Well, we all knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, and that time has indeed arrived! Yoga has made its way to the blog as a featured thing I like(I, for one, say finally!) As most of you know, yoga has taken on a significant role in my life, like a good therapist or a fourth child. I am addicted, I admit it, I crave yoga! It literally saved my life (and in lifted my butt!).
This blog, however, is not about yoga, or my "issues" it is about a major physical benefit of yoga, a flexible spine. There is a saying in yoga circles that you are as young as your spine is flexible! That is all I had to hear! In a quest to be forever young, I have been focused on the spine ever since! One great way to strengthen and improve flexibility in the spine is practicing back bends!! These are the poses I used to dread in every class until about a year or so into my practice. At that point, I decided I was going to embrace them and just let my body do its thing...and about a year after that, I finally feel comfortable and strong enough in some back bends to actually enjoy them....and I do, I LOVE back bends, they are so amazingly liberating! For me, it feels like a big yawn for the body, you know that feeling you get after taking a wonderful stretch in the morning? I love back bends!!
The pictured pose, Cobra pose or bhujangasana is one of my favorites. It is not a terribly difficult pose, but it feels ohh soo good and is filled with benefits for your body. We spend so much of our day hunched over a desk, keyboard, steering wheel, or loaded down with kids that the opportunity to actually take a long stretch in the opposite direction feels magnificent! In addition to increased strength and flexibility in your back, this pose will energize your sympathetic nervous system, and internally is a great pose for strengthening the kidneys and adrenal glands. Ahhhhhhhh....
Things I Like...A Flexible Spine
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