Back bends are done from leg strength. You’ve heard me say this in class repeatedly. What does this mean?

It basically means that the back bend starts in the legs, not in the back. If the legs are not working when you look at someone doing Up Dog or even Cobra, the feet will be wider than the hips and the big toes will be on the floor, but the pinky toes will be turning up away from the floor with the legs externally rotating. If you follow the lines of energy up the feet through the legs, they will converge right in the lumbar spine. Ouch! This can create pinching in the low back. In order for the legs to work properly, they must remain parallel; this means the heels are sitting bone distance apart and the legs remain parallel all the way up into the hip. The tops of the feet press into the floor with all 10 toes pressing equally down into the floor. If you were to trace a line from the center of each heel, it should run up the middle of the leg, through the sitting bones up the back on either side of the spine, and end in the tops of the shoulders. These lines would be parallel all the way through the body and not converge anywhere. In Upward facing Dog, the legs are straight, no bend at the knee and the inner thighs lift upward toward the ceiling. The kneecaps are lifted and the front of the thigh is engaged. This is where your core starts, in the feet and legs.Save