The State Of My Backbend

[Bendy]

Doesn't look horrific from the side, but I am having a very hard time straightening my arms and turning my armpits toward each other (they are bowing out like cowboy legs---very sad).

I wonder if it would be a bad thing to turn my wrists in and my fingers out more in order to help turn in the elbows and shoulders? This is not something I have heard the teachers saying to do, and it probably wouldn't be enough to make the difference.

So what do I need to do to facilitate this change? I use a strap on the first few backbends to help me continue to work on moving the elbows in. This certainly helps, but are there other tips to help facilitate this? (Like maybe duct-taping my shoulders into the right position?)

Did six or seven backbends (lost count) this evening after full Primary and some intermediate. They felt decent, considering the above mentioned limitations. The shoulders want to turn out; they very badly want to turn out; I try to work against this tendency, but it is hard and doesn't seem to be making much difference.

Is all coming? Sometimes I'm not sure. Impatience is not a yogic quality.

[Bendy]

Globie, Oh, that's too bad. One thing I wish is that they'd be more consistent---those bad days can be so discouraging!

Tove, Thanks! Yes, I will think of pushing the thumb/first finger down.

It seems like it would be difficult to get into a backbend on headstand arms, but I will try it!

Also I did buy a ball, but haven't inflated it yet!---maybe that will help?

Thanks for your comment!

[Tova]

it looks gorgeous to me, love :) my arms tend to bow out a little bit, as well. i think you hit on something when you mentioned the weight of the pose in your outer hand. try pressing into the thumbs and first finger. just doing this can help engage the muscles to rotate the elbow back in (which is actually outward rotation of the humerus).
also you might try backbend with headstand arms, on elbows fingers linked, to help open up the upperback and shoulders more. but ultimately, that is a beautiful bend! once i told a teacher that i thought that i was too bent into my knees in backbend and it looked ugly and he said, so? eh.

[Globie]

My backbends were a distaster last night, my knee clicked out horribly, aaaahhh

[Bendy]

Globie, yes, that is hard for me, too. They never feel right the first time, but then the whole backbend feels pretty wrong on the first one.

Time to go practice! Oddly, I'm looking forward to backbends!

[Globie]

I find the hardest thing is getting my hands in the right place for the first one, usually have to adjust once off the ground or come down onto the top of my head and push up again

[Bendy]

Putmoo, Hmmm, if Annie says to do it, that means it's okay!

But what you said about causing problems later on is what makes me hesitate to do it.

There are just so many things going on in UD. I can't think about them all at once, but right now, I'm trying to concentrate most on the shoulder/arm thing.

[Putmoo]

I recall having Annie Pace advise us in the past to turn our fingers outward when getting set up for UD for the very reason that you are wondering about - that it brings the elbows in. Keep in mind if you try it that too much inner rotation can cause other problems later on. Especially for people like me who can never seem to just do what is advised but always seem to over do things. Today, I did some UD's without the strap and it actually felt alright even though I did not feel quite as much opening in the back of the heart as I do when I use the strap. Bit by bit....

[Bendy]

I put the strap just above my elbows. At first, I could barely push up into a backbend with the strap on, because it forces me to use different muscles, but it's getting better. I was thinking of using one on my legs, too, but I only have one strap at the moment!

I wonder what muscles are the primary ones used (arms) when you do a backbend properly? It might help to work on strengthening those.

(P.S. I suspect my UD looks pretty bad from the front!)

[Globie]

Looks a good UD 2 Me! I already use a strap to stop my knees and feet heading west, where would you put a strap to help your arms and shoulders?

[Bendy]

Wayne, What's the rush? The rush is I want my backbends to improve now. Now now now. Just kidding (sort of). I should look more at my progress and less at my limitations. :) Keep working on them.

Dizziness has gone. Maybe something was realigning, I don't know.

BBY, I remember doing the ankle thing a long long time ago---had forgotten about it. Will put hubby to work!

Oh! I notice also that a disproportionate amount of my weight is on the outside of my hands---a natural result of the arms turning out, I guess.