“There’s very little that we do day-to-day that encourages a backbend movement in our body. Our whole back-body is generally not in an engaged state,” says Christina Hatgis, co-founder of Brooklyn’s Mala Yoga, where workshops on backbends are often on the schedule. “And then we go to yoga class once a week, and we’re asked to engage it.” Your spine is not like a switch you can just flip on. The key to avoiding pain and injury, Hatgis says, is learning to engage in a smarter, safer way. If you do it right, you’ll be able to progress into deeper bends, building strength and flexibility that will protect your body in every pose (from chaturanga to conference-room-chair). “If you’re really grounding down through your shin bones and the tops of your feet, you’re able to maintain more of a lift of your hips over your knees, and now you’ve got some length in your lumbar,” Hatgis advises. Click here for the three tips Hatgis shared with Well+GoodNYC on how to do better backbends—that won’t make your back hurt.
