Arm and shoulder stretch, September 2022.
I don’t want to stop the process that has become so interesting lately. All the back bending asanas and exercises that I did during my morning practice last month helped me to find back bending less difficult. This cannot be seen dramatically, but I feel it. I feel much less resistance to bend backwards.
I found 2 excellent teacher who help me on my back bending journey: It’s Ugi on Omstars (this is her Instagram page) and Anmol Singh on YouTube. The videos that Ugi and Anmol produce are excellent. Both are super experienced. The sequences are well thought through. I get out of my routine that makes me feel stuck. I’m amazed how many exercises support the back bending journey. Trying new poses and routines raise the attention. I have the feeling I leap ahead. I’m happy with tiny steps as well.
Ugi and Anmol teach also very advanced asanas. It looks all easy when they do it. Yet some asanas are not doable for me. One can pause the video and exercise the asana several times. This. is one possibility. Repetition helps to get deeper into a pose and to understand it better. Nevertheless I also have to omit some very advanced asanas. To reach my feet with my hands when bending backwards won’t happen overnight, also not within a month. It’s important to stay creative. It’s not necessary to follow rigidly a sequence.
One must pick oneself up at the level that is comfortable. From there one can push forward. Tiny steps are great. These tiny improvements are underestimated. It adds up. Breaks ruin the progress. Keep practicing is easy said, but so important.
My development is slow, but steady. I also know set backs.
The pose in the picture stretches the shoulders and upper body. The fingers are interlocked, the palms face the ceiling. I move the arms backwards. A stretched upper body is necessary for a deep urdhva dhanurasana. It’s possible to repeat this little exercises whenever it crosses one’s mind.
My goal for September is to drop back again into urdhva dhanurasana. I’ll work on coming up to a standing position as well. Therefore the hands must walk closer to the feet. 🦶 A courageous goal.