or if

coming down to the floor is not an option for

you.

To do so, come to stand in front of a wall, with

your front body in contact. Then, bring your

hands to the wall in front of your shoulders.

ELBOW HUG

Inhale, lift your sternum; exhale, roll your

shoulders back. Continue like this, head in line

with the spine (AKA not dropping the head

back) until you come as far as feels good today.

Pause there for a breath and then slowly come


Cobra | Bhujangasana

Begin lying on the belly.

BELLY TOE TUCK

Bring the hands underneath the

shoulders.

EVEN HANDS

ELBOW HUG

ACTIVE LEGS

NAVEL TO SPINE

The difference between this one

and Baby Cobra comes once you

get an inch or two off the ground.

From here, press more firmly

through the hands (keeping in

mind that it’s easy to use the force of the hands to muscle into the pose, but that’s not what makes backs

happy. What makes backs happy is going slowly to notice when they whisper a complaint, not waiting until

they shout). Lift more through the sternum. I describe this as a reaching and lifting movement through the

chest rather than an arching movement through the back so that you’re not taking the whole pose in the

low back (because, ouch!). Continue this process, moving on the inhale, until you go as far as feels good

today (which may be one breath), up to and including straightening the arms. When you get to that point,

hold for 1-3 breaths.

Head is in line with the spine. If it is cool with your neck, eyes could also look slightly upward, with the head

following along.

JAW CHECK

When you are done, lower down slowly, hugging the elbows in as you go.

HEAD PILLOW


Upward-Facing Dog | Urdvha Mukha Svanasana

To begin, lie on your belly.

BELLY TOE TUCK

Bring the hands on either side

of the lower ribs.

EVEN HANDS

ELBOW HUG

NAVEL TO SPINE

Press your hands into the floor

firmly (finger pads, too!). Begin

to straighten your arms as you

lift your torso, pelvis and legs

off the ground any amount (feet

stay on the floor – thank

goodness!). You might like to inhale, lift; exhale, lower. Alternately, you could stay up for one full breath and

then come out. Either way, once you’re up, invite your shoulders to drop down so they’re not having to do

all the work of the pose, as they so love to do sometimes.

JAW CHECK

To do so, slowly lower down, perhaps pausing with forehead to the ground/blanket.

To get the feel of this pose without having to lift everything off the ground, try it with a bolster or block under the

pelvis. You can then work on the actions/alignment of the pose without the physical lift.


Locust | Salabhasana

Begin lying – you guessed it! -- on your belly.

BELLY TOE TUCK

SIDE BOOB MOVE

Arms are by your sides here,

palms resting on the ground and

facing up.

HEAD PILLOW

NAVEL TO SPINE

Inhale and lift your left arm a

couple inches off the ground,

hovering it there. Exhale and

lower; repeat on the right side.

Next, inhale and lift both arms off

the ground and hover (your head and chest will lift a bit here, too); exhale and lower.

JAW CHECK

These are subtle movements that aren’t about jackknifing your body but rather growing your ability to

engage muscles we rarely use and experience extension in a new way.

HEAD PILLOW

NAVEL TO SPINE

We’ll now move to the feet and legs while keeping the arms and head on the ground (HEAD PILLOW).

Begin by inhaling and lifting your left foot and leg off the ground any amount. Exhale and lower down; repeat

on the right side. Next, inhale and lift both feet and legs off the ground; hover and lower down.


HEAD PILLOW

NAVEL TO SPINE

Finally, we will combine these movements. Inhale and lift both arms and legs off the ground, allowing the

chest to reach forward, which will move it up. The head will lift a bit, too; your gaze can be in front of you or

down at the mat. Hold here for a couple breaths and then lower down.

HEAD PILLOW

When you’re ready to come out, place your hands under your shoulders and slowly press up onto hands

and knees.


Camel | Ustrasana

Hint: Think your back isn’t flexible enough for this pose? Check on what’s going on with your quads. They’re easy to

overlook, but doing something to open them before

this pose is crucial.

Begin kneeling; you might like to have a blanket

under your knees for extra cushion/support. We’ll

also begin with the front body to the wall and a

bolster nearby.

Bring your front body to the wall and your hands

to your hips, fingertips pointing down if

comfortable (or out if not). Tuck your toes under

so the bottoms of your feet are facing the wall

behind you. Place the bolster on the backs of

your calves.

JAW CHECK

Once you’ve got all of that, Inhale: lift your

sternum and roll your shoulders back. Exhale;

pause. Continue this process as far as you’re able.

If it becomes available, slide your hands off your hips and bring your fingertips/hands towards or to the

bolster. Maintain the upward lift of the chest here. Head stays in line with spine. It drops back if and only if it

is appropriate for your neck.

To come out, lightly tuck the chin to the chest and come up. Rest your forehead forward onto the wall for

1-3 breaths, then come to sit your butt on the bolster behind you before moving on to whatever you’re

doing next.

To continue working with this pose over time, play with lowering the height under your hands (bolster to a

couple blankets, to one blanket, to tucked feet, to untucked feet), against the wall or not. If working without

the wall, continue focusing on lifting the sternum and rolling the shoulders back. The hips will move forward,

but the primary action can’t only be that or else your low back will definitely not thank you.


Other Camel Options:

1. In a chair: Sit so your feet can plant firmly

on the ground. Bring your hands to the arms or

back of the chair. Inhale: lift your sternum and

roll your shoulders back; exhale: pause.

Continue this process as far as feels good, then

pause for one breath before coming out by

tucking your chin towards your chest, bringing

your torso upright, and resting with chin to

chest for 1-3 breaths before staying fully upright.

2. Standing: Stand with your front body to

the wall; bring your hands to your hips,

fingertips facing down towards the booty.

Inhale: lift your sternum and roll your shoulders

back; exhale: pause. Continue until you come as

far as feels good.

Both of these options are wonderful for working the actions of Camel without kneeling, particularly if your knees are

not down with that.


Fish | Matsyasana

Begin lying on your back with your arms by your sides, palms facing down.

Slide your hands under your hips, palms still facing

down (yes, this feels a little weird).

NAVEL TO SPINE

Press your hands and forearms firmly into the

ground. Begin to bend your elbows as you lift your

chest up from the mid back (your head will come

along for the ride, of course). Pelvis stays on top of

the hands without lifting.

JAW CHECK

Roll your shoulders back, lift a little more through your sternum, and then, maintaining that lift, place the

back or crown of your head (whatever is available) back on the ground, without any strain in the neck. The

weight on your head should be minimal. If the neck feels uncomfortable, come on down.

Other Fish Option:

I personally find this pose a li’l awkward, and I know other

people do, too. If you find yourself in that camp, or the pose

isn’t available to you for other reasons, try this:

Fold a yoga blanket (or its household equivalent) in half and

then in half again so that it ends up about 2’ wide. Now roll

it up tightly, like you were wrapping up a sushi roll or a

burrito.

Place that rolled up blanket horizontal across your mat,

towards the top (but leave at least a foot above it). Sit in

front of the blanket and lay back so that it’s at your shoulder blades. Sometimes it takes a little adjusting to

make that happen, but once you’ve got it, lay over it fully with your head on the mat behind you. Knees can

be bent with feet on the floor, or legs can be extended – whatever feels best for your low back.


Bow | Dhanurasana

You might like to have your strap handy for this one.

Begin lying on your belly.

BELLY TOE TUCK

SIDE BOOB MOVE

NAVEL TO SPINE

Bend your right knee and reach back

with your right hand to hold onto

your foot (you might like to come up

onto the left elbow here for some

extra reach). If it’s possible to do that,

hold here for a couple breaths,

opening up the quad a bit. Then,

release that foot and repeat on the other side.

Now, if it’s available, hold onto one of your feet (your choice of which one to go with first) then go get the

other one, too. If that’s not happenin’ today (for either the solo or both feet option), come up to seated for

a moment.

Take your strap and place it over the front of both of your ankles. Now bring the two sides of the strap

together behind your legs, so that you’ve sort of lassoed your legs. Hold on to both sides of the strap

together, close-ish to where the legs are so that you don’t lose it when you lie down. Still holding onto the

strap, lie down on your belly, bringing the strap up towards your shoulders. Both feet should still be in the

strap. The strap is acting as an extension of your arms, and you can now put the left side in the left hand and

vice versa.


JAW CHECK

With that, bring the legs back into position and press your feet back into the strap (or your hands if you’re

not using the strap). This will lift the upper torso and head off the ground, too. To increase the stretch, walk

the hands closer to the feet and press back even more into the strap; to decrease, do the opposite.

To come out, slowly release one foot from the strap and then the other.

HEAD PILLOW


Wheel or Upward Bow | Urdvha Dhanurasana

Begin by placing two blocks on the

wall, shoulder-distance apart, with one

end on the floor and the other above

the baseboard (or just a couple inches

up the wall) so that they’re on an

angle and stable.

Now place 1-2 bolsters a few inches in

front of that, parallel to the long side

of the mat. If you use 2 bolsters, they’ll

be stacked on top of each other.

Sit on the very front edge of the

bolster(s). Bring the feet a

comfortable distance apart with

knees bent and feet parallel to each other on the floor.

Lie back on the bolsters so your back is supported but your head is gently hanging off.

Bring your hands to the blocks behind you. You want to be able to firmly ground your hands here, so if you

find you’re too far away or too close, adjust accordingly. They’re in this position on the wall to decrease wrist

flexion for anyone with wrist issues and to ask a bit less of the shoulders.

As you are ready, stabilize the arms by hugging the elbows in a bit. Do the same with the legs to prevent

them from bowing out.

NAVEL TO SPINE

JAW CHECK

Now begin to press firmly into the hands and feet, starting to straighten the arms. As you do, you might like

to pause with your head on the bolster before continuing to press up. Do this only if it’s okay for your neck.


Once you’ve come up as high as feels available today, take one breath. To come out, slowly lower down,

pausing on the bolster. Then, when you’re ready, you can slowly roll off the bolster to one side and then

come on up to seated.

To continue working with the pose:

Over time, you can play with lowering the bolster(s) and/or removing the blocks and bringing the hands to

the floor behind you. This step-by-step process gives you a way to work with the pose in ways that work for

you.

Other Wheel Option:

A nice way to begin experimenting with this pose is

with a wall and a chair. So if you’d like to try it, go

grab those (or, grab the chair; the wall might be hard

to grab).

Place the chair directly in front of the wall, with the

back to it.

Now, come to sit on the chair seat, towards the

front (you want your feet to be able to press firmly

into the ground). Bring your hands to the wall

behind you, elbows hugging in.

Press your feet into the floor and your hands into

the wall firmly. As you do, begin lifting the hips up

and straightening the arms. Head stays in line with

the spine or can drop back a bit, as is comfortable

for your neck. This gives you a feel for the actions of

Wheel.

When you’re ready to come out, you can press up to standing or gently sit back down in the chair.


Inversions

Bridge | Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

This one can be considered a Backbend or Inversion, hence why it’s our transition pose.

ANTI-DEATH-BY-BOOB-

SMUSH

Begin lying on your back

with your knees bent and

your feet on the floor. Arms

are by the sides, palms facing

down.

Walk your feet in a little bit

closer towards your feet:

however close feels

comfortable and stable.

EVEN HANDS

NAVEL TO SPINE

Inhale and press down firmly through your hands and feet as you begin to lift the hips up any amount

(sometimes they stay on the ground and sometimes they come off; it’s all good). Exhale and lower back

down to the ground gently.

Before you try that again, consider your knees and do your best to keep them parallel to each other the

next time you come up. Sometimes they have a tendency to bow out or collapse in, but keeping them

parallel keeps them safer over time.

Repeat that process four more times, going at your own pace and perhaps lifting up a bit more each time.

JAW CHECK

On your last time up if it feels available, walk your shoulders underneath you a bit and hold with your hips

up for 1-3 breaths. When you’re ready to come out, slowly lower down.


Other Bridge Option:

If you’d like to stay in the pose a bit longer, a nice option is to take a block on its lowest setting (it has three:

low, medium and high) and place it under your sacrum (the flat, triangular bone at the back of your pelvis).

The sacrum is below the curve of your low back and above your butt crack (yep, had to say it!). Once you

get the block there, it feels a bit like it’s under a shelf.

If the low back is uncomfortable, don’t do this. If the body feels like it could hold at a higher height, you can

dial the block up a notch to the medium height.

If you feel like you would benefit from a wider base of support than just one block, use two side-by-side

horizontally on the lowest height, thus widening the base.


Legs Up the Wall | Viparita Karani

I usually like to introduce this pose by

reminding everyone that – good news –

there are no demerits for getting into this

pose a bit gracelessly. Because, let’s face it,

there’s not exactly an elegant way in – but

goodness, once you get there, it’s worth it!

Now with that great introduction, let’s get

going. Ha!

It’s possible you might like to have a blanket/

pillow nearby to put under your head.

Begin seated next to a wall, with your legs

parallel to the wall and your right hip on

the wall (yes, ON). Now, scoot a little closer. If you can get that right butt cheek up higher on the wall, all the

better. Trust me on this: It’s way easier to scoot away from the wall once you get up if you find you need to

than it is to scoot closer.

So now that you’re up close and personal with the wall, begin to slide your left hand forward so that you can

lay your torso down on your left side.

After you get there, laying on your side-ish, move the legs up the wall as you roll from your side to your

back. Voila! You have arrived.

Now that you’re here, you can customize: If this feels like too much of a stretch for your hamstrings, scoot

away a smidge (go slowly because, again, it’s easier to scoot further away if needed than to scoot back in). If

you’d like, grab that blanket/pillow you got out earlier and place it under your head.

JAW CHECK

Hold here for a minimum of one minute, to as long as you’d like. To come out of the pose, bend the knees,

place the feet on the wall, and slowly roll to one side. Pause here for at least a couple breaths and then use

your hands on the ground to slowly press up to seated.


Other Legs Up the Wall Options:

1. If you’d like to hold longer and let your legs completely relax, you

can strap them together. To do this, before you come into the pose,

create a loop with your strap a la Anti-Death-By-Boob-Smush. Slide

the loop over your legs to the top of the calves, just below the

knees, and cinch it tightish (but not so tight you can’t move because

you’re going to adjust it once you come into the pose).

Next, follow the steps above and get into position. Once there, you

can tighten or loosen the strap as needed. The goal is that the legs

can relax into the strap and let the straps hold the legs.

To come out, loosen the strap and slide it off – either here or once

you bring the legs down.

2. If bringing the legs up the wall is

uncomfortable, you can receive very similar

benefits from placing the legs on a chair seat.

Get a chair without wheels and, preferably,

place it up against a wall so that it’s very stable.

Now, sit with your right hip to the chair, as you

did the wall in the instructions above. Come in

the same way, but this time the lower legs rest

on the chair seat.

Stay here as long as you’d like, then come out

the same way you came in.


Headstand | Sirasana

You’ll need (at least) four blocks for this one. When experimenting with

Headstand, it’s important to know what part of the head is in contact

with the ground. Sometimes people go more towards the front of the

head, even the forehead, but it’s further back than that. If you put the

heel of your hand at your brow bone and extend the fingers back onto

the top of the head, that’s about where it is – the crown.

ANTI-DEATH-BY-BOOB-SMUSH

Before you give the following a try, first work with Dolphin pose (see

lower right-hand side of this page for a photographic example of the

Dolphin pose.) To do this, come onto hands and knees in Tabletop. Come

down onto your elbows and interlace your hands; slide your bottom pinky

finger forward and up so that both hands can be even on the ground.

Elbows are shoulder-width apart, or just slightly wider, creating a shape

like 2 sides of a triangle. Now tuck your toes under and, keeping the knees at least lightly bent, pick the hips up and

begin to press them back, like you would for Down Dog.

NAVEL TO SPINE

JAW CHECK

As you may soon notice, this can be quite a li’l shoulder opener.

It’s also a nice chance to play with moving the shoulder blades

onto the back. Just for a moment, allow the shoulder blades to

collapse down towards your head. Then, try sliding them up and

onto the back – towards the hips (but not to them, of course!

Ha!). If this action is difficult or not possible in this moment,

continue to work here over time (and I don’t mean just the next

few minutes, but the next few weeks, months, etc.) until it feels

easeful before proceeding along to Headstand. You MUST be

able to make that action with confidence before trying Headstand, or else you may seriously crunch your neck by

collapsing onto it (yikes!).


Create two stacks of 2 blocks each, close shoulder distance apart, 3-4” in front of the wall.

Come onto hands and knees in front of the blocks, with your head facing them. The goal here is to get your

head in tightly so that the blocks clip the front of your shoulders. You may need to pull the blocks in closer

once you get your head in. Hands can go directly in front of or to the sides of the block stacks.

Note: The purpose of the blocks is for them to be about the height of your head so that when you come

up, they can support you. People have different head/neck/shoulder ratios, so some people may find they

need two stacks of 3 blocks or some other configuration (with more blocks, not less). Two stacks of 1 block

each will not be enough.

NAVEL TO SPINE

JAW CHECK

Once you’ve got your head in there as close as it can be, tuck your toes under and lift your hips up, coming

towards Down Dog legs. Once you’ve got that, begin walking the feet in closer and closer towards you. If

you are new or newish to this pose, that might be perfect for today – giving you the feeling of the hips being

more above the head.

At some point, you may find the feet getting light so that you could pick one up off the floor. If that happens,

pick that foot up and see what it’s like to bring it towards the wall. In Headstand, as opposed to Handstand,

there is NO JUMPING. When the alignment is there and you are emotionally/mentally ready, too (because

that is such a big part of this pose!), the legs come up with alignment and core strength, not force in any

way. This is necessary because if you were to jump or force, your neck would be what’s bearing it, which is

not what the neck was designed to do.

If one leg gets close to the wall, you can bring the other up to meet it. Once you’re there, stay for 1-3

breaths and then, when you are ready, slowly bring one leg down, then the other. Once you come down, rest

your head down in a mini Child’s Pose or however feels good for at least one full breath before coming up to

prevent any potential dizziness.


To continue working with the pose:

1. This is not one of the poses where the next step is to use

fewer blocks. We need the blocks as above because they’re

supporting the shoulders. Lower blocks would just distort

the head/neck ratio and not work.

So another option for working with the pose is to come

onto hands and knees in front of a wall, with your toes

touching the baseboard. You want to be quite close. Now,

set up your hands/elbows as above for Dolphin (photo on

right), but this time bring the crown of your head to the

ground in front of your hands. You want the cozy corner

you’ve created with your hands to hug the back of your

head, stabilizing it a bit.

NAVEL TO SPINE

Draw the shoulder blades actively onto the back.

Tuck the toes under and lift the hips up. If it feels

like maintaining the shoulder blades on the back

will be difficult, keep working here until the day

comes (which may not even be in this lifetime, who

knows) when it feels more easeful.

JAW CHECK

If that day arrives, play with picking one foot up and

pressing the sole of the foot into the wall behind

you, a few feet off the ground. If you get that one

there, you can bring the other one up to meet it.

The goal here is to be in an L-type shape. Once there, stay for 1-3 breaths and then slowly walk one foot

down and then the other. Pause in Child’s Pose for at least 1 breath before coming up.

Working with this option will help you continue to build strength towards the next one.


2. If the above option is working for you, you can play with this next one. Come onto hands and knees in

front of a wall, setting up your hands as in Option 1 above, a few inches in front of the wall.

NAVEL TO SPINE

Draw your shoulder blades actively onto your back. Tuck the toes under and lift the hips up. If it feels like

maintaining the shoulder blades on the back will be difficult, keep working here until the day comes when it

feels more easeful.

JAW CHECK

If that day arrives, play with walking the feet in closer and closer towards you. If one begins to feel light,

experiment with picking it up bringing it toward or to the wall. Remember, NO JUMPING – especially in

this version without the blocks. If one foot makes it up, the other may want to come along for the ride. If

you’d like, stay here for 1-3 breaths.

To come out, slowly bring one leg down and then the other. Rest immediately in Child’s Pose for at least one

breath before slowly coming up to seated.


Handstand | Adho Mukha Vrksasana

We’re going to use the wall for this one.

Come onto hands and knees in

Tabletop in front of the wall, with

soles of the feet near the baseboard/

bottom of the wall.

EVEN HANDS

Tuck your toes under and come into

Down Dog, possibly with heels on the

wall.

NAVEL TO SPINE

Now shift forward so that your

shoulders come over your hands.

Remember to press under all the

fingers!

JAW CHECK

Play with beginning to pick one foot up here and press it into the wall at about your hip height. Sometimes

people want to just put their toes on the wall here, but that is not enough. The entire sole of your foot has

to press into the wall in order for you to be stable enough to bring the other foot up.

If/when one foot gets up there (which may not be today or this year), you can experiment with bringing the

other foot up to meet it. This version of Handstand gives you the feeling of weight being in your hands and

having your hips over your shoulders without having to come all the way up.


Other Handstand Option:

If a time comes when you’re ready to play with another version of Handstand, turn yourself around and

come into Tabletop with fingertips a few inches away from the wall, facing it. Then press up into Down Dog

and draw your shoulder blades onto your back.

Step one foot a few inches forward so that your knee is bent. Your other leg is behind you, toes on the

ground. Now play with hopping the front leg foot off the ground any amount. As you do, the back foot will

also come up.

This may be where you stay for a long time – like weeks, months, years. At some point, though, as you

become more comfortable and continue getting stronger, you’ll find that back foot may come all the way up

and touch the wall behind you. If/when that happens, your next experiment is bringing the other leg up to

meet it.

Whatever you work with today, come down by slowly bringing one leg down and then the other. Pause with

your head down (in Child’s Pose if you like) before coming up to prevent any potential dizziness.


Plow | Halasana & Shoulderstand | Salamba Sarvangasana

I’m going to tell you about these together because they’re often done together. For these, you’re going to need a strap,

2 yoga blankets, a chair and a wall.

ANTI-DEATH-BY-BOOB-SMUSH

Fold 2 yoga blankets in half, then in

half again, then in half again, so that

you end up with rectangles. Stack

them one on top of the other, with

the short end towards the wall, a few

inches away from it.

Place your chair about 6” in front of

the blankets.

Come into Legs Up the Wall on the

blankets, using the instructions from

earlier. You want your shoulders on

the blankets and the back of your head on the ground, creating some support for your neck.

Now, bend your knees and press your feet into the wall, lifting your hips up. If this is working for you, walk

your shoulders a bit underneath you and bring your hands to the tops of your hips, fingers facing towards

the booty. Hold here for at least one breath.


This might be the perfect place for you to

be today. If you find you’d like to try

something else, though, begin playing with

lifting one foot off the wall and pointing that

leg and foot straight up towards the ceiling.

If that is feeling okay, you can play with

bringing the other foot up to meet it.

This is where the chair behind you can

come in handy. If you’d like, you can bring

one foot to the chair behind you (you might

need to adjust it closer or further away; you

want it to be where you can comfortably

straighten your legs and rest them there). With the legs on the chair in this position, you’re in Plow pose. The

legs on the chair (this could also be done in the opposite direction with legs to the wall) give you the

benefits of the pose with less suffocation. Win!

Once there, you can play with again lifting

one leg up, and then possibly the other.

Some people find it easier to balance when

coming from the wall; others have an easier

go at it from the chair. You get to see what

works for you – how great! When/however

both legs get up, bring the hands to the low

back/tops of the hips to support.

Whenever you’re ready to come out of

either option, slowly lower the hips down

and then rest in Legs Up the Wall until

you’re ready to roll to one side, pause on

the side and then come up.


Note: While some people practice a different version of Shoulderstand without props, I do not personally ever teach

that. I find that people are too willing to flatten their neck to get a little extra momentum to get into the pose, and

I’m not in support of that. Our spine has curves (Did you know that? Woot!) for a reason, and we’re not meant to

flatten them – particularly in the neck.


Closing Notes

New Perspectives

See what I mean about backbends and inversions giving you a new perspective? They totally do, right?!

That might be in a literal sense – seeing the world upside down. Or it might be from a more metaphorical

sense – learning things about yourself, your process, your practice. It’s the latter that I love. I’ve been

working with these poses for years and years, and I’m still working towards some of them.

When I was in the beginning years of my practice, I found that very discouraging. And sometimes, I can

certainly still get into that headspace. But what I’ve learned over time is that when I continue to practice, I

am right where I need to be. Inevitably, when the poses come, it feels easier than I’d expected – not because

it was all along, but because I got to the point where my body, heart and mind were ready (or at least ready-

ish). Getting my body into the pose before that was, and is, always a recipe for pain – often physical.

Go at your own pace and maintain a lighthearted approach while continue to work towards the poses. Is

that difficult sometimes? Yes, it is. But that’s why we have yoga – it teaches us how to navigate what

sometimes feels like a tightrope on the mat so that we can have more skill for doing the same off the mat.

Here’s to you and your practice! You inspire me!

xo

Let’s Connect!

Web: www.CurvyYoga.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/CurvyYoga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curvyyoga

Instagram: www.instagram.com/CurvyYoga

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/CurvyYoga


http://www.CurvyYoga.com

http://www.CurvyYoga.com

http://www.twitter.com/CurvyYoga

http://www.twitter.com/CurvyYoga

https://www.facebook.com/curvyyoga

https://www.facebook.com/curvyyoga

http://www.instagram.com/CurvyYoga

http://www.instagram.com/CurvyYoga

http://www.pinterest.com/CurvyYoga

http://www.pinterest.com/CurvyYoga

the curvy yoga guide to curvy backbends & inversions · the curvy yoga guide to curvy backbends...

Documents