From our 5D Synergy Flow Backward-bending Spinal Health Workshop from our Intensive Teacher Training Course in Italy May 2024

By Simon Borg-Olivier Msc BappSc (Physiotherapy) APAM c-IAYT

TIME CODES FOR THIS VIDEO

0:00:00 Lecture and interactive workshop on forward bending and backward bending

1:37:27 Spinal Movements Practice Session as a 'Warmup' for backbends

2:19:00 Verbally instructed backward-bending and forward-bending releasing sequence

2:55:26 Post Practice Discussion

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Part 1: Principles and Fundamentals

Flexion and Extension Overview

• Flexion: Forward bending movements that decrease the angle between bones or segments, involving multiple joints including the spine, hips, and knees.

• Extension: Backward bending movements that increase the angle between bones or segments, vital for posture and spinal health.

• Effective and safe flexion and extension involve balanced coordination across multiple joints to distribute load evenly, protecting individual joints from overuse.
  

Common Movement Errors and Their Effects

• Excessive Hip Flexion: Occurs when forward bending predominantly occurs at the hips, increasing risk of impingement, tendonitis, chronic muscle strain, and joint degeneration.

• Hyperextension at the Lower Back (L5-S1): Excessive backward bending at the lowest spinal joints that compress discs and facet joints, potentially leading to chronic lower back pain, nerve irritation, and disc injuries.
  

Counterproductive Extension Techniques

• Pulling Navel Toward Spine (Abdominal Hollowing): Inhibits diaphragmatic breathing, reduces core stability, increases physiological stress, and activates a stress response in the nervous system.

• Excessive Gluteal Activation: Compresses the sacroiliac joints, disrupts natural pelvic rhythms, restricts blood flow, and negatively affects autonomic nervous system function.

Active vs. Passive Movement Dynamics

• Active Forward Bends: Use controlled muscular contractions, particularly of spinal muscles, generating warmth and enhancing spinal strength, flexibility, and resilience.

• Passive Backward Bends: Encourage deep muscle relaxation, decompressing the vertebrae, enhancing circulation, relieving stress, and promoting restoration and recovery.
  

Ideal Muscle Coordination

• Rotating thighs inward during extension selectively reduces reliance on gluteal muscles, activating hamstrings and thus reducing lumbar stress and increasing hip stability.

• Activating inner thigh muscles (adductors) aids pelvic stability, enhances sacroiliac joint health, and connects lower limb and spinal musculature harmoniously.

• Balanced use of thigh muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) strengthens knee joint integrity, preventing common injuries related to yoga and movement practices.
  

Foot and Knee Movement Recommendations

• Slight outward rotation of the feet during backward bending positions reduces knee strain, enhances pelvic and spinal stability, and ensures effective muscular support.

• Alternating thigh rotations (inward and outward) stimulates the sacroiliac joints, promoting fluid circulation, joint nourishment, and enhanced mobility.

Nervous System Balance

• Active Forward Flexion: Stimulates sympathetic nervous activity, elevating energy, increasing alertness, and generating internal warmth and vitality.

• Passive Spinal Extension: Encourages parasympathetic nervous activity, reducing physiological stress, promoting calm, relaxation, and restoring energy balance.

• Incorporation of balance postures, such as half handstands, harmonises the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, fostering overall nervous system equilibrium.

Part 2: Practical Application and Warm-Up Sequence

12 Ether Spinal Movement Sequence (Warm-Up)

Multidimensional (5D) Movement Framework:

• Earth: Movements involving vertical lengthening (lifting the spine upward) and shortening (gently compressing downward), fostering spinal stability and structural awareness.

• Fire: Movements that alternate forward and backward bending, stimulating internal energy, muscular strength, spinal flexibility, and energetic activation.

• Water: Fluid, side-to-side bending motions enhancing lateral spinal flexibility, balancing muscular strength and flexibility on both sides of the body.

• Air: Twisting movements designed to improve rotational flexibility, enhance digestive organ health, spinal mobility, and coordination between upper and lower body.

• Ether: Movements of expansion and contraction within the torso, increasing inner body awareness, creating space for breath, and balancing subtle energetic flows.

Maintaining Movement Integrity:

• Using neutral "Earth" movements between bending or twisting sequences resets spinal alignment, ensuring a balanced and harmonious practice.

• Regular and systematic practice enhances overall posture, joint function, muscular coordination, and proprioceptive awareness.

Guidelines for Ether Sequence Execution:

• Synchronise muscle contractions with rhythmic breathing, timed with phases of chanting (e.g., "OM"), facilitating deep muscular and energetic alignment.

• Use pauses between chants to consciously relax musculature and connective tissue, allowing for deep release and recovery between active efforts.

• Consistently lengthen the lumbar spine before initiating complex movements, ensuring spinal health, injury prevention, and enhanced movement efficacy.
  

Detailed 12 Ether Moon Sun Spinal Movements Sequence:

1. Earth (neutral vertical alignment)

2. Fire (forward-backward bending)

3. Earth (realignment)

4. Water (side bending to the right)

5. Earth (realignment)

6. Water (side bending to the left)

7. Earth (realignment)

8. Air (twisting right)

9. Fire (realignment)

10. Air (twisting left)

11. Fire (realignment)

12. Earth (final vertical alignment)

Safe Approach to Side Bends and Twists:

• Initiate side bends and twists by consciously lengthening and decompressing the lumbar spine to protect delicate spinal structures.

• Avoid starting any side bends or twists from an overly compressed or hyperextended position to prevent potential injury or discomfort.

Single-Leg Stability and Strengthening:

• Practices that incorporate single-leg balance postures strengthen stabiliser muscles, enhance balance, joint integrity, and hip muscle activation.

• Maintain a neutral and lengthened lumbar spine to avoid strain during prolonged single-leg poses or dynamic leg extensions

Floor-Based Movement Sequence:

• Sequentially link plank, cobra, upward dog, and downward dog poses with controlled transitions, mindful of spinal alignment, muscular engagement, and balanced joint load distribution.

• Prioritise controlled muscular activation and careful alignment in each posture to ensure joint safety and spinal protection.
  

Squatting for Joint Health:

• Rotate thighs outward when descending into squats, maintaining joint alignment and muscular activation, preventing knee or hip strain.

• Rotate thighs inward when rising from squats to ensure balanced muscular effort, promoting stability and strength throughout the lower limbs.
  

Core-Centred Arm Balances:

• Begin arm balances by establishing strong core engagement, stabilising the spine, reducing risk of hyperextension, and ensuring safe transitions into poses.

• Actively engage abdominal muscles to support and protect the spine during advanced balancing postures.
  

Backbend Progressions (Bridge and Wheel Poses):

• Gradual practice of bridge poses progressively opens the spine, hips, and shoulders, improving flexibility, spinal health, and breath capacity.

• The wheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) demands precise shoulder alignment, careful hand positioning, active abdominal support, and incremental progression to avoid injury.

• Engage core musculature effectively to achieve balanced front muscle firmness and lateral softness, optimising the balance of strength and flexibility.
  

Precautions for Advanced Poses:

• Ensure shoulders, wrists, and hands are correctly positioned to avoid joint strain or injury in advanced backbend practices.

• Begin advanced postures from a consciously stabilised and elongated lumbar region to protect against spinal compression and overextension.
  

Relaxation After Practice:

• Gradually restore neutral spinal alignment post-practice to release muscular tension, support recovery, and integrate benefits of the session.

• Incorporate guided relaxation techniques, such as the 12 Bridges relaxation method, to facilitate profound rest, recovery, and energetic balance.
  

Teaching Recommendations:

• Demonstrate poses with calm, steady breathing, portraying ease and control to inspire student confidence and clarity.

• Provide demonstrations that model safe practice, displaying achievable goals, ensuring student trust, motivation, and comfort.

• Gradually introduce detailed instruction, matching content complexity with student skill progression to foster understanding and prevent overwhelm.