Backbend experiment: Arms straight, feet … up?

A few weeks ago, I highlighted a backbending trick that Jörgen Christiansson tried out on me.

On Thursday, he took it even further.

As a reminder, here’s what happened earlier this month:

Then he motioned for me to turn around. “Do another backbend, with your head this side.” In other words, with my feet near the wall, my head away.

But that wasn’t all. Jörgen had me put my feet up on the wall and push up into handstand that way.

Thursday, after a usual hands-to-his-ankles adjustment, Jörgen told me again to hold on. He returned with four — four! I knew I was in trouble — big cork blocks. He set them against the wall, two each in a pile (As I was picking them up at the end of the practice, I figured they stacked to about eight inches.) He said very clearly, “I want to try an experiment.”

Via ashtangayoga.info

Oh boy.

And then he had me situate my feet on them, and again with hands to his ankles, up we went. For a long time (for me): 10 pretty long breaths.

So, to be clear, my feet were about eight inches above my hands; well, maybe five or six, if you take into account that I was holding Jörgen’s feet.

And I think my arms got about as straight as they ever had. So that argues for trying this, if you are having any troubles or trials with backbends.

That said, I do have a caveat: On my own, one of my earlier backbends — with my hands anchored just against but not at all up that wall — seemed pretty successful, meaning my arms seemed remarkably straight.

So either I was particularly loose or I may not have a very clear perspective on how straight things were. But… I still say give it a shot.

Posted by Steve