Namaste,

I hope this newsletter finds you all well. In this newsletter you'll find an updated schedule off to the right and a student question about backbends. For those of you in South Florida (or those wanting to escape cold places), who haven't seen my anatomy show, join me April 2 - 4 on Miami Beach at MLC for a weekend anatomy workshop.

I hope to see you at a workshop soon,
David

Student Question-

Hi David,

I'm working on my Urdhva Dhanurasana and I can't hold it for a long time (i.e. 3 breaths). My shoulders are splaying outward and I have a hard time pulling them in. Do you have any pointers for making my wheel a more pleasant experience?

I also started having a discomfort (feels like it's being stretched) on the ulnar side of my L (non-dominant) hand 3 inches below the wrist. I usually feel it after doing my reverse prayer and when I put my palm up. But I don't feel it with my downward dog and actually it makes it better. Do you think its just part of the stretching/opening process for my hands/arms/shoulders? Or should I modify by holding opposite elbows by now?

Anyway, I'm so sorry for all these questions but I think you're the best person to ask for yoga anatomy.

Hi H,

The tendency in Urdhva Dhanurasana (back bending) arms are that the elbows point out and the shoulder blades squeeze together. Interestingly this is the opposite of the long-term intention for this pose.

It is a similar pattern that we work with as beginners in downward dog. Your arms in backbends should be the same as they are in down dog. That is, the shoulder blades move more apart from one another, and forward on the ribcage (abduction and protraction combined).

Let's talk about being able to breathe in this posture. It's strenuous because we're fighting both gravity and the openness of our front body. In addition, when our scapulas are squeezed together on our backs, it's more difficult to inhale. On top of that we are stretching the tissues between the ribs, creating tension that makes it more difficult to get air in.

As for the strain you feel in your wrist, I am almost positive that this is connected. Certainly part of it is the process of opening the tissues through the shoulder/arm/wrist/hand (what we refer to as a kinematic chain). These joints create a functional, inter-related chain of movment. My suggestion, at least for back bending, is to rotate your hands so that your fingers are pointed outward slightly toward the edge of your mat. This will allow your elbows to head toward each other a bit more and should also allow for a different position for your scapulae.

The other component, which didn't come up but does play a role in back bending, is the openness of your hip flexors. I am always on about this part of the backbend in my workshops. If your hip flexors are more open they allow your hips to get higher in the air and reduces the amount of compression people often experience in their lower back and encourages more weight directly over the hands reducing bad wrist angles.

More on the hip flexor part somewhere down the road.

Feedback on the DVDs

Dear David,

I am in the process of watching your Yoga Anatomy DVDs volume I and II.

How you have organized the material is so helpful. You are so succinct and clear in your communication that I am absorbing a great deal. I also think the production value is fantastic because there is nothing that gets in the way of the information. The choice to have only you illuminated is brilliant.

Thank you.

Peace and health,

Molly