But the ancient yogis knew the importance of backward bending, they even made it part of their sunrise practice, calling it "stretching the east" - as opposed to the "stretching the west" for forward bending.

Backward bends stretch and strengthen the front part of the torso, the shoulders, pelvic girdles and legs.

They stretch and strengthen the iliopsoas muscles, which lay deep in the abdomen and pelvis and bind legs to the spine; the diaphragm and intercostals muscles for breathing; the anterior muscles, which bind the shoulder girdles to the spine; and the anterior muscles of the legs.

They also strengthen the superficial and deep muscles of the back, stretch the abdominal organs relieving visceral compression, gently compress the kidney or adrenal area, stimulating its function, and stretch the muscles of neck and throat, including the area of the thyroid and thymus glands.

During backbends the thymus is pressured and then released, which helps the immune function. The nervous system benefits, as cerebral spinal fluids are released, resulting in a feeling of clearing of the mind. Backbends also releases lymphatic fluids by opening the chest, armpit and groin where lymph nodes and glands are located.

Because they are mostly a dynamic pose, backward bends build heat and stimulate the metabolism. They counter-pose, the forward bending, dominates the day for many of us - sitting, driving, housework and working at the desk.

As they open the chest, backbends are uplifting and promote better breathing, expanding your heart center to allow you to bring joy and vitality into your life.

Many people are not comfortable or encounter fear when doing backbends, this is why strong backbends are not usually taught to beginners. But everyone can benefit from gentle backbend as long as they don't push themselves beyond their maximum range of motions.

As a backbend puts the spine in an unusual position, you should approach it very gently.

Those with back problems, pain or injury should seek the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher.

Working with your breath can help you feel calm and move into a backbend safely. Inhale to lengthen out the lower back, and exhale to allow yourself to sink deeper into the posture. If you feel a strain in your breathing while in the posture, ease out of the pose until you are relaxed.

Your breath will indicate whether you need to make adjustments to your backward bend, as will your knees - depending on whether are rolling in or out, an overextended lower back, and your own facial expressions.

These are three basic backbends targeting different parts of your body.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana): JP/P.J. Leo

Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

This pose strengthens the lower back muscles and opens the chest area.

Lie on your belly on the floor with legs extended behind and either have the inner ankles touching or open the legs as comfortable as you can. Allow the forehead to rest on the floor so the back of the neck is long and extend the arms beside the body, back of the arms and hands on the floor.

Inhale as you lift the chest and legs off the floor, keeping the shoulders un-hunched and plenty of length in the back of the neck.

Lift the hands and wrists as you extend the fingertips back toward the feet. Breathe here for a few breaths. Keep the neck and shoulders soft and relaxed.

Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)

This backbend opens the chest, stimulates the digestive organs and increase mobility in the vertebral column.

Lie face down on the floor with the palms of your hands down under the shoulders and fingers facing forwards.

Make your body as long and alive as possible, extending from the back of the waist down through the lower back, hip, buttocks, thigh, calves and soles of the feet.

Tuck your tailbone under so the pubic bone presses the floor. Inhale and lift the chest upward without using any pressure at all on the palms. How high you go depends on your mobility and your strength.

Press the palms to the floor and continue to curl the spine up off the floor. Keep the inner legs and feet together as you press the pubic bone in to the floor and move back the arching action a little higher up into the middle back.

Keep the shoulders soft and keep a micro bend on the elbows so you're not locking them and keep the back of the neck long. Stay for a few breaths and exhale as you come down.

Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana)

This backbend strengthens and opens the chest, hips, lumbar spine and fronts of the thighs. It works on the nervous system to invigorate the whole body.

Lie on your back on the floor with your arms beside you, knees bent, feet hips width apart, and heels in line with the sitting bones. Your toes should point straight forward rather than out to the side.

Press hard into both feet as you inhale and lift the hips raising the buttocks off the floor. With the arms extended toward the feet, lengthen the arms towards the heels, or interlocking the fingers.

Press the arms down against the floor as you lift the hips higher, rolling up onto the top of the shoulders. Tuck the chin in towards the chest and keep the back of the neck long. Take your knees closer so they track forward over the toes

Backbends are balanced by forward bends, so do any seated forward bends of your choice to counter the arched back, and a twist to release the lower back. Always end with the corpse pose (savasana).

Bending backward turns the body out to face the world from a different perspective. Like other yoga poses, the beauty is not just in the physical expression of these poses, but how the poses gradually affect your physical, mental and emotional being. Namaste.

The writer is a yoga practitioner and teacher. Yoga Connection is a regular column on all things yoga, appearing every second week in the Body & Soul section. For questions and comments, please email her at dasmaran@indo.net.id.

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