By targeting your tight spots, you can go deep and discover your best backbend ever.

By Andrea Ferretti and Jason Crandell

Ah, beautiful urdhva dhanurasana. As the arms and legs press strongly down into the ground like pillars, the entire length of the spine curves into a deep, even arch. It's striking, it's inspiring, and it's...well, everywhere. Walk into nearly any hatha yoga class at any time of day, and you're likely to encounter the pose that is also known as Upward Bow or Wheel Pose.

It's easy to feel simultaneously seduced and humiliated by Urdhva Dhanurasana. The pose might evoke a burning desire to achieve and conquer this backbend, but if you're a beginner, you might feel fearful that you won't make it up. And if you're a more experienced student who has pressed up dozens of times, you might find yourself wondering, "Is it still supposed to feel like this? Am I supposed to feel the lower-back twinges, the shoulder soreness, and the occasional after-class sacral aches?"

In either case, when fear or frustration about Urdhva Dhanurasana arises, the first impulse is often to rely on pure force to muscle yourself into the pose. When you do, there are a few telltale signs that this is happening. You hear yourself grunt as you go up. You feel your knees and feet kick out. You push up quickly and pop your shoulders out of joint, overstretching the delicate rotator cuff muscles. A large, pulsing vein bulges out on your forehead. Do any of these things sound familiar? Such a brutish approach to Wheel not only puts your muscles and joints at risk for injury, but also unravels all the hard work you've done maintaining the integrity of your breath.

Fortunately, you can strike a balance between yearning and frustration. To do so involves the yogic concept of self-study, known as svadhyaya. Instead of pushing yourself into the pose, you can apply svadhyaya by refining your awareness of what is happening in your body and mind. One way to do this is by breaking down the pose into three components and assessing how your body responds to each. Urdhva Dhanurasana requires openness in the shoulders and chest; flexibility in the front of the hips, legs, and abdomen; and suppleness in the back body. It also requires arm and leg strength, but if you're able to hold a well-aligned Plank for five deep breaths, you're probably strong enough to do the pose. When muscular tightness releases, the pose requires less force.

Armed with this knowledge of the architecture of the pose, you can create sensible, thorough sequences that open your shoulders, hips, and trunk before practicing Urdhva Dhanurasana, allowing you to backbend more deeply and comfortably.

You can also begin to notice where you get hung up in the pose. Many practitioners are disproportionately restricted in one region. You might be surprised to find that your shoulders are naturally very open, but your thighs are so tight that you can't lift your hips without your feet splaying out. If that's the case, then you have a clear starting place from which to work—you can spend time in your daily practice cultivating openness along the front of your legs, abdomen, and hips. Or you may find that your shoulders and hips are plenty malleable, but there is stubborn resistance in your midback. Spending more time opening the torso will allow you to develop more ease in Urdhva Dhanurasana. In essence, refining your awareness will enable you to make choices that will create transformation.

As you practice breaking down the pose this way, don't be disappointed if you're one of those folks for whom each component is difficult. A deep pose may be beautiful, but the depth of your Urdhva Dhanurasana is not the most important thing. What's most important is that you develop a method that forgoes ego and force in favor of exploration and awareness. If you can do that, you can build a backbend that works for you—one that exhilarates, stretches, strengthens, and soothes you all at once. Ready to begin?

The following poses are efficient at opening the legs, shoulders, and back. Use them to explore your body, noticing areas of tightness and areas of ease. You can incorporate these poses into your practice as an excellent preparation for Urdhva Dhanurasana. Or, if, for example, you notice that your thighs are disproportionately tight, you can incorporate the poses for your legs into your daily practice—whether sequencing to Wheel or not.

Lengthen your Thighs Most students know that a healthy forward bend requires suppleness in the back of the legs. This type of flexibility enables you to rock the pelvis forward over the thighs, allowing the spine to lengthen and release. A similar principle applies to backbends. A healthy backbend requires suppleness along the front of your legs and abdomen. In order to arch your spine into a backbend without crunching your lower back, you need to open the front of the thighs so you can rock the pelvis backward over your legs. If you spend much of your day sitting, this can be difficult to accomplish. Sitting flexes the hip joints, which can make the muscles along the front of the hips tight and may impede your ability to move your pelvis into backbends. King Arthur's Pose and Bridge Pose are perfect preparations for Urdhva Dhanurasana because they help release tension from the front of the thighs and hips. Bridge Pose will give you adequate practice with the positioning of your feet, legs, and hips for Urdhva Dhanurasana. King Arthur's Pose Love it or loathe it, King Arthur's Pose will elongate your tight thighs efficiently. Start by folding your sticky mat in quarters and placing it next to a wall. Kneel with your back to the wall, place your right knee on your sticky mat, and extend your right shin (foot pointed) up the wall. Step your left foot forward two to three feet so that you are in a lunge, with your left knee situated directly above your ankle. Place your hands on your hips and observe the angle of your pelvis. Your hips will probably tilt forward, since this allows your body to avoid stretching your thighs. To improve your alignment and facilitate greater opening, lift the front of your pelvis and lengthen your tailbone and buttocks toward the floor. Increase this stretch by bending your front knee deeper as you draw upward through your abdominal core. If you really want to challenge yourself, press the top of your right foot against the wall. This will engage your thigh muscles as you stretch them, creating more intensity. To enter the second phase of the pose, vigorously extend your arms up toward the ceiling. As you reach up, lengthen your spine and lift your ribs further away from your hips. Complement this by bending your front knee and lowering your hips further. Remember to draw your tailbone toward the floor and retain the neutral position of your hips. Breathe slowly and deeply into your abdomen. After 10 to 15 breaths, release your hands to the floor and take your right shin off the wall. Pause for a moment before you switch sides.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana An ideal way to continue opening the front of your thighs and hips is to take Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, or Bridge Pose, which offers a blueprint for the leg and foot positions in Wheel. To begin, lie back, bend your knees, and place your feet hip-width apart. Bring your feet close to, but not touching, your hips, and align your arms alongside your body. See that the outer edges of your feet are parallel and that your toes are pointing straight forward. Initiate the pose by gently pressing your lower back into the floor so that your tailbone curls slightly upward. Root down through your feet and begin to peel your hips away from the floor. Mindfully, roll up, vertebra by vertebra, and lengthen your tailbone toward the back of your knees. Tuck your shoulders underneath your chest. Interlace your fingers—or hold the outer edges of your sticky mat—and burrow downward into the mat with your arms. Continue to lengthen your tailbone and your lower back, and shift your attention to your legs. Align your thighs so that they are parallel to each other, and position your knees directly above your ankles. Keep your shins vertical. This is the way you set the feet and legs for Wheel. Breathe slowly and deeply into your abdomen. After 8 to 10 breaths, walk your feet away from your hands and slowly lower to the floor.

Free your spine In a comfortable, healthy backbend, your entire back—lower, middle, and upper—will have a similar degree of sensation. In an uncomfortable and poorly distributed backbend, parts of your back will have intense sensations, and other parts will feel dull. Most people immediately feel the sensation in the lower back (because it's more flexible and often bears the brunt of the curve) and less sensation in the middle and upper back. In order to bring the spine into greater harmony during Urdhva Dhanurasana, you will need to awaken the thighs and shoulders, and prepare the torso and spine. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana with a chair and Bhujangasana will teach you to distribute the curvature of your back evenly. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, variation Support your weight on a chair in Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-Legged Inverted Staff Pose) to open your chest and shoulders, stretch your abdominal area, and encourage length in your spine. When the chair is in the correct place, this pose will distribute the sensations of the backbend evenly along your spine, providing a somatic -reference for what an ideal Urdhva Dhanurasana feels like. Place a chair close to a wall (not on a sticky mat), facing out. Roll up your sticky mat and set it beside the chair. Sit with your legs through the back of the chair and place your feet on the floor a few inches away from the wall. Slide your buttocks all the way to the back edge of the chair (toward the wall). Place your rolled sticky mat on the chair seat so that one end touches the back of your hips (against your sacrum). The sticky mat should be positioned lengthwise down the middle of the chair seat. Slowly lower your spine onto the rolled mat and adjust your position on the chair so that the bottom tips of your shoulder blades are in line with the front edge of the chair. (If you have a longer torso, your pelvis may slightly hang off the back edge of the chair.) Finally, press the balls of your feet against the wall and straighten your legs. From there, interlace your fingers underneath the rolled mat and place them behind your head. Hinge at the bottom tips of your shoulder blades, allowing your upper back to hang off the chair and arc into a backbend. Simultaneously root the balls of your feet into the wall by lengthening through your thighs as you reach your upper arms and elbows toward the middle of the room. Depending on your comfort in the pose, you can stay anywhere from a few breaths to several minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor, place your elbows on the chair seat, and lift your torso up. Pause for a few breaths and enjoy the aftertaste of the pose.

Bhujangasana All backbends will ease open your spine and cultivate flexibility in your torso. But Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) stands out because it allows you to strengthen and stretch the spine and torso without demanding flexibility in the shoulders and thighs. When you do the pose, focus on lengthening your spine and observing the sensations in your back. To begin, lie on your belly and place your fingertips in line with the middle of your chest. Establish the basic foundations of the pose by rooting down through the top of your pinkie toes, the base of your fingers, and the pubic bone (this will help you lengthen your tailbone toward your heels). Slightly dome your lower abdomen away from the floor. Initiate Bhujangasana by slowly peeling your forehead and chest away from the floor. As you begin to rise, create a "pulling" action by drawing your fingertips toward the wall behind you as you traction your spine and trunk forward. Complement this movement by reaching back through your legs strongly (avoid squeezing your glutes). As you continue to lengthen your body in opposite directions, draw your shoulder blades away from your ears and hug your elbows toward your sides. From where you are, take a moment to observe the sensations in your back. Do your lower, middle, and upper back all have a similar quality of sensation? Are they all working a similar amount? Make subtle adjustments in your body until these regions feel harmonious. Begin to intensify the pose by reaching back through your elbows. Continue to lengthen your spine upward and press the bottom tips of your shoulder blades against the back of your ribs. Lift the middle of your breastbone, widen your collarbones, and draw your chest forward. Breathe into your back. After 5 to 10 breaths, slowly lower your torso to the floor, keeping your spine long. Observe the sensations of your back as you appreciate the rise and fall of your breath.

Open your Shoulders Downward-Facing Dog and Chair Shoulder Stretch will prepare you to extend your arms overhead in Urdhva Dhanurasana by elongating key muscles in your shoulders, upper back, and arms. These poses also extend your arms overhead while keeping your arm bones externally rotated. It's important to maintain external rotation when you do Urdhva Dhanurasana. If you're not open enough to get this action, you put yourself at risk for damaging the delicate muscles of your rotator cuff. As you practice these poses, it's OK if your shoulders feel tight; begin where you are and notice the sensation of your arm bones externally rotating. Practice enjoying the process rather than trying to achieve an end goal. Adho Mukha Svanasana, variation This version of Down Dog will help unravel the tightness in your shoulders and upper back that can make straightening your elbows in Urdhva Dhanurasana difficult. To begin, bring your sticky mat to a wall. Come onto all fours and place your forearms on your mat, shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on the wall so that your fingers turn away from each other and your thumbs point to the ceiling. Notice how the combination of these actions rotates your arm bones externally. Root down through your forearms, lift your knees, and draw your body into Downward-Facing Dog. Step your feet far enough away from your elbows that you can elongate through your shoulders. If your feet are too close to your elbows, you will feel boxed in, and your shoulders will press toward the wall. Instead, lengthen through your arms and make a single diagonal plane from your elbows to your hips. If you notice that the pose feels mild, walk your feet toward your elbows until you feel a thorough stretch. Make sure that your shoulders don't move toward the wall as you step in. Now that you are positioned, focus on the actions of your upper body. Root down through your forearms and press your hands into the wall as you draw your shoulders away from the wall. Draw your hips upward toward the ceiling, and firm your thighs. Move the inner border of your shoulder blades away from your spine. If they narrow toward each other, you'll internally rotate you arms. But if you broaden, you'll get a much-needed stretch in your upper-back muscles. Without trying to change anything, observe the location and intensity of the stretch in your shoulders and arms. Breathe into the sides of your rib cage and feel your upper body expand. After 8 to 10 breaths, bring your knees to the floor and enjoy the ease of Balasana (Child's Pose).

Chair Shoulder Stretch The feeling of space and freedom in your shoulders that Chair Shoulder Stretch elicits makes rounding up the props well worth the time. Place the back of a chair against a wall. Fold your sticky mat in quarters and set it on the chair seat. Place a blanket on the floor two to three feet in front of the chair. Kneel down, and place your elbows shoulder-width apart on the front edge of the seat (on the folded mat). Hold a block between the base of your palms to keep your hands separated. Slowly walk your knees away from the chair until they are on the folded blanket and your shoulders are parallel with the chair seat. See that your pelvis and lower back are in neutral. Don't let the abdomen sink toward the floor, allowing too much curve in your lower back. Lengthen your tailbone and dome your abdomen so that the front rim of your pelvis is parallel to the floor. Now that your pelvis and lower back are neutral, you will feel a stretch in your shoulders and arms. Deepen this sensation by rooting your elbows down into the chair and gently squeezing the block between your hands. Lengthen your elbows toward the wall and draw the inner border of your shoulder blades toward your tailbone. These actions are subtle and won't amount to much actual movement. They will, however, deepen the stretch and inform your body of the nuances of the pose. Breathe into the sides of your rib cage and feel the expansiveness of your upper body. After 8 to 10 breaths, walk your knees toward the chair (keeping your elbows on the chair), and lift your shoulders away from the floor. Once all of your weight is off your shoulders, sit back on your heels and take your forearms off the chair.

Urdhva Dhanurasana Now you're ready to practice Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel or Upward Bow Pose) with more awareness and ease. To begin, lie back, bend your knees, and place your feet close to your hips. Bring your hands to the floor next to your ears, shoulder-width apart. Steady your breath. Inhale and lift onto the top of your head. Pause here, preparing the initial actions of the pose: Draw your elbows in toward the midline until they're parallel to each other, gently press the top of the head into the floor, engage your back muscles, and root down through the base of your big toes. Now that you're well aligned, lift up on an exhale by extending strongly through your arms and legs. Bring your awareness to your thighs and hips, focusing on the actions that you developed in the preparatory poses. As you did in King Arthur's Pose and Bridge Pose, lengthen your hip flexors by drawing your tailbone toward the back of your knees. This movement—though difficult in the midst of Urdhva Dhanurasana—will help elongate your lower back and prevent it from compressing. Complement this work by gently spiraling your thighbones in (while keeping your thighs parallel) and rooting down through the four corners of each foot. Next, shift your focus to your spine and torso. Remember, a healthy backbend is one in which the sensations are well distributed and you're playing your edge without overworking. Just as you did in Cobra Pose and Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, notice if your lower, middle, and upper back each has a similar quality of sensation. Make small adjustments until your whole torso feels equally engaged. Continue deepening your pose by re-creating the external rotation in the arm bones that you cultivated in the Down-Dog variation and the Chair Shoulder Stretch. Keep weight on the bases of your index fingers. Lengthen through your arms strongly and press your hands into the floor. Although this pose takes a fair amount of work, practice being nonaggressive. Cultivate patience and acceptance where you are as you wait for your body to open. Continue breathing deeply for 8 to 10 breaths before lowering to the floor. Take time to savor the sensations after the posture.

Why we do Backbends

Whether they come naturally or not, backbends are well worth your effort. Here are a few reasons why:

• They stretch and strengthen: Backbends stretch the entire length of your front body and strengthen your back, arms, and legs. This adds up to better posture. The stress of sitting and of doing day-to-day tasks hunch you forward; when done well, backbends open the upper back and chest, and stabilize the shoulders so that your posture feels integrated.
• They help you breathe: Since backbends stretch your breathing apparatus—the diaphragm, the lungs, and the intercostal muscles between each rib—they can help you breathe deeper in daily life.
• They lift you up: Energetically, backbends are uplifting, stimulating poses. If your energy feels down or low, a backbend practice can shift your energy in a positive direction.
• They empower you: Backbends help you connect to the mysterious intricacies of your back body, an area that is usually neglected—out of sight, out of mind. Learning more about your body and its abilities is always confidence boosting. When you press up into your first Wheel or you balance in Scorpion Pose, you will undoubtedly feel empowered.
• The key to enjoying all of these benefits is to seek a pose that suits your body—you'll know you've succeeded if you feel clear, open, grounded, and pain free after practice.

Andrea Ferretti is Yoga Journal's deputy editor. Jason Crandell lives in San Francisco and teaches yoga around the world.

Tension can be a pain in the neck. Master these gentle moves to create lasting ease.

By Barbara Benagh

By the time Tatiana Makoukhina came to my workshop last spring on easing tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back, she'd been suffering from chronic pain for more than a decade. In the early '90s, as a single mom newly arrived from Russia, Tatiana worried constantly about whether she could make a new life in America with her daughter. She put in long hours as a hotel cleaner—the only job she could find—and felt she could never relax, never stop working and planning. Her back and neck were constantly rigid with tension, she suffered severe migraines, and then she herniated a disk in her lower back lifting a heavy mattress.

Despite her persistent discomfort, Tatiana worked hard to manage her pain and improve her health. Athletic in her childhood—she had loved gymnastics, volleyball, and dancing—she began running and exercising again. Surgery for her disk injury helped with her lower back pain, and her migraines eased once she began practicing yoga regularly in 2002. Still, nothing seemed to banish the tightness, aches, and occasional stabbing pain in her shoulders and neck.

Tatiana certainly isn't unique: We all live in a world filled with anxiety. We race through hectic days and fall into bed exhausted; we fret over our bills, our kids, our jobs and the state of the planet, too. It doesn't help that many of us have lives skewed toward the sedentary, with too many hours spent hunkered down behind a computer or steering wheel. Our stress often winds up stored in clenched necks, shoulders, and backs-which eventually weakens our muscles, strains our joints, and limits our range of motion. The tension hangs heavy on our necks and shoulders, as unwelcome as a winter coat on a summer day.

It doesn't have to be this way, of course. The shoulder girdle is designed so your arms, neck, and shoulders can move freely and easily. Even if you have a history of injuries or have suffered from chronic tension for years, the approach I've developed can help you learn to soften your neck and shoulder muscles and restore ease and freedom.

When I ran into Tatiana a few weeks after the workshop, she was thrilled with her progress. Not only had the workshop taken away her pain but, even better, she'd been able to stay pain-free by including 5 to 10 minutes of my exercises in her daily hour of yoga. Her back, shoulders, and neck were feeling more relaxed than she'd ever imagined possible.

Do by Undoing

I developed my approach to relieving neck and shoulder tension the hard way. At 17, I was a passenger in a dramatic car wreck. My sister had cajoled and pleaded until I agreed to go on a double date with a boy I had absolutely no interest in. So I was pouting when I got in the car, and my date responded by speeding down the gravel road and missing a curve. I was thrown out of the car and vividly remember clinging to the Volkswagen's window frame as we flipped through the air. Fortunately, I lost my grip on the car and a bush broke my fall.

I recovered from the concussion, lacerations, and broken bones within a few months, but I ended up with a shortened left collarbone. Over time, that structural imbalance pulled my left shoulder forward, compressing my neck and eventually causing two of my neck vertebrae to fuse.

In my early 20s I began studying yoga, hoping to regain some of the fitness I'd enjoyed before my accident. I loved yoga immediately, but as my expertise grew and I progressed toward more demanding poses, my neck and shoulder problems restricted me and made me vulnerable to injury. My teachers noticed my imbalances, and with their help my alignment improved. But I still got hurt frequently, and much of the time my neck and upper back muscles were tense, achy, and tired.

I soon realized that my chronically tight muscles felt at their best right after a massage—relaxed and free of their accustomed tension. I began to think that if massage could release my patterns of chronic contraction, I should be able to find a way to practice yoga that could give me the same relief.

Fortunately, my search quickly led me to Angela Farmer, a teacher whose approach to yoga was much more internally focused, intuitive, and patient than what I'd been taught. I came to think of her style as "the undoing process"—"undoing" not just because it undid tension, but also because it focused less on actively changing your body than on establishing a compassionate dialogue with it, inviting health and ease into it and then watching, waiting, and allowing change to come.

Savoring how light and calm I felt after this kind of practice, I decided to experiment with ways to refine the undoing process. I discovered that long holds of passive reclining poses, often with blankets, bolsters, or other props, were key to releasing my tension. As I learned to relax in these poses, I began making the exercises more active, using muscular action to increase traction on one stiff area while maintaining an overall focus on release and relaxation. Finally, I worked to integrate these feelings of freedom and ease into my whole yoga practice; in every pose, I focused on practicing with the least tension and effort and the greatest comfort possible. This three-step approach is the core of my program for releasing tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.

Learn to Let Go

Passive relaxation exercises are the core of my program. Just about anyone can benefit from them, even those who've never done a single asana. These poses give you a taste of ease and comfort, a touchstone experience you can refer to again and again as you progress into more active exercises and challenging yoga poses.

Relaxing deeply is a sanctuary, yet few of us allow ourselves to enter it. It feels so good that you'd think it would come easily, but many of us are so accustomed to tension that we have to relearn the natural process of letting go.

The first step is simply lying down on your back on a firm, comfortable surface and letting yourself rest. Almost certainly, you'll feel your muscles naturally releasing tension because they no longer have to work to hold you upright. You may notice you spontaneously let out a sigh of relief.

To relax more deeply, though, you have to consciously build on these natural responses. The secret to doing this is to focus on the movement of the breath in your body, using it to uncover and melt away tension.

Begin by tuning in to your breath. Pick up its rhythm, letting your muscles relax into and move with its gentle rise and fall. Throughout your practice, let this rhythm hold your attention. Feel how your breath creates an effortless expansion and contraction. Also notice any places in your body that seem tense or immobile or unresponsive to the ebb and flow of your breathing. To help them release, imagine saturating these tight, dull areas with the easy rhythm of your breath; if that doesn't work, imagine your breath originating deep within your tense places.

Bringing your attention to your contracted spots will probably help them release. But if you're like most people, you'll also discover tension that's stubbornly resistant to letting go. When that happens, remember to be patient and curious.

Chronically clenched muscles can feel tender, sore, rock hard, numb—or some combination of these sensations. Let your awareness drop deeper and deeper into each tight area, getting to know its specific character. With your breath, ask your muscles to slowly shift from tension to release, from density to expansion, from hard to soft.

Once you've experimented with this undoing process, apply it in some simple reclining positions like the Neck Blanket Stretch and the Arm-under-Back Stretch. These positions use body weight, position, and basic props to create gentle traction on classic neck and shoulder hot spots.

As you explore these passive exercises, don't expect your tensions to melt away instantly. To undo your chronic patterns of holding, you have to learn to focus completely on letting go, and that takes time. Your undoing skills will mature with practice. The more often and more deeply you relax, the deeper your breath will penetrate, and the more subtle your awareness will become.

By starting the undoing process, you've begun a conversation with the residue your past has left behind in your body. Not only can the process lead you to much greater comfort, but it can also be profoundly contemplative and rich with insight. As you relax, you may discover emotions and memories that seem to have been locked within your tension. Years after my accident, I uncovered a surprising amount of anger at my sister for pushing me to go on that fateful date. The undoing process has led me to unexpected stores of positive feelings, too; when I began to practice again after a nearly fatal asthma attack, I found myself flooded with joy and gratitude.

As you continue to release chronic muscular holding, you'll sense that contraction creates subtle vibrations of mental unease, and as these dissipate, you'll discover that easing tension from your neck and shoulders calms your mind, too.

Tame Tension with Traction

Just as I did at first, you need to give yourself plenty of time to become familiar with the undoing process in the simple passive poses. Then begin to explore the more active exercises I call Arm-Across-Chest Stretch, Standing Child's Pose, and Easy Neck Release. In these exercises, you use a little muscular energy to create a bit more traction than you can achieve in the passive poses. But you should infuse these exercises with the same intention that informs the passive ones: Undo tension by finding fluid movement guided by your breath.

In these more active exercises, challenge your concentration by stretching right to the edge of discomfort and then use your undoing skills to release your muscles' resistance. Move slowly and gently, giving your muscles time to assimilate the stretch. If you work too hard or move too quickly, you can create more contraction or strain your muscles. But if you're patient and let yourself be guided by your breath, you can usually trust your intuition about how intense a stretch you can handle.

All three of these poses help you learn to separate and isolate the movements of your head, neck, shoulders, arms, and ribs instead of moving them as one stiff unit. In each exercise, explore how your exhalations can ease away your tension. Every few breaths, you may feel an urge to make a small adjustment in your position to create greater ease, expansion, and vitality. Be sure to make these changes consciously and slowly. This gentle, mindful work will prepare you for continuing to release tension even as you move into increasingly challenging asanas.

Work Hard, Stay Soft

When I began exploring the undoing process, I found that upper body tension usually sneaked back into my practice as soon as I attempted a complex or difficult asana. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. When we try challenging poses, we often engage not only the muscles that need to work hard, but also others that don't contribute to the pose at all. If you struggle to lift into an arm balance like Bakasana (Crane Pose), you may find yourself tightening your throat and grunting and straining. If backbends challenge you, it's easy to end up hunching your shoulders and compressing your neck. But engaging muscles that don't need to work never helps a pose. The excess tension only tires you, stifles the free flow of breath and energy, and makes you more vulnerable to injury.

Yet paradoxically, poses in which it's difficult to maintain ease in your upper torso muscles—twists and backbends, for example—can be the ones that eventually bring the most openness and freedom to your neck, shoulders, and upper back. The secret to making these poses your allies is the same mindful approach you used in the passive and mildly active poses: Move slowly and patiently, making the fluid rhythm of your breath your focus and relying on your awareness of sensation to recognize and undo the excess tension.

Twists like Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana (Revolved Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) and Heart like a Wheel and backbends like Kneeling Dog, Sphinx Pose, Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) require strong muscle action in your upper torso, so you need to keep softness in your muscles even as they work hard. Softness isn't weakness; if your muscles are hard, you're sacrificing the subtle breath-driven movement that helps you distinguish between strong engagement and strain. Your active muscles need to be soft enough to allow these movements as well as the subtle ripples that reverberate through you as other muscles release.

As you explore more active poses, allow the large peripheral muscles to soften enough that you feel your support coming from deeper within. Imagine that you're a flower being opened by your breath. Staying in touch with your breath's inner rhythm lets sensation guide you to areas that are stuck or in pain. When you find such a place, modify the outer form of your pose so you can focus on its inner essence. If your shoulder feels contorted and contracted when you try to reach for the sky in a standing pose like Parivrtta Prasarita, for instance, rest your hand on your hip instead. If your neck hurts when you try to turn your head, let your head hang a bit, experimenting with different positions until you find one that allows you to release the pain and tension. You can slowly work your way toward the full expression of any pose if you're patient and grant the same value to the inner expansiveness of a pose—from which comfort is born—that you give the pose's outer structure.

Practicing with this inner focus can make painful neck, shoulder, and upper back tension a thing of the past. Tightness in your upper body may return from time to time—with my shortened left collarbone and fused vertebrae, I'm still prone to it—but with these tools you can loosen it before it becomes debilitating.

Moreover, the undoing process can transform your yoga. After this kind of practice, you'll not only feel as though you've gotten great exercise, but also as though you've had a good massage. Using this approach, you can move toward any pose in a way that leaves you feeling relaxed, light, energized, and radiant.

Barbara Benagh has taught yoga for 30 years. She lives in Boston and cofounded the Cambridge studio Yoga 301. Her website is www.yogastudio.org.

Give roots to your restorative practice and be free to expand.

By Karen Macklin, Sequence by Jillian Pransky
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It's been a long week, so you sign up for a Friday evening restorative yoga class. Unwinding with some rejuvenating supported postures for an hour and a half sounds perfect—almost like a minivacation. But moments after you close your eyes and immerse yourself in the first pose, an unexpected visitor arrives: anxiety. Suddenly your mind is filled with an endless stream of thoughts about the past week's events, your job security, and everything you have to accomplish over the weekend, not to mention doubts about where your relationship is headed and whether or not you paid that credit card bill. The pose feels as though it's going on forever, and although your body isn't moving, your mind won't stop racing. You feel restless, agitated, and out of control. This is supposed to be "restorative" yoga. What happened?

Restorative yoga is a passive practice in which poses like Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) or Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose) are held for several minutes at a time, propped with blankets, blocks, and bolsters to minimize the amount of work that the muscles are doing in the pose. A restorative practice can rest your body, stretch your muscles, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and calm your nervous system, moving you into a peaceful state of deep relaxation. But while the practice of restorative yoga comes easily to some people, it can present real challenges for others.

"A lot of people think that restorative yoga is like a bliss practice, where they'll just be lying around and relaxing," says Jillian Pransky, the national director of restorative yoga training for YogaWorks. "But the practice of being still and restful provokes anxiety for many people. And during times of extreme stress, such as illness, a difficult transition, or grief, releasing control of the body can overwhelm the nervous system." Passive postures can evoke feelings of discomfort for myriad reasons. On a physical level, Pransky says, the body is in a vulnerable state: You are releasing control of all your muscles, lying with your eyes closed and your chest and abdomen—the location of your vital organs—exposed. In many restorative poses, the body is also splayed out, and often the bones are not resting in their sockets, which can leave you feeling physically unstable or insecure. In Savasana (Corpse Pose), for example, the thigh bones pop up from the weight of the feet on the floor and the external release of the leg muscles, as opposed to resting inside the joint as they do when you're standing or reclining with the knees bent.

On an emotional level, restorative poses can be challenging because, when the body is in a passive posture, the mind has fewer physical tasks and sensations to focus on than it does in more active poses, making your attention more likely to turn inward. Any emotions you might have been suppressing throughout the day—fear, frustration, sadness, anxiety—are likely to come to the forefront of your mind once your body begins to relax.

Finally, if you go very deep into the meditation of the pose, says Pransky, you can lose a sense of your physical shape. If you are in a content and secure frame of mind, this can deepen your experience and provide a sense of bliss; but if you are going through a difficult time, losing a sense of your body can feel frightening and disorienting.

But just because restorative yoga can trigger anxious or uncomfortable feelings doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. In fact, times of high anxiety or stress are the times you can most benefit from the healing aspects of a restorative practice. The solution, Pransky says, is to support passive postures with props in such a way that the body and mind feel grounded, safe, and integrated. That way, you can still experience the benefits of restorative yoga, and can eventually learn to use the practice as a tool for being with all those feelings.

Pransky didn't always teach restorative yoga with these adaptations. Her own restorative practice was initially more about feeling light and blissful than feeling rooted and stable, she says. But 11 years ago, a death in the family brought on a period of intense anxiety that caused her practice to change. Suddenly her former way of practicing restorative yoga—going so deep into the meditation of the pose that she'd be aware only of her energetic body, not her physical body—was no longer blissful but destabilizing and disconnecting. "I was just out there. It was really scary," she says.

Pransky's experience with anxiety led her to develop an approach to restorative yoga that could accommodate and support an agitated mind. She drew on her training in Anusara Yoga, which emphasizes the biomechanical and alignment principles of "integration" (setting up the bones so that you can draw them toward, and not away from, the core of the body). She also tapped into her studies with somatic therapist Ruella Frank, PhD, in which Pransky says she learned how to "contain the outline of the body" with the use of supportive props and blankets so that the body feels cradled and safe, similar to the way a baby becomes calmer when swaddled.

Other techniques for making the body feel less vulnerable in restorative postures include using blankets to create a layer of warmth and protection, and placing eye bags over open palms to create a "hand holding" effect. Pransky also recommends resting the feet against something—a wall, a rolled-up blanket, or a partner—in every pose. This helps the body feel more connected to the earth, she says, and integrates the legs back into the body, creating a deeper sense of stability and safety. Props such as folded or rolled blankets placed to support the arms and legs likewise ensure that the weight of the leg bones and arm bones drops in toward the body, and that the weight of the head is fully supported.

Finally, Pransky recommends leaving the eyes open during a restorative practice if closing them is uncomfortable for you. "When you have a very busy mind, closing the eyes can be an invitation for the mind to wander into worry," she says. "Keeping the eyes open can help you feel more connected to the outside world."

With these adaptations, Pransky says, you can develop the capacity to be more grounded and relaxed in restorative postures, whatever your mental state. "Once you can become more connected to your breath, the whole nervous system calms," she says. "And then, when those difficult emotions arise, you might find that you can handle them more easily than you thought you could."

Rest Easy

The poses in this sequence are designed to give you the experience of being cradled and protected while providing the opportunity for deep relaxation and rejuvenation. When you're practicing them for the first time, it can be helpful to have a friend assist you in setting up the props. Warm up with a few rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, or any other gentle poses that help you connect with your breath. Once you're propped and positioned, take the first few minutes in each pose to sense where you connect with the floor or the props. What part of your body rests most heavily on the support underneath you? Let this area be like an anchor rooting you to the earth. Slowly allow this sense of connection to spread to all the areas where you meet the ground and the props.

When your body feels completely supported, let your attention turn toward your breath. Like an ocean wave, each breath will rise and fall on its own. Rest your mind on the tide of your breath. Throughout each pose, let your attention move back and forth between the earthlike qualities of your body and the fluidlike qualities of your breath.

Stay in each pose for up to 15 minutes. Even a few minutes will make a difference. If you feel restless but want to stay in the pose, you can do small vinyasa movements with your hands to help yourself settle down: Roll your open palms to the sky as you inhale; roll them back to the ground as you exhale.

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose), variation This pose is usually done with the legs extended all the way up the wall. Having the legs lower, with the feet against the wall, encourages grounding by creating a sensation of "standing" on the wall, as opposed to having the feet wide open to the sky. Lie on your back with your calves and feet supported by either bolsters or blanket-covered blocks. Wrap or cover your calves with a blanket. Rest the soles of your feet against the wall. Place an additional folded blanket across the pelvis to help release tension there and to encourage the pelvis to rest more heavily on the ground. Rest your arms by your sides, either palms down or, if facing up, with an eye bag in each open palm. If your upper back and shoulders don't rest heavily on the floor, support them with towels or blankets. Place a folded blanket under your head. You should feel firm support all the way up the torso, out through the arms, and up through the neck and head. Your throat should feel open and tension free. On each exhalation, allow the weight of your lower legs, pelvis, upper back, and head to be fully held. On each inhalation, allow your ribs to expand in all directions. Stay in the pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

Salamba Balasana (Supported Child's Pose) Place blocks underneath the two ends of a bolster and come into Child's Pose, with your torso supported by the bolster. It should feel as though the support is coming up to meet you rather than your torso dropping into the support. Slide your arms underneath the gap between the bolster and the floor, bringing each hand toward the opposite elbow. If the forearms or elbows don't touch the ground, fill in the space with towels or blankets so that you are supported from the elbows to the fingers. Supporting the elbows and arms helps to release tension in the upper back and neck and to integrate the arms back into the body. In order to release tension in the lower back and create a deeper sensation of groundedness, place a heavy blanket on your sacrum. If the base of the shins or the tops of the feet are off the floor, prop them with a rolled-up towel. Turn the head to one side, alternating sides halfway through the pose. On each inhalation, feel the back body expand; on each exhalation, feel the support under the chest and belly. Stay in the pose for 5 to 10 minutes.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose), variation Supta Baddha Konasana opens the whole front of the body: the pelvis, belly, heart, and throat. These are areas we instinctively protect, which is why a pose like this can leave one feeling exposed and vulnerable. Place a block lengthwise under one end of a bolster to prop it up on an incline. Sit with your back to the short, low end of the bolster. Place a second bolster under your knees and bring your legs into Bound Angle Pose with the soles of your feet together. Wrap a blanket around your feet to create a feeling of containment. Place another folded blanket over the pelvis to create a feeling of insulation. Lie back on the bolster. Place supports under your arms so that they are not dangling and there is no feeling of stretch in the chest. Stay in the pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

Side-Lying Savasana and Jathara Parivartanasana (Side-Lying Corpse Pose and Revolved Abdomen Pose), variation Twists are generally good for the nervous system, but some twists can make breathing feel constricted, which can be anxiety provoking. This gentle, supported twist allows more room for the breath to come into the rib cage and belly. Start by lying on your left side with your feet at a wall and your back against a bolster that is at least as high as your spine. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees and support your right knee and shin with a bolster or folded blankets so that the right leg is as high as the right hip; rest the sole of your left foot against the wall. Next, place folded blankets under your top arm and hand to lift them to the height of your shoulder. Finally, tuck a folded blanket under your head and neck to lift your head in line with the spine. Rest here for 2 to 5 minutes. To move into the twist, roll your torso to the right over the bolster, keeping your right arm fully supported by it from shoulder blade to fingers. Your right hand should be no lower than the height of your right shoulder. If you have tightness in your shoulder or chest, try placing more support under your arm until your hand is higher than your shoulder. You should not feel a stretch, but rather as though your chest is open and your breath is fluid. Stay in the twist for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

Savasana (Corpse Pose) Savasana can be a very expansive pose, especially when done with the legs wide apart and the arms away from the side body. Keeping the legs and arms a little closer to the body encourages a more contained feeling. Roll up a blanket and place it alongside a wall. Lie down with the soles of your feet against the blanket. Place an additional rolled blanket or bolster under your knees to encourage the thighbones to drop deeper into your pelvis. This helps release tension in the iliopsoas and allows the pelvis to rest more heavily on the ground. Place a folded blanket over your belly to release tension and weigh the hips down even more. Rest your arms by your sides, palms facing down. If your upper back and shoulders are rolled toward your heart and don't rest heavily on the floor, fill in the space with towels or blankets so you feel firm support all the way up the torso to the neck and head. Support your cervical curve with a small rolled towel and place a folded blanket under the head to create a cradling effect. Your chin should be perpendicular to the floor, and your throat should feel open and tension free. With each exhalation allow the earth to fully hold each part of your body: your heels, thighs, pelvis, upper back, and head. Once you feel completely connected to the ground, rest your mind on the waves of your breath. Stay in the pose for 5 to 15 minutes.

Reverse Savasana (Corpse Pose), variation This reversed variation can feel more secure for someone who feels vulnerable in Savasana. Lie on your belly. Turn your head to the right. Bring your arms out to the side, elbows bent. Take your right knee out to the side. If needed, place a blanket for cushioning and support under the right arm, knee, thigh, belly, or all four. Cover your entire body with a blanket, including the exposed soles of your feet. After a couple of minutes, turn your head to the other side and switch the position of the knees. Stay here 5 to 10 minutes, releasing your whole front body into the ground.

Karen Macklin is a writer, editor, and yoga teacher who lives in San Francisco.

In our speed-driven world, yoga is often fast paced. Yin Yoga offers an opportunity to slow down and come back into balance.

By Lisa Maria, sequence by Sarah Powers

Dina Amsterdam didn't enjoy her first Yin Yoga class. Or her second. Or even her third. Having just finished a three-year teacher training in a style that emphasized alignment and traditional sequencing, she found the practice's long, passive holds of seated and reclined postures uncomfortable, and she wondered about the lack of alignment. Yet the calm afterglow she experienced from the classes persuaded her to keep going back.

It took an unfortunate event—an exhausting illness—for Amsterdam to fall in love with Yin. As she lay in bed, weak and frustrated, she longed to move and stretch her body, but she knew that her usual active practice was out of reach. For the first time, she was grateful for Yin's surrendered approach. "When I did the Yin poses, I felt like a flower that hadn't been watered for a long time getting moisture," Amsterdam says. "It felt like the inside of my body had more space. There was more moisture, more fluid...sort of like a rusty car getting oiled." As her body opened to the experience, her mind followed. Instead of resisting the discomfort she had always felt in her body and mind from being still for long stretches of time, she was able to just sit and be with the sensations. "Emotionally and mentally I felt really soothed. I was aligning myself with where I actually was, so the energy I had been wasting struggling against the illness—and previously the Yin poses—became available to me again. For the first time, I found it deeply relaxing to be with my discomfort."

Yin and Yang

Yin Yoga is based on the Taoist concept of yin and yang, opposing yet complementary forces that can characterize any phenome-non. Yin can be described as stable, immobile, feminine, passive, cold, and downward moving. Yang is depicted as changing, mobile, masculine, active, hot, and upward moving. In nature, a mountain could be described as yin; the ocean, as yang. Within the body, the relatively stiff connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, fascia) is yin, while the pliant and mobile muscles and blood are yang. Applied to yoga, a passive practice is yin, whereas most of today's hatha yoga practices are yang: They actively engage the muscles and build heat in the body.

Much of the Yin Yoga practiced in the United States today was introduced by Paul Grilley in the late 1980s. Grilley's approach has a physical and an energetic aspect. He discovered the physical aspect when he met Taoist Yoga and martial arts teacher Paulie Zink and was immediately inspired. "I'd pretty much exhausted the power of vinyasa, Bikram—you know, anything heavy, hot, and sweaty, I'd already done it," Grilley says. "Paulie's practice was like a huge breath of fresh air, because his approach to the postures was first yin on the floor and then yang, and neither of them was that similar to my previous practice."

When you take a Yin Yoga class, you'll do mostly seated, supine, or prone poses, and you'll hold them, with your muscles relaxed, for long periods of time—up to 5 minutes or more. The theory behind this approach (proposed by Zink) is that staying muscularly passive for long periods of time gently stretches connective tissue, which gets stiff and immobile with age. The asanas focus mainly on the lower back and hips because the abundance of dense connective tissue around those joints requires extra care and attention.

Around the same time that Grilley was studying with Zink, he did a brief stint in acupuncture school and began to wonder whether Yin poses could affect the energy body the way an acupuncture session does. Working with Hiroshi Motoyama, the Japanese scholar and yogi who had studied the body's meridians and chakras, Grilley began to develop the energetic aspect of the practice: The long holds in Yin are thought to benefit the subtle body by targeting the meridians that run through the connective tissue of the hips and lower back. (Motoyama uses traditional Chinese medicine terminology, so instead of the yogic term prana, or life force, Yin yogis use "chi." Likewise, nadis, or energy channels, are referred to as "meridians" in Yin.) So, experienced Yin practitioners can construct specific sequences to stimulate the flow of chi through different energy channels to create a balancing effect on the body, the same way acupuncture does.

Perfect Pair

Grilley sees Yin Yoga as a great complement to most of the yoga that's practiced today, which is predominantly fast-paced, muscle-contracting, blood-pumping yang. First, there are the physical benefits. Yin poses can be modified and made accessible to anyone, and the long holds boost flexibility. Because so much of the work is focused on opening the hips, it's also touted as one of the best physical preparations for meditation. Sarah Powers, who learned Yin Yoga from Grilley, is a teacher who blends yin and yang principles with Buddhist teachings into what she calls Insight Yoga. "In Yin Yoga, you can maintain or recover the natural range of motion in the joints. And you can improve no matter what your age, strength, or level of flexibility, which makes it a practice you can take with you through all the stages of your life," she says.

Equally important are the mental and emotional benefits that make Yin a powerful practice. Powers places much of her emphasis on this aspect of the teaching. "The improvements to flexibility and chi flow are valuable. But they are secondary to the practice of becoming intimate with and accepting of the current state of the body and mind in any given moment," she says.

As Amsterdam discovered on that fateful day when her defenses were down, the very nature of Yin Yoga creates the conditions for meditation—for becoming quiet, still, and aware of the present moment. And focusing first on the physical sensations of a Yin pose can be an easier point of entry for awareness practice than sitting on a cushion and being asked to watch your thoughts. "It gives you something tangible to work with when your hips are aching. It's easier to start out by being in relationship with that," says Amsterdam, who is pictured on these pages and who trained with Powers to teach Yin Yoga. "If you spend time being present with your aching hips and learn how to receive the sensations and bring kindness to that experience, then someday you'll be able to the feel the achy jitters of anxiety and bring kindness to that, too. So you cultivate skillfulness over time in the Yin practice."

Unglamorous Yoga

Although Yin offers balance for yogis who love a more active practice, many students initially find it a turnoff. The poses aren't sexy. The sequences don't offer much to intrigue the mind. And Yin Yoga doesn't play into that sense of accomplishment that keeps some students coming back to the toughest of vinyasa classes every day. No matter how good it makes you feel, releasing your muscles and melting into the floor like a puddle is not particularly exciting.

Take Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose). In the traditional pose, you lift the chest, curve the spine into an even, graceful arch, and reach the legs back strongly to form the tail of a snake. Yin's version of Cobra is Seal Pose, which gently stresses the tissues of the lumbar spine. In it, you relax your legs, turn out your hands, and lean into your arms, which makes you look like, well, a seal. There is no aesthetic gain, no final form to "achieve." But this is precisely what makes the practice so liberating—the ambition that often seeps into asana practice, the intense fire to be better and go farther, can wane. With nothing to strive for, you can relax, be in a pose, and truly notice what's happening within you and around you. That's one reason Yin poses are referred to by English names instead of Sanskrit ones—so that yogis don't associate them with the yang forms and try to recreate them. Thus, a Yin Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is called Butterfly, and Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose) becomes Saddle.

The pace of Yin Yoga also deters yogis who crave speed. It is an adjustment to go from holding poses for five breaths to holding them for 5 minutes. But within the stillness you'll find the gems of Yin. "Landing in this practice helps you take up residence in the body without a need for it to perform," Powers says. When you stop striving and tune in to what's happening, you begin to truly feel the sensations in your body and mind as they arise. Once you accept that you will feel many things during a Yin practice—discomfort, boredom, anxiety—and learn to stay with the chorus of thoughts and feelings, your relationship to them will begin to change. You will learn that you have the inner strength to stay in situations you previously thought you couldn't handle. You will see the impermanent nature of thoughts and feelings as you watch them arise and then pass on their own. And when you stop resisting what's happening around you, you'll gain a sense of liberation and trust in life.

When Amsterdam was ill and no longer had the energy to resist the practice, she discovered that her dislike of Yin hadn't been so much about the poses as it was about her struggle against the physical and mental discomfort that came up. But when she surrendered to the discomfort—consciously relaxed, allowed it to be there, and stayed with it—she eventually experienced a deeply nourishing peace. This shift changed her entire experience of Yin and, eventually, her daily life. "You have two choices in Yin. You can be caught in that losing battle of trying to be somewhere other than where you are. This is a normal, habitual response to disliking something. Or you can soften and let go of trying to control where you are," she says. "And that puts you in the stream of what's authentic, what's true."

These days Amsterdam notices herself allowing the mystery of life to unfold, even though it constantly involves both comfortable and uncomfortable aspects. "I can be buoyant and float down the river, and there's much more ease, even when what's happening is sadness or pain or whatever it is."

Getting to Know You

Although a Yin Yoga sequence can be a complete practice on its own, combining it with a more active practice is most effective. Powers suggests that beginners land in Yin poses after an active practice and that intermediate students do the long-held poses before an active practice.

No matter how you incorporate Yin, if you make it a regular part of your practice, you will find yourself better able to be quiet and listen to your body and your thoughts without judgment, shame, or criticism. You'll begin to know which parts of your body need extra care and attention. You'll know when you need more sleep or when you feel strong and vibrant. You'll tune in to your emotional states and vulnerabilities more quickly. With all this knowledge, you will be able to build a practice that's responsive to your daily needs. And the Yin approach—what Powers and Amsterdam say is an open, relaxed, and curious exploration—will influence your whole life. n

Lisa Maria teaches yoga in Marin County, California. Her children's book about Oprah Winfrey will be released in 2009. Visit lisa-maria.com for more information.

Before You Begin

As in any style of yoga, you may need to modify or abandon a pose. Come out of a pose if it produces a sharp pain or exacerbates a joint strain or injury, if you cannot breathe smoothly, or if you simply feel overwhelmed. An experienced Yin teacher can help you modify any pose with props, which can bring you to a level of comfort you might not otherwise be able to achieve.

Powers says that the breath is your best guide: "If your breath feels tight, shortened, or jagged, if you're holding it, or if you're involuntarily in survival mode, pushing your way through your hold time rather than being curious and interested in the experience, it's a good idea to come out."

With the exception of Seal and Saddle, begin by holding each pose in this sequence for 1 to 3 minutes. Eventually, you can build up to 3 to 5 minutes. Seal and Saddle may require that you begin with a shorter hold of 1 minute, eventually building up to 3 to 5 minutes.

Butterfly

Benefits Lengthens the inner groins and lower-back muscles; increases range of motion in hips.

Instructions Sit with the soles of your feet touching, about a foot in front of your pelvis. Keep your sacrum tilted slightly forward. If your hips allow it, lean forward. When you reach an appropriate edge, let your back round gently.

Modifications For knee or hip strain, support the thighs with blankets or bolsters. For neck strain, support the head with bolsters or hands. For sacroiliac strain or disk displacement, lie with your back on the floor and feet on a wall.

Contraindications Knee strain or sharp back pain.

Saddle (do Sphinx if you have knee issues)

Benefits Restores and maintains the arch of the lower spine; restores and maintains full knee flexion; lengthens quadriceps.

Instructions Sit on your heels, knees slightly wider than hip width. Moving slowly and evenly, lean back until you reach an appropriate edge. You may be able to bring your head or even your upper back to the floor; otherwise, place a support (blankets or a bolster) under your middle and upper back. Come out of the pose on an inhalation, using your arms and abdominal muscles and trying not to torque to one side.

Modifications For knee pain, sit on a low support; in addition, place a thin towel directly behind the knees, between the calves and hamstrings. For ankle pain, place a towel or blanket roll at the bottom of the shins.

Contraindications Limited knee flexion or sharp back pain.

Seal

Benefits Restores and maintains the arch of the lower spine.

Instructions Lie belly-down with your forearms on the floor in front of you, shoulder-width apart. To go deeper, place your hands about a foot in front of your shoulders and turn them out. Straighten the elbows. To lessen the intensity, take the hands farther away from you. Exhale to come out of the pose.

Modifications To decrease sensation in your lower back, try engaging or releasing the buttocks and varying the space between the legs.

Contraindications Disk displacement or sharp back pain.

Shoelace

Benefits Stretches external hip rotators; opens the groins and the lower back.

Instructions Begin on all fours. Cross your right knee behind your left so that your right knee and shin come to the floor, then sit back between your feet so that your knees stack on top of each other. If your lower back rounds, sit on firm folded blankets to keep your sacrum tilted forward. If your hips allow it, lean forward, letting your upper back round gently.

Modifications For discomfort in the lower knee, do the pose with that leg pointing straight forward. If the hip sensations are overwhelmingly intense, sit on blankets or bolsters and use your hands on the floor to bear some of your weight.

Contraindications Knee pain. Omit forward bending if you have sciatica or disk displacement or are in your second or third trimester of pregnancy.

Dragonfly

Benefits Opens the hips, groins, hamstrings, and lower back.

Instructions Sit with your legs spread 90 to 120 degrees apart. If your lower back rounds, sit on firm folded blankets. If possible, walk your hands forward with a straight back. Rest on a bolster if needed. When you reach an appropriate edge, let your back round gently.

Modifications For pain at the back of the knees or painfully tight hamstrings, bend your knees; you can also place a rolled blanket or towel behind each knee or engage your quadriceps. Alternatively, bend toward one leg at a time, either facing each leg in turn or sidebending over each leg.

Contraindications For lumbar disk displacement or sciatica, remain upright.

Reclining Twist

Benefits Stretches, rotates, and releases tension around the spine.

Instructions Lying on your back with your arms straight out at shoulder height, bend your left knee and draw it toward your chest; then draw your left leg to the right and let it descend toward the floor. Gently draw your left shoulder toward the floor as well. Experiment with the following: moving the knee closer to your feet or your head, extending your left arm overhead, and keeping your head neutral and turning it to each side.

Modifications For lower-back sensitivity, bend both knees in the twist. For rotator cuff injury or other shoulder pain, use blankets or a cushion to support the shoulder that you are twisting away from.

Contraindications Continued shoulder pain or sharp lower-back pain.

Happy Baby

Benefits Opens the hips, groins, and hamstrings.

Instructions Lying on your back, draw both knees toward your chest, shoulder-width apart. Aim the soles of your feet straight toward the ceiling, making your shins perpendicular to the floor. Grasp the soles of your feet (from the inner or outer edges, whichever you prefer) or your toes, and actively draw your knees toward your armpits. Experiment, first allowing your tailbone and sacrum to curl up toward the ceiling, then drawing them more toward the floor.

Modifications If holding the feet is uncomfortable, hold the backs of the thighs.

Contraindications Pregnancy; neck, disk, sacral, groin, or knee injuries. Finish After you come out of the pose, bring both knees briefly to your chest, then stretch them out along the floor and spend 5 to 10 minutes in Savasana (Corpse Pose) as your final relaxation.

Lift your heart and brighten your day with this backbending sequence.

By Elizabeth Winter, sequence by Sianna Sherman

Anusara Yoga teacher Sianna Sherman believes in the power of play, a concept that's known in yoga as lila. "Play can so easily be dismissed or even trivialized, as if there's no profundity. But the most profound truths often emerge when you feel free and playful," she says. Sherman contends that a playful approach not only builds self-awareness, but it also encourages you to accept your idiosyncrasies. "When you let play lead the way, you recog-nize that every situation in life is an opportunity for greater heart energy."

To tap into the playful side of asana, Sherman created the uplifting backbending sequence on the pages that follow. She starts the practice with standing hip openers to help establish the blueprint for the hips and legs in backbends. "Once you establish the basic form of your backbend, then you can practice a wide array of variations," she says. The basic form she refers to includes widening the inner thighs and pelvic bones as you root your tailbone down. These actions will keep your lower back spacious and prevent compression as you arch up and back.

As you move through the sequence, pause at the beginning of each pose to feel your breath and to settle into the foundation of the pose. Hold each pose for five breaths, moving your breath into your back body.

Before You Begin

OPEN TO GRACE. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and set an intention.
ALIGN YOUR SPINE. Do several rounds of Cat-Cow.
SALUTE. Do 3 to 5 rounds of your favorite Sun Salutation.

1 Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Come onto all fours, with your wrist creases parallel to the front of the mat. Claw the ground with your fingers so that the muscles on the underside of the forearm tone and lift. Breathe into your back, feeling it broaden with every inhalation. On an exhalation, release your heart toward the ground, softening between your shoulder blades without collapsing in your lower back or armpits. With strong arms and a soft heart, lift your hips and straighten your legs for 5 breaths.

2 Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged Downward-Facing Dog), variation On an inhalation, lift your left leg toward the sky. Bend your left knee and turn your hips so that your kneecap points toward the left. Stay here for 5 breaths. Then straighten your leg again and rotate the thigh so that the kneecap faces the ground. On an exhalation, lower the foot to the floor and do the other side before returning to Downward-Facing Dog.

3 Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) From Downward Dog, step or hop forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), and inhale as you come up to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From there stand sideways on your mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in. Bend your right knee and place your right arm on your thigh or bring the fingertips to the floor outside your right foot. Press the top of your left thighbone back and scoop the right buttock under, as you open your torso to the left. Extend your left arm alongside your ear and stay for 5 breaths. On an inhalation come up to standing, and then repeat on the other side.

4 Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation Return to your wide stance. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in until your pelvis squares toward the front foot. On an exhalation, slide the left hand down your back leg as you curl your torso into a backbend. Rest your left hand on your hamstring as you continue to bend back, extending the right arm alongside your ear. After 5 breaths, inhale and bring your torso upright. Exhale as you switch sides.

5 Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose), variation From your wide stance, walk or jump your feet together and stand in Tadasana. Bend your left knee, bringing the heel in toward your left buttock. Take hold of the inside of your foot with your left hand and raise your right arm up alongside your ear. Square your hips toward the front of your mat, and on an exhalation, tip your torso slightly forward as you stretch the left leg back and up. Stay here for 5 breaths before releasing the left leg. Do both sides.

6 Pigeon Pose Come into Downward-Facing Dog. Bring the right knee forward between your hands, rotate it out to the side, and place the outer leg on the floor. Lower the left leg to the ground. Square your hips toward the front of your mat, and on an inhalation, isometrically draw the knees toward each other. You'll feel your muscles engage. On an exhalation, fold forward and rest your forehead on the floor. After 5 deep breaths, inhale to come up and move through Downward Dog to the other side.

7 Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose), variation Come back to Pigeon Pose, with the right leg forward. Bend the left knee, and take hold of the foot with your left hand, keeping the right hand on the floor or on your front thigh for lev-erage. If possible, spin your hand over the top of the foot so the fingers face forward. Lift the left side of your chest as you bend the left elbow to bring the foot in toward the outer left hip. If you can balance, rest your right hand on your right thigh. Stay for 5 breaths. Step back into Downward-Facing Dog before doing the second side.

8 Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your stomach. Bend both knees, flex your feet, and hold on to your outer ankles. Keeping the thighbones parallel to each other, press the ankles back and root your tailbone toward the floor. On a deep inhalation, lift your head, torso, and legs to come into Dha-nurasana for 5 breaths.

9 Eka Hasta Ustrasana (One-Handed Camel Pose) Kneel with your hands on your hips and lift through your chest. On an exhalation, curl into your upper back as you simultaneously lift your right arm alongside your ear and take your left hand to your left heel. Reach back as far as you comfortably can. Stay for 5 breaths. On an inhalation, bring your torso back to upright. Sit on your heels, then repeat this side before moving on to the second side.

After You Finish

BOW. Sit in Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) and bathe in your inner light. Take Bala-sana (Child's Pose) and make an offering from your heart.
RECLINE. Do Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) on both legs.
REST. Take Savasana (Corpse Pose), with hands over your heart for the first few breaths.

Celebrate your connection to the earth.

By Kelle Walsh, sequence by Kate Vogt
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At the Himalayan Institute, a 400-acre ashram nestled in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, gardening begins before the ground has thawed. By February, the three full-time staff gardeners have begun their work in the greenhouses, nurturing seedlings that will be planted once the danger of frost has passed. Over the next nine months, these workers, joined by a handful of organic-farming interns, will grow vegetables and herbs to feed the institute's residents and visitors (more than 40,000 pounds of organic produce over the past three years) as well as planting beautiful flower gardens that inspire meditative strolls and provide adornment for rooms throughout the ashram.

It's hard but rewarding work, according to garden manager Thomas Woodson—:lwork steeped in mindfulness that blends seamlessly with the yogic ideals that the institute teaches. "I'm inclined to believe that nurturing ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically is what the practice of yoga is all about," he says. "Growing healthy food for yourself and others is a major component of that belief. Gardening certainly creates fertile ground for positive action in the world."

Yoga and gardening are a natural pairing. Planting a seed, nurturing its growth, and experiencing its beautiful expression in full bloom is not unlike the yogic process of setting an intention, nurturing one's practice, and, finally, experiencing the Self as an individual expression of the creative life force. "Gardening, like yoga, pulls us into that relationship of being connected to all things," says Veronica D'Orazio, a yoga teacher in Seattle and the author of Gardener's Yoga. "People garden for that timeless connection."

D'Orazio discovered a connection between yoga and gardening when she began to suffer ongoing back pain that was more noticeable after working in her vegetable garden. As she began healing her back with yoga, she realized that the same poses could counteract the many hours she spent digging, planting, and weeding. These tasks can result in stiff, achy backs; sore muscles; and creaky joints. "We are in these positions that aren't ergonomically good for our bodies," says Margaret Koski-Kent, head gardener at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma, California, which grows 82 acres of organic olive and fruit trees.

A few years ago Koski-Kent, who has practiced yoga regularly for six years to help counteract the physical exertion required by her job, initiated a weekly class at the ranch. "Yoga relieves the strain and stress we put our bodies through," she says. At the beginning of the gardening season at the Himalayan Institute, a resident yoga teacher reviews poses with the gardeners, who are encouraged to take breaks to stretch. "We're in Prasarita Padottanasana [Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend] most of the day," Woodson jokes. "So some of the backbends and supine postures and twists offer really good relief."

D'Orazio puts it this way: "When you do yoga, you mobilize your spine in all of its directions, and this helps reduce injury in whatever you're doing."

On the following pages, D'Orazio recommends key yoga asanas to help support your gardening ventures—and keep you mindful. "In the garden, you're making something beautiful, but there's also so much work to be done," she says. "Yoga can help you maintain a conscious connection to the Earth."

A Practice for the Garden

To get the most from gardening—and to avoid pain and stiffness that can sideline "greenthumbs" in the midst of the season—D'Orazio recommends three distinct practices. The first, a "pregardening" session, gently warms your muscles and creates flexibility in places that need it most, like the hips, groin, shoulders, and low back. A midday standing yoga break will reestablish 
spinal length and help counteract stiffening, repetitive gardening postures. And once the trowel and watering can have been put away, she suggests a 
luxurious reclined sequence, to help ease your body back into balance by using the support of gravity to release any tension in your spine and by reconnecting with your breath and yourself before continuing with your day.

Open up. Find a patch of grass to lie on (or stay indoors for this segment) to do a series of gentle poses that will help warm and stretch your back. Be mindful of your breath. "The breath becomes a current you can follow to allow your body to open, and a focusing tool for the mind," D'Orazio says. "You'll cultivate a sense of mindfulness before you even begin gardening."

Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose) D'Orazio says this basic pose is one of the easiest ways to gently stretch your lower back and hips. It also warms the musculature around your knees, which can prepare you for the squatting postures you'll have to do in the garden. Lie on your back and bring your knees into your chest. Interlace your fingers around your knees. As you breathe naturally, allow your hips and shoulders to relax toward the ground, bringing the stretch into the whole length of your spine. Let the back of your neck, your sacrum, and your spine sink into the ground. Hold for 7 to 10 breaths.

Cat-Cow Pose Cat-Cow encourages the natural curve in the cervical and lumbar spine and sends fluid to the disks, helping to create flexibility and suppleness "so you can move with safety and ease in all directions throughout your day," D'Orazio says. Come to your hands and knees, with knees hip-width apart. Draw your navel slightly in toward your spine, and lengthen from the crown of your head to your tailbone. On an inhalation, arch your back, drop your belly toward the earth, and lift your head, heart, and tailbone toward the sky. Breathe deeply into the entire body. As you exhale, round your back, strongly draw your navel back in toward the spine, and drop your head to gaze up toward your belly. Continue for 10 to 12 breaths, smoothly transitioning back and forth.

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) To prepare your inner thighs and hips for the work ahead, D'Orazio recommends this gentle hip-opening pose. Sit on the ground and press the soles of your feet together. Hook your big toes with your index fingers. Pulling up gently on your toes, extend your chest out over your feet, keeping your spine long, chest open, and collarbones wide. Hold for 7 to 10 breaths, folding deeper as your body allows it. With each inhalation, lengthen your spine; with each exhalation, surrender and settle more deeply into the pose.

Take a break. By the time you're ready for a midday break, you're probably already feeling stiff and creaky. D'Orazio says that this is a good time to stand up, stretch your muscles, get circulation moving through your joints, and reconnect to your body and breath. "When you are involved in a gardening project, 
you get really focused on getting it done," she says. "Midday is a time to make sure you're not overdoing it."

Standing Heart Opener To open your chest and shoulders after a morning of bending and crouching, D'Orazio suggests standing with your feet hip-width apart and your fingers interlaced behind your back. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, draw your hands down toward your tailbone. Keeping your head in line with your shoulders, inhale deeply into your chest and broaden through your collarbones. Hold for 7 to 10 breaths.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), variation Keeping your hands interlaced behind your back, fold forward over your legs, bending your knees slightly. This forward bend will help elongate your spine and neck while you continue to stretch your shoulders and arms and open your chest. It will also stretch your hamstrings. Stay for 5 to 7 breaths, and then come back to standing.

Parsva Tadasana (Sidebending Mountain Pose) Sidebends help counteract stiffness in the spine and have a lengthening and expansive effect. They also open the midback. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place your left hand on your left hip. Reach your right hand toward the sky. As you lean left, stay long through the waist and engage the belly to support your low back. Inhale deeply into the right side. Come up on the exhalation and repeat on the other side.

Unwind & restore.

When your work in the garden is done, it's time once again to tend to your most trusted tool: your body. "You need to release all those places that you've worked or that are stiff," says D'Orazio, who recommends coming down to the ground for this closing sequence. "Lying on your back is more passive for your spine. You can allow gravity to take you into the postures."

Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose) A gentle spinal twist is rejuvenating after gardening all day, D'Orazio says. Lift your feet off the ground and bend your knees to 90 degrees while you bring your arms to the ground in a T-shape. As you exhale, drop both knees directly down to your right side while turning your head to the left. Try to keep both shoulders on the ground (if you can't do this, keep your head neutral for a milder stretch on your neck). Hold for a few breaths. Bring your knees up to center on an inhalation. Repeat on the other side.

Happy Baby Pose This pose releases the lower back and counteracts the constant squatting you do when you garden. Starting in Apanasana, lift your feet into the air, bend your knees, and grab the outer edges of your feet. Your feet should be above your knees. Holding the outsides of your feet, widen your knees away from each other as you press your knees toward the ground. Create a counteraction by pressing your feet toward the sky. Hold for 7 to 10 breaths, relaxing your back body deeply into the ground.

Viparita Karani(Legs-up-the-Wall Pose), variation This pose releases the lumbar spine, providing space between the lumbar and the sacrum, D'Orazio says. Lie on your back and raise your legs, knees bent and feet or calves resting on a support. Relax your arms at your sides, palms up. "This pose allows you to unwind and spend a few moments coming back to the sensations and sounds of the garden while allowing your body to integrate all these stretches before you transition to whatever task comes next," D'Orazio says. Hold for 20 breaths.

Garden paradise: Meditate outside to deepen your 
connection with the natural world.

Earth Find a comfortable seat in your garden and pick 
up a small amount of soil. Hold it for a moment before returning it to the ground. Relax 
the backs of both hands onto 
your thighs. Close your eyes and relax your face, hips, and feet. Take 7 to 10 slow, calming breaths. As you do, imagine that you can grow roots into the earth beneath you. At the same time lengthen your spine upward and balance your head lightly atop it. Now imagine 
the roots growing stronger as you release tension across your shoulders and chest. 
Take another 7 to 10 smooth breaths. Inhaling, visualize 
the earth's nutrients and minerals in your bones. Exhaling, release the muscles away from your bones, all the way from head to toe. Feel yourself supported by the earth.

Notice if you are holding yourself up, away from that support, and consciously let go. Sit quietly for several minutes. Allow 
any thoughts or feelings to be absorbed into the ground.

Surrender yourself the way a plant does. All that you need, you have.

After a couple of minutes, gently draw your attention back to your breath. Bring your palms together in front of your heart and bow your head.

After a few moments, release the backs of your hands back onto your thighs. Slowly lift your head and gently open your eyes. Stand up, knowing that you are fully supported by the earth beneath you.

Flower. Sit comfortably on the ground or on a garden bench. Rest the back of your hands on your thighs. Gently close your eyes. Imagine yourself as a flowering plant. Relax your hips. Lengthen your spine upward as though it were a stem. Allow your shoulders to gracefully release away from your neck like leaves. Take 7 to 10 slow, even breaths through your nostrils. Feel the light of the day softly touching your eyelids and skin. With each inhalation, 
imagine your body absorbing the light. With each exhalation, release tension around your temples and the corners of your eyes, nose, and mouth. As the light penetrates more deeply, let it spark the ever-present radiance in your heart. Take another 7 to 10 smooth breaths. As you inhale, invite the glow from your heart to slowly extend to the inner surface of your body. With each exhalation, relax and allow the rays to recede back into your heart center. Release any remaining tension around your chest, abdomen, throat, and back of the skull, as though clearing space for your inner light to shine more brightly. Sit quietly for several minutes.

In this stillness, you are a flowering plant. When you feel complete, place your palms together in front of your heart, and bow your head. Take 3 to 5 breaths. Release the backs of your hands back onto your thighs and slowly lift your head. Gently open your eyes to return to the garden of life. 

Kate Vogt teaches asana, meditation, and the Yoga Sutra in the San Francisco Bay Area and sits on the advisory council of the Green Yoga Association. She is the co-editor of Mala of the Heart: 108 Sacred Poems (New World Library, 2010).

Kelle Walsh is Yoga Journal's managing editor.