backbend Archives - THEYOGIMATT

Full Wheel

by Trisha Curling | Oct 31, 2024 | Main Page Display

Full Wheel

Urdhva Dhanurasana

FULL WHEEL

Teaching an intentional class becomes inevitable when you follow the Chromatic system Matt has created. In Chromatic, we’re following a system that sets up the body for maximum execution within our fullest potential. When it comes to more challenging postures like Full Wheel, it’s imperative to prepare the body for ultimate safety. Full Wheel puts us in a vulnerable shape due to the extreme spinal extension that’s required.

If we’re teaching a yoga class on Wheel, setting up our students for success means that we need to be clear on the step-by-step process of teaching such a layered posture. There are specifics for the shoulders, upper body, and hips that must be highlighted. In the video, Matt offers the cues and formula for a road map to guide our students. It offers the opportunity to direct our students, rather than just mentioning a fleeting option in our class.

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SET UP THE SHOULDERS

Drills like we see in the first part of today’s clip help warm up the shoulders, but they also create increased and lasting shoulder mobility when practiced consistently.

Another important detail is positioning. There is some controversy when teaching Full Wheel about whether to instruct to place the hands wide or closer together. Some say it depends on the student, which is true, but we might also consider the viewpoint Matt offers.

He teaches that having the hands wide in Full Wheel gives more access to the shoulder muscles and to external rotation in the arm bones. This will help practitioners get into the back body more, that is, more into the rhomboid muscles, by squeezing the shoulder blades towards one another, which will trigger erector spinae muscles in the upper back. This upper-back activation increases the backbend, making it more accessible.

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FULL WHEEL: TIPS FOR TEACHING THE TECHNIQUES

UPPER BACK VS. LOWER BACK

Of course the low back and pelvis are a part of the equation, but bringing more focus onto the upper back will create accessibility and improved range of motion.

When we watch the video, we see the importance of trajectory. The timing of straightening the arms when coming up into Full Wheel directly influences our push into the upper back versus the lower back. If we lengthen the arms too early, or teach our students to do so, we run the risk of pushing towards the feet and therefore into the lower back. This may cause compression in that area. If we set our students up against a wall, as is shown in the video, we can cue “chest to the wall, then push through the arms.” This will bring the trajectory more upward and encourage the upper back to mobilize.

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FROM THE FEET STRAIGHT INTO THE HIPS

There are 2 terms Matt consistently uses in Chromatic Yoga: Fundamental Action, or focusing on the muscles that are creating the action we need; and Balancing Action, or focusing on engaging the muscles of the opposing action of what our intention is.

When teaching Full Wheel, we cue extension of the hips, which will naturally create external rotation. We do want to employ some internal rotation for counter muscular engagement, but not to the point where we are inhibiting the fundamental action.

Place the feet where they comfortably land; a nice marker is to place the big toes more forward. Ultimately, the placement is about where we have the most power to drive through the heels, so that the hips extend and we activate the gluteus muscles for a more vertical trajectory.

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TEACHING OVER OFFERING

Now equipped with more insight into technique, we have the capability to offer Full Wheel with more intention in our classes. Safely guiding our students is always a priority. When we can offer step-by-step instruction and actually prepare the body for “bigger movements and shapes,” we have more confidence, and so do our students.

There are many who can “get into the shape” with ease, but we can extract increased potential from ourselves and our students when we explore techniques that support muscle engagements that increase mobilization.

Check out Matt’s upcoming 2025 Italy Retreat. Learn how to maximize your potential as students or teachers. Secure your spot here.

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Video Extracted From: Vinyasa Immersion

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Redefine Chaturanga

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Tight Hips

Tight HipsHIP MOBILITYTIGHT HIPS When working to release tight hips, most people instinctively go straight for deep stretches. But one often overlooked area that holds a surprising amount of tension is the adductorS (the inner thigh muscles) that connect to the...

Retraction Of The Scapula

Retraction Of The ScapulaSHOULDER ACTIONSRETRACTION OF THE SCAPULA It may appear that scapular retraction holds less weight in finding deeper backbends, but this action can be quite significant in what we experience when it comes to strength, stability, and...

Conquering Compass Pose

Conquering Compass PoseSURYA YANTRASANACONQUERING COMPASS POSE Conquering Compass Pose isn’t about forcing your leg behind your shoulder—it’s about understanding and participating in the muscular coordination that makes the posture possible. The real power comes from...

Leg Over Head Pose

Leg Over Head PoseEKA PADA SIRSASANALEG OVER HEAD POSE Leg Over Head Pose is one of those postures that challenges not only our bodies but also our mindset. When faced with a seemingly impossible pose, we tend to respond in one of three ways: dismissing it as...

Spanda In Backbends

Spanda In BackbendsSIDE PLANKSPANDA IN BACKBENDS Spanda in backbends is the key to creating both stability and freedom in spinal extension. Backbends are not just about bending; they require a balance between expansion and controlled engagement to prevent excessive...

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Chin Stand

by Trisha Curling | Jul 11, 2024 | Main Page Display

Chin Stand

ganda bherundasana

CHIN STAND

Without a doubt, Chin Stand requires preparation. This posture must be approached with the utmost humility, essential in order to respect the potential risk. If this pose is not explored regularly in our physical practice, it may be quite challenging. At the same time, it’s a rewarding journey! Chin Stand requires an exceptional amount of back and upper body strength, along with a generous amount of front body flexibility. That being said, this posture provides us an opportunity to go more deeply into those areas of the body. We can examine what requires development and attention.

Taking that approach covers the physical, but what is often lacking is the mental fortitude to let go of the outcomes and simply delight in the process. We are capable of taking actions to develop while challenging ourselves.

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POSTERIOR CHAIN FOCUS

Establishing a strong base is the key to preparation, especially when approaching a posture like Chin Stand. We need to be confident while progressing through each step on the roadmap towards the pose. As Matt says in today’s video, the posture is “all about the posterior chain.”

While prone on his mat, Matt demonstrates a drill for Chin Stand that strengthens the hamstrings, buttocks, and lower back. The drill is designed to teach us how to isolate the strength of these areas of the body on each side. Exploring in this way provides the opportunity to find where there may be gaps we need to fill in terms of strength. If we notice that it is more challenging on one side, we can devote more time to that particular area.

What also happens is that we begin to play with the shape that’s created in Chin Stand.

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CHIN STAND: TAKE FLIGHT FROM THESE FOUNDATIONS

PREPARE YOUR NECK LIKE A BACKBEND

Clearly, the neck muscles are in the spotlight in Chin Stand. Flexibility is required along with strength and stability to reduce the risk of injury.

When stretching the neck, the approach is similar to what we’ve learned about backbends with Matt. In backbends, we first send the rib cage forward. In Chin Stand preparation, Matt demonstrates how to send the chin forward, after creating a support under the occiput (the back part of the skull). We then lift the chin to stretch the muscles in the front of the neck. This mimics the lift of the lower ribs up in order to stretch the abdominals in backbends. One of the last similarities is the exit. Just like in backbends, we take care to maintain the shape we’ve created in the neck while we slowly lower the chin. Keep the jaw closed in order to feel the stretch.

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CHIN STAND VARIATIONS

Matt sets himself up with a wall, yoga blocks, a bolster, and a chair. With these props, he delves into various positions with the legs. He offers “stag” positions with either a foot or a knee on the chair. A knee, he suggests, is far more accessible, but placing the foot on a chair more closely resembles the experience in Chin Stand.

Another variation is placing the arms back behind us. We can still explore the same stag options of the legs with this change in the arms.

Matt emphasizes that one of the key points, as we continue with our quest, is that we use our hand grip along with more of our upper body strength in order to keep the neck safe.

When selecting the option in which we turn away from the wall, we MUST have a partner educated in how to support us.

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YOU’RE ALLOWED TO CHEAT

If we do go to the point of doing Chin Stand without any props, we can view “cheating” as part of the humility previously mentioned. Matt discusses rolling the elbows more inward as a way of protecting the shoulder girdle and providing stability. Cheating or not, we are better off keeping safety as our first priority rather than attempting to achieve some “aesthetic.” This is an example of choosing to embrace the process and value our discernment when attempting a posture as complex as this one. It’s not about the outcome as much as it is about the experience and journey. It’s the learning that is most valuable.

Matt’s online course The Pose Factory is the perfect platform to expand our learning. The course offers the keys to creating the foundations we desire in our asana practice. Register today to access the building blocks of maximum potential.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Inversion Immersion

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ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
Appropriate for both teachers and students
Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
Demystify yoga poses and transitions
Release aches and pains
Learn how to avoid common injuries
Caters to all levels with modifications and props
20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
Lifetime access

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Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

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Wake Up Your Wheel Pose

by Trisha Curling | Jun 27, 2024 | Main Page Display

Wake Up Your Wheel Pose

heart opener

WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE

We don’t have to question it—we know whether or not we’re feeling open, free, and strong in Wheel Pose. There’s a lightness and expansiveness that takes over when everything falls into place: From the initial setup to the final expression, everything flows like a set of dominoes falling one after the other. When we don’t have a system of execution with knowledge, practice, and preparation behind it, our Wheel Pose can feel quite listless. So the question becomes, how can we wake it up and revive such a powerful posture? There are a few things to pack into the toolkit in order to find our greatest potential in Wheel Pose, but one of the simplest things Matt encourages us to be aware of is DIRECTION. This plays a key role in cultivating the experience we desire.

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UP AGAINST THE WALL

If you’ve taken classes, workshops, or courses with Matt, then you’ll know that it’s of the utmost importance to take an intelligent approach to a posture, or in other words, to progress toward it; progression is part of the Chromatic way. When practicing the Chromatic system, we break things down into digestible pieces.

At the beginning of today’s video, Matt demonstrates a Wheel Pose drill up against the wall. This drill removes the weight of gravity, allowing us focus on techniques that create more depth in spinal extension. This focus helps us get sensationally in touch with areas of the spine that require careful attention in order to take care in creating further mobilization. We gain the first inkling of the importance of direction, that is, where we send the chest and feet. You’ll see that once Matt walks away from the wall, he sends his chest forward and then up to the sky.

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WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE: DELIBERATE DIRECTION & ALIGNMENT

ROLL UP YOUR YOGA MAT

Standing upright in the first drill allows for a fair amount of “easy” exploration. As we begin to feel more confident, we can progress further. So next, we get down in order to get up.

The next progression in the video is an exploration of Wheel in which we roll up a yoga mat against the wall. Here, we also get a sense of the placement of the forearms. Directing them in a wider, outward angle helps unlock the shoulders and again move the direction of Wheel Pose towards the wall. Matt explains that when the forearms are pulled closer together, it places the shoulders into a more locked position, pushing the direction of the pose into the feet. This is not where we want to be when attempting to maximize depth.

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WHEEL WITH BLOCKS

Here, we swap out the yoga mat for a couple of yoga blocks placed diagonally against the wall. Something to consider here is that even if the feet are not placed far away from the wall, we want to create the sense of a directional pull of the knees away from the wall as we lift the chest up and towards the wall. There is an oppositional pull between the chest and the knees. What may result is less bend in the knees in the final stages of the posture because of the softening of the heart and the depth created in the spinal extension.

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TEST OUT THE OPPOSITE

The sensations of the opposite ways we can feel in Wheel Pose are discussed above: We can feel listless and languid, or rather the desired opposite of the spectrum, namely vibrant, strong, and fully awake.

The only way to understand this is through exploration and practice. Through exploration, we can spend time slightly exaggerating where we “should not be” in the pose. Try it! Move deliberately in the opposite direction to investigate the outcomes.

At the end of the video, Matt first pushes his Wheel Pose in the direction of the feet, but you can see that adjusting by walking the feet out and then pushing in the direction of the wall changes everything about the posture. Changing the alignment and moving in the “right” direction transforms our experience.

Check out Matt’s recent workshop, Freedom of the Heart, to dive deeper into these concepts and transform your backbending practice.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Freedom of the Heart Workshop

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ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
Appropriate for both teachers and students
Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
Demystify yoga poses and transitions
Release aches and pains
Learn how to avoid common injuries
Caters to all levels with modifications and props
20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
Lifetime access

TELL ME MORE!

Continue Learning

Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

All Videos

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the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
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Spinal Spaciousness

by Trisha Curling | Jun 20, 2024 | Main Page Display

Spinal Spaciousness

dancer pose

SPINAL SPACIOUSNESS

Some key indicators of spinal health include strong bones, durable yet flexible ligaments, supple discs, and strong supportive muscles.

Aside from nutrition, it’s not enough to say that movement in general is enough to nurture spinal health. We need to be active participants and intentional about the techniques we use in our movements to actually maintain a healthy spine.

Even when heart-opening postures are a part of our asana practice, we may not be as dialed in to the techniques required to foster spinal health and spaciousness: Promoting space between the vertebrae helps us avoid compression; developing patterns that don’t serve us over time can result in decreased spinal health and increased pain. In his most recent heart-opening workshop, Freedom of the Heart, Matt highlights how to maintain spinal spaciousness in Dancer Pose. Today, we’ll examine some key points to develop in this posture.

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Step-by-step tutorials for each heart opener
Decrease low back discomfort
Increase spinal strength, stability, and support
Improve your standing and seated postures
Improve the flexibility of commonly stuck muscle groups
Injury Awareness: Avoiding spinal compression
Debunk popular alignment with anatomy knowledge
Skillfully guided sequence by the founder of Chromatic Yoga, Matt Giordano
LIVESTREAM DATE: June 9 at 10am Eastern Time (NYC Timezone)
REPLAY: Available immediately, lifetime access

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SENSATIONAL AWARENESS

How can we dial into what’s required of us to reach our potential in our backbends? In the full class, Matt shares the very first step: tuning into the sensations in our bodies. Our bodies are intelligent; they respond in a way that both protects us and supports us in finding more depth in our backbends at the right time.

For the most part, it may be easier to identify the areas where we feel more open, where we have increased mobility; however, tapping into the sensations of the restricted areas will help us open up overall. It’s in these restricted areas where we need to place our focus and effort, for example, by applying the technique of “bowing the spine.” Staying present in the physicality of the experience will unleash the ability to expand and create spinal spaciousness.

WATCH THE VIDEO

SPINAL SPACIOUSNESS: DETAILED DISSECTION OF DANCER POSE VARIATIONS

DANCER POSE PREPARATION & EXECUTION

After sensational awareness comes the utilization of biomechanics and the application of anatomical knowledge. In preparation for Dancer, Matt demonstrates a drill at the wall to practice bowing the spine.

The key cues here include the following:

Moving the ribs forward
Sending the heart up
Pushing the hips and buttocks back
Pressing the hands isometrically downward to increase the lift of the heart

Next, he demonstrates Dancer Pose at the wall. This time, because we’re grabbing the foot, we’re layering on the sensational awareness of opposing forces: sending the knee back while pushing the foot into the hand, and of course, moving the chest forward by bowing the spine. If we were to just reach back without first lifting and opening the front body, there would be increased compression, therefore placing spinal health at more risk.

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KING DANCER

One of the most important actions in the body for King Dancer is the movement of the elbow. The elbow comes in and then rotates to help us hold the foot or strap. This encourages the necessary amount of spinal extension for the posture.

Placing emphasis and awareness on all of the moving parts leads to a more pleasing experience. It’s so important to adopt a systematic approach, knowing that we must first create the spinal extension before moving on to the next actions. Now, Matt continues to emphasize that the approach is not dogmatic, but that listening to the sensations in our bodies will indicate where we need to place our attention and work. This effort may be to relax or to engage a muscle. It may also provide clarity as to where more spinal mobility is required.

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Learn anatomy, biomechanics, asana techniques
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Learn meditation and breathwork techniques
Transformative tools: theming, dharma talks, satsang

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ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

If we repeatedly engage in actions that cause compression in the spine during backbends, we are only furthering damage and placing our spinal health at risk. Spinal spaciousness allows for better quality of movement.

Finding such a lightness and spaciousness in the spine during backbends is not impossible. Often, it comes after a period of more effortfulness: In the process of achieving a heart opener like Dancer Pose, we are engaging the proper muscles and implementing the right techniques. The awareness and repetition of these actions makes us active participants and multiplies our potential.

Matt’s most recent workshop, Freedom of the Heart, delves into the explorations of multiple backbends. It’s in these explorations that we uncover more about what’s possible in our heart-opening practice.

The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

The 300 Hr. Advanced Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Freedom of the Heart Workshop

← See Previous Story See Next Story →

ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
Appropriate for both teachers and students
Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
Demystify yoga poses and transitions
Release aches and pains
Learn how to avoid common injuries
Caters to all levels with modifications and props
20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
Lifetime access

TELL ME MORE!

Continue Learning

Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

All Videos

THE FREE TECHNIQUE PACK

When You Subscribe, You Will Get Instant Access to

the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
exclusive online course discounts
exclusive blogs and videos

Steps To Scorpion Pose

by Trisha Curling | Jun 13, 2024 | Main Page Display

Steps to Scorpion Pose

vrschikasana

SCORPION POSE

Exhilarating, stimulating, and enlivening are a few words we can use to describe Scorpion Pose. We can also use words such as grounding or even relaxing, which might initially be considered strange descriptors. When we explore and apply Matt’s techniques in a methodical way, we begin to understand that Scorpion requires both strength and a degree of softening and letting go. Once we get into the intricacies of this backbend, we adopt the ability to “relax” into it.

Further, we develop the gift of discernment. The challenging nature of the posture forces us to use caution in exploring what works for our individual bodies. The journey reveals a deep discovery of the self.

FREEDOM OF THE HEART

Learn how to access pain-free heart openers
Technique-infused 2-hour workshop
Step-by-step tutorials for each heart opener
Decrease low back discomfort
Increase spinal strength, stability, and support
Improve your standing and seated postures
Improve the flexibility of commonly stuck muscle groups
Injury Awareness: Avoiding spinal compression
Debunk popular alignment with anatomy knowledge
Skillfully guided sequence by the founder of Chromatic Yoga, Matt Giordano
LIVESTREAM DATE: June 9 at 10am Eastern Time (NYC Timezone)
REPLAY: Available immediately, lifetime access

✋ SIGN UP HERE

MOBILIZE THE SPINE

Matt teaches techniques to prepare more specifically.

In preparatory postures, there’s more that takes place than simply arching the back or assuming that it’s enough to anteriorly tilt the pelvis.

Throughout a backbend practice leading up to Scorpion Pose, pulling the belly in and up helps create a spaciousness in the spine that minimizes compression. The action activates the transversus abdominis and engages the back muscles for support, and it shifts the vertebrae and intervertebral discs forward. Here, we also utilize discernment. Yes, we are trying to lift and send each vertebra more forward, but we must also tap into which segments of the spine feel more “stuck.” Going to the position that feels doable is key. We can use this information in further supplementary work in this asana practice or in others.

WATCH THE VIDEO

STEPS TO SCORPION POSE: BACKBEND TECHNIQUES CLARIFIED

KING COBRA PREPARATION

After many postures and positions that contribute to preparing for Scorpion Pose, Matt teaches King Cobra. He notes that it’s a great posture to explore as part of the Scorpion toolkit because it provides almost the same joint relationships. The difference is that it’s flipped over, with the belly as the base of support.

In the video, Matt offers 2 variations. One variation makes use of a bolster, which provides support under the rib cage. Using the bolster provides feedback as to how much we are lifting and lengthening the abdomen when we send the spine forward.

The variation without the bolster includes the cue about “softening.” It’s not that we shouldn’t soften when using the bolster; in the second variation, he’s simply reminding us when and where to implement this action.

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

GET CERTIFIED & DEEPEN YOUR YOGA PRACTICE

Deepen your yoga practice
Build confidence speaking in front of groups in person and online
Learn foundational class structures and templates
Learn techniques for a wide range of yoga postures
Get certified and highly qualified to teach yoga
Yoga Alliance Globally Recognized Certification Program

LEARN MORE!

SCORPION STEPS

A key consideration is to de-emphasize touching the feet to the head in Scorpion Pose—body proportions play a role in whether or not this is actually possible. Emphasizing healthy and safe spinal extension will reap greater rewards.

Here are some key steps when practicing Scorpion at a wall:

On all fours, turn the hands out and set them wide
Soften the heart towards the ground
Snake the chest through the shoulders
Kick the feet up to the wall
Reach into the wall with toes or heels
Simultaneously reach the chest and the feet towards the wall

There’s no doubt about the strength required to follow these steps. The pattern practiced in King Cobra is recreated by softening down the chest while pulling towards the wall. Again, it’s this “relaxing” into the backbend that helps create the required space between the vertebrae.

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

GET 500 HOUR CERTIFIED AS A MASTER TEACHER

Master your skill set as a teacher through refined techniques, anatomy, biomechanics, sequencing, philosophy, meditation techniques, theming, yoga business, and much more!

Get 500 hour certified
Learn anatomy, biomechanics, asana techniques
Expand your teaching skills
Masterful sequencing and verbal delivery
Learn meditation and breathwork techniques
Transformative tools: theming, dharma talks, satsang

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JOURNEY OVER DESTINATION

We can get caught up in the aesthetics of a robust posture like Scorpion Pose, but Matt always emphasizes that the beauty lies in the discoveries we make about ourselves. As we explore our potential, many opportunities are produced that help us learn more about the levels of our willingness to challenge ourselves and our ability to pull back when necessary. On a physical level, we learn about our capabilities and our limitations in a particular instance. With regular practice, we gradually transform our experience overall. Following precise techniques, along with a willingness to explore, supplies us with confidence.

We can apply this to Scorpion by calling the touching of the toes to the head the “destination” and all of the spinal explorations along the way the “journey.” If we let go of the destination, we can appreciate all of the outcomes of the journey.

Matt’s recent 2-hour online Freedom Of The Heart workshop reveals techniques and increased insight for stronger, safer backbends.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Inversion Immersion

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