Took a break from dropbacks and attempting to come up again for a couple of weeks. This is my first time back in the saddle. Quite happy with it, felt much easier and the mat much closer than I remember.
Picked up on something Lydia said about dropping your shoulders down your back to give your neck more room to go back. I've also taken my shoulders back to try and bring my chest out and up more, The other thing I'm doing is sticking my backside out, ( This may be a bad idea see comments )all of this creating quite a curve in my back, then I bring my hands down and push my hips forward trying to keep the curve in my back the same. Feel like my backbend is a lot deeper before I even bring my hands up into Namaste, it's as if I have a head start. by the time I'm taking my hands over and trying to exaggerate my breathing I'm seeing a LOT of mat behind me.
First attempt to come up after dropping back felt promising, but I decided not to push it today and try and ease myself back into all this more slowly. I think I noticed something else too but can't put my finger on it, something to do with a feeling, for a moment, that my hips were pointing inwards rather than outwards.....I have no idea what I mean by this but can't help feeling it's something important for coming up.
P.S. It's Pancake day and I've got Sicilian lemons!
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9 comments:
One thing that might help is when you drop back, just think of letting your fingers touch (barely) the floor and then immediately inhale and attempt to come up. Exhale on the way down-touch, inhale and up. You are settling into the dropback, which is not wrong, and maybe even more correct--but if you want to use the momentum of the dropback to help you come up, you will be able to come up.
Tara
Hmmmm Thanks Tara will work towards this. At the moment as soon as I take my hands over I just drop. Working on the Sweeney excercises to get over that and hang back longer with my arms outstretched. That will enable me to try your fingetip trick. See what you mean about my settling in before I attmpt to come back up again. Coordination is everything.
Looks really good! Nice bend in your back before you drop...
Thanks, but still not candy cane
Just want to say I love your blog and reading about your journey. However I am concerned about your comment regarding pushing the bum out to create more of a curve in the back. That sounds to me that you are bending ( and crunching ) your lower back too much and potentially stressing it. I was always taught with dropback most of the bend should come from the thoracic spine. Dropping the shoulders ( and scapilae ) is a good idea. I would be more mindful to lengthen rather than bend with your lower back though otherwise you will hurt yourself.
Also the most useful bit of advice I got regarding dropbacks is to push into the back of the knees. regarding standing up, really push into your heels and visualise lifting the tip of your pelvis upwards. It's ok to push a little with the hands to get the momentum. And don't lift the head until the last moment !
I love your blog too but I would second the comment about being wary of pushing the bum out. I haven't practised since October after hurting my back and discovering I am hypermobile, my teacher didn't spot it (!) and had me doing drop backs where too much of the curve was from the lower spine. A healthy drop back is primarily from the thoracic spine and doing it a tiny bit wrong on a daily basis can lead to a horrible repetitive strain. I am slowly starting to practise again but I would really recommend caution.
many thanks for the advice, sure your probably right about pushing the backside out being a bad idea. i do agree that the bend should be mostly thoracic, was thinking not so much to bend from lower down as a better starting point to push the hips back. But take the point and have added a warning note in the body of the text. thanbks again.
Hypermobility is a rare genetic disorder.
Flexibility ain't a disorder if you're strong.
I think engaqe mula bandha to lengthen the tailbone down and keep the lower back safe.
And that hip thing - I think you've got it. That is what is tied to keeping the feet straight and heels grounded; it has to do with rotation of the hips, not feet.
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