Backbend into Greater Love

Oh the Backbend,

the beautiful backbend! 

I am most passionate about the backbend right now. 

It is my FAV of the day.

I was intrigued when I read an article about falling backwards into a backbend.  It takes great strength throughout the core to drop into a backbend  and I decided that I want to emphasize that in my practice. 

 So how do you go about it? 

 It takes time,

 it takes warming up,

 it takes building strength,

 it takes asana practice such as upward facing dog, fish pose, a standing back bend, bow pose and a wall to walk your hands carefully down.

You simply have to start where you are.  This is an acceptance of what is.  Accept where you are, today, right now, and just be.  When you resist "where you are," saying/thinking phrases that begin with "shoulda, woulda, coulda," you get tangled up in the chaos of the mind.  Simplify life.  Start where you are.

The backbend can do wonderous things, physically.
1.) It gives more flexibility to the spine.
2.) It gives strength to the muscles all along the spine and shoulders. 
3.) It allows that spinal fluid to lubricate the spinal disks.
4.) Backbends stretch the front of the body allowing more space for the digestive tract, liver, pancreas.
5.) The abdominal muscles stretch and lengthen. 
6.) The ribs expand and the chest opens allowing more space for the heart where the fourth chakra resides.
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The Heart Chakra

Now let me take a minute here and give the heart chakra the attention and love that it deserves.  For this is one of the main reasons I am so happily attuned to backbends right now.  This is where I am discovering the mental benefits.
The heart center is associated with love, trust, compassion and acceptance.  It is where we bring about healing.  When we open the chest and expand the heart, we create more room for the heart and the positive energy flow. This expansion also bleeds out the negative, the blockages, the distrust, unacceptance, doubt and fear.  When you open the chest and allow the heart to shine :)  through breath and intention, you are doing more than strengthening and stretching, you are opening to the greater gifts that you have.  You are cultivating the river of unconditional love, trust, forgiveness, letting go, inspiration, confidence and acceptance that the heart holds within.  These emotions are now more readily able to flow out into the world.

Bend the back and breathe into the heart opener.  Feel these emotions stirring.  Feel the heartache and negative melt and release into the atmosphere as it rises up and dissipates.  Allow all that is good to increase and spin and radiate outward. 

Backbends. 

Oh sweet backbends. 

Open heart.

Deeper love.

Greater acceptance

Of yourself,

Of the world.
Try one. 
You know you want to.