My friend Tamsy has always inspired me with her willingness to face the challenges of the world head-on, with a wide open huge heart. Her facebook profile photo pictured here is indicative of how she evenly balances strength with vulnerability, groundedness with openness in urdva danurasana, aka wheel pose, aka chakrasana, a pose that exposes the inside of all seven major chakra centers.
The Physicality of Backbends
Practiced appropriately, backbends come from leg strength. The support from the strength of the legs stabilizes the pelvis to a solid center ‘bowl’ from which the spine can lift up and out to extend into full backbend expression. If the pelvis is not stabilized, it is easy to collapse the spine into the more flexible lumbar vertebrae, resulting in low back strain and pain. At the same time, the compression that occurs on the back-side of the body in a backbend causes pressure on the adrenal glands. This is why backbends are often called “yoga’s espresso shot” because the pressure on the adrenals kicks on the adrenaline, thus waking up the system. When adrenaline is released, the sympathetic nervous system kicks into gear, raising the heart rate and blood pressure. No wonder classes get buzzing during the wheel series. Unfortunately, just like a morning caffeine kick can develop into a dependency on diet coke or thrice daily mocha lattes, it is easy for yogis to develop habit-forming backbending addictions, craving nature’s high from the adrenaline within one’s own system. Power yogis who develop this condition can suffer from symptoms of adrenal exhaustion such as exhaustion laden insomnia, back pain that cannot be relieved by chiropractic adjustments, loss of appetite, weight loss…and many other symptoms similar to someone on speed. On the flip side, backbends performed safely from leg strength develop strong muscles around the vertebrae, supporting flexibility of the spine and descreasing spinal issues that result in countless chiropractice visits.
The Energetics of Backbends
The full expression of a backbend is energetically the full expression of compassion and loving kindness. It is a place where forgiveness, sweetness, and connectedness wins out over resentment, anger, and depression. While the heart chakra has an amazing capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, and compassion, if it is not properly ‘fed’, like any container, it can get strained. When the heart chakra is strained, the results can be disastrous: cardiac disease, breast cancer, and asthma. Thus, the heart chakra needs to be ‘fed’ regularly, through energy from from the other chakras, ultimately from the universe through the crown chakra and from the earth through the root chakra. When a full backbend is evenly supported from the legs, through the pelvis and core into the heart, the energy of the heart chakra is an expression of the unconditional love of Mother Earth flowing through the pleasure center (sacral chakra) and the power center (core chakra) and out our heart center.
So yes, when you need a little kick, try a backbend instead of a latte. But beware the effects of overdoing it and allow “less is more” to be a mantra when breathing through the sixth wheel. You just might find yourself healing some very old wounds and reconnecting with some lost loves of your life. It’s better than Facebook!
