Target your tight spots to
go deeper and discover your
best backbend ever.
REINVENT
YOUR
WHEEL
back & twists
MODEL: EDITH UBUNTU CHAN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS MCDONALDimpulse is often to rely on pure force to mus-
cle yourself into the pose. When you do,
there are a few telltale signs that this is hap-
pening. You hear yourself grunt as you go up.
You feel your knees and feet kick out. You
push up quickly and pop your shoulders out
of joint, overstretching the delicate rotator-
cuff muscles. A large, pulsing vein bulges out
on your forehead. Do any of these things
sound familiar? Such a brutish approach to
Wheel not only puts your muscles and joints
at risk for injury, but it also unravels all the
hard work you’ve done maintaining the
integrity of your breath.
Fortunately, you can strike a balance be -
tween yearning and frustration. To do so in -
volves the yogic concept of self-study,
known as svadhyaya. Instead of pushing
yourself into the pose, you can apply svadhyĦ
aya by refining your awareness of what is
happening in your body and mind. One way
to do this is by breaking down the pose into
three components and assessing how yourAh, beautiful Urdhva Dhanurasana.
As the arms and legs press strongly down
into the ground like pillars, the entire length
of the spine curves into a deep, even arch.
It’s striking, it’s inspiring, and it’s... well,
everywhere. Walk into nearly any hatha yoga
class at any time of day, and you’re likely to
encounter the pose that is also known as
Upward Bow or Wheel Pose.
It’s easy to feel simultaneously seduced
and humiliated by Urdhva Dhanurasana. The
pose might evoke a burning desire to achieve
and conquer this backbend, but if you’re a
beginner, you might be worried that you won’t
make it up. And if you’re a more experienced
student who has pressed up dozens of times,
you might find yourself quietly wondering, “Is
it still supposed to feel like this? Am I sup-
posed to feel the lower-back twinges, the
shoulder soreness, and the occasional after-
class sacral aches?”
In either case, when fear or frustration
about Urdhva Dhanurasana arises, the firstby Andrea Ferretti and Jason Crandell photography by Rory Earnshaw
72 YOGAJOURNAL.COM YOUR 6-WEEK YOGA GUIDE TO BUILD STRENGTH