backbend yoga poses



- hey, everyone. so, when we're prepping hanumanasana, when we're prepping thefront to back splits, one of the poses that isa really great prep for it is the low lunge, of anjaneyasana, or the variations of anjaneyasana. and, when we're bending the back leg we start to really getit in the hip flexors, really prep us for thatback-legged high mark.

so, later on in the flow, if we're getting ready to gointo that front to back splits, we might drop the back kneedown, double your mat up, right, so you could... newer students, you can come right back into the earlier posethat you already did, come back into thisvariation of anjaneyasana with the arms overhead. if you're more flexible,you can bend the back leg.

reach back and grab on like a bow pose. maybe grab on with both hands and open the shoulders a little more, press that foot back,heart forward and out. you could push the foot forward kind of like the frog back bend. or, maybe catch the elbow, take the arms up and overhead, it's kind of like cow face pose, right?

this position sort of starts to prepare us to go up and over for the full pose. now, working on that full posetransition, if you need to, that's where these greatmanduka straps come in. you can use the strap tolengthen your arm, right? and, make that transition a little easier. hand to the shoulder, elbow under and up and workingmore of this full variation. starting to prep thearms coming up and over.