Backbends improve posture, and open the chest and heart by stretching the front of the body. Extending the spine backwards gives a great stretch the abdominals. Backbends can also strengthen the back depending on the type of weakness.  I use backbends to ward off fatigue, anxiety, and mild back pain.

While the graceful arch of a backbend may seem elusive at first, there are ways to encourage flexibility in the spine. However, you should avoid practicing backbends, if you suffer from back or neck injuries, low or high blood pressure, have a migraine, or are pregnant.

Here is a list of backbends for you to work on to improve flexibility in the spine:

• Bow (intermediate)
• Bridge (beginner)
• Camel (intermediate)
• Cobra (beginner)
• Fish (intermediate)
• King Dancer (intermediate)
• Locust (intermediate)
• Pigeon (intermediate)
• Sphinx (beginner)
• Upward-facing dog (intermediate)
• Wheel  Pose (advanced)

Take care when practicing these backbends and be sure to work within your limits.

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Neck pain can be caused by poor posture, muscle strain originating in the upper back, lack of exercise or even too much exercise. These few simple yoga poses can relieve pain and tension in the neck:   

• Cat/cows: the neck is slowly extended and flexed as you move between the cat pose and the cow pose.
• Child’s pose: by resting the forehead on the floor or your fists, the neck is supported to provide relief.
• Corpse pose: relaxes the neck by allowing it to decompress.
• Puppy pose: stretches the shoulders and the spine.
• Standing forward bend: the neck is naturally elongated by allowing it to dangle upside-down as you bend forward.
• Triangle: there is a gentle rotation in the neck as the gaze is turned up to the ceiling.
• Twist: the gentle rotation from the waist twists the spine and the neck will begin to turn to the side as you move into the pose.
• Wide-legged standing forward bend: the neck hangs down in this pose resulting in a lengthening in the back of the neck.

Until your neck pain subsides, it is best to avoid practicing headstand and shoulderstand or any other poses that put pressure on the neck. Also avoid excessive neck flexion and extension.

With daily practice of these key poses, you should find that your neck pain begins to lessen, and in many cases will be completely alleviated.

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Practicing yoga with a friend can be fun and rewarding, while partnering in a pose can increase the stretch and be just as fulfilling. In fact, by partnering you can experience the same type of adjustment as that made by the yoga instructor for proper alignment. Emotionally, partner poses also develop trust and remove competitiveness.

Additionally, children will enjoy partnering poses. By working together, it is a fun way to learn cooperation.

Here a few partner poses to get you started.

• Boat: Facing each other, sit on the floor with your knees bent.  Lift your legs into the air. Place the soles of the feet on your partner’s feet.  Extend the legs. Lift the arms and hold on to each other’s hands for balance.
• Extended leg lift: Stand face-to-face. One partner raises the right leg as high as possible and the other partner holds on the right ankle with his/her left hand. The other partner lifts the left leg and the left ankle is held by the other person.
• Standing forward bend: Stand back-to-back in mountain pose and fold forward. Grab hold of each other’s shoulders.
• Warrior II: Stand side-to-side. One partner will step into warrior II with the right foot. The other will step into warrior II with the left foot. The back foot of each partner is touching. Using the back arms hold onto each other’s wrist.
• Wide legged standing forward bend: Stand back-to-back in a wide-legged stance. Fold forward from the hips. Thread your arms in between the legs and reach for your partner’s upper arms and hold the arms with your hands.

In some cases, partner poses are easier to practice with a partner of similar height.

Additional Resources: Dana Rae Pare's Partner Yoga

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For yoga in Dunellen, NJ or yoga in Piscataway, NJ and yoga in other Central New Jersey areas, get in touch with me at Yoga Destiny.