Back Bend Seated Pose Sequence

Front 1

Bridge pose

Back 1

setu bhanda sarvangasana

Front 2

Bridge pose general form

Back 2

keep knees bent
feet hip distance
arms at your side, fingers should graze heels
gaze to ceiling
bend elbows, fingers point to ceiling, palms face

Front 3

Bridge pose action formula cues

Back 3

press into the four corners of your feet
firm your buttocks without clenching and lift legs and pelvis up keeping your inner thighs moving down and outer thighs moving up
feet under ankles
tailbone draws on toward pelvic bones
as you lift hips and pelvis, lift sides of chest up and back
bring shoulder blades in for a lift in your chest

Front 4

clasp general form

Back 4

straighten your arms toward the floor and clasp your hands beneath you, if you can not bring your palms together and straighten your arms return to robot arms

Front 5

after clasp action cues

Back 5

press outer arms and pinky side of hand down, roll shoulders further under your body
sternum lifts up, chin moves slightly away from sternum

Front 6

to come out of bridge

Back 6

unclasp hands
slowly lower hips and pelvis to floor
bring knees together, rest

Front 7

leg raise variation

Back 7

lift right knee into the torso and extend the leg perpendicular to the floor
release the foot to the floor
repeat with left leg
slowly lower hips and pelvis to the floor
supta bada konasana

Front 8

supta bada konasana

Back 8

bring the bottoms of your feet together and let your knees splay out to the side, rest
with the help of your hands bring your knees together
roll to the right, using your right arm as a pillow
user your left hand to help yourself up
ustrasana at the wall

Front 9

Ustrasana at the wall( 1st round)
general form

Back 9

kneel in front of the wall
with thighs up against wall
knees hip distance
with toes tucked being with bringing your hands to your sacrum with fingers facing down, scrub the flesh of your buttocks down with your hands

Front 10

ustrasana set up action cues

Back 10

inner thighs draw back
tailbone down
lift chest up and back
press shoulders in
bring your hands, at the same time, to your heels
keep front ribs soft
keep low spine lifting by lifting back bottom ribs away from pelvis
keep gaze up
broaden upper back, as you turn your arms out
lengthen neck equally

Front 11

to come out of ustrasana

Back 11

leading with your chest come back up
vajrasana sit back on your heels, big toes to touch, hand on lap, rest

Front 12

ustrasana at the wall ( 2nd round)

Back 12

with toes untucked
toes point straight back
press tops of feet down
isometrically draw your feet and legs together
inner thighs draw back
tailbone down
lift chest up and back
press shoulders into spine
bring both hands at same time to your heels
palms face down, fingers toward toes
keep front ribs soft
keep low spine lifting by lifting back bottom ribs away from pelvis
keep gaze up
broaden upper back as you turn your arms out
lengthen neck equally

Front 13

ustrasana to dandasana at the wall transition

Back 13

leading with you chest come back up
vajrasana - sit back on your heels, big toes to touch, hand on lap, rest
roll your seat to the right of off your heels and turn yourself around to come to sit against the wall
extend your legs out on front of you,
feet and legs together, hands at your sides

Front 14

Dandasana action cues

Back 14

press hands into the floor next to your hips
reach forward through the heels and ball of foot
draw toes back toward your hips
back of heels to the floor
*do not allow feet to come up - hypertension of knee
press thighs into the floor
sacrum in, low belly in and up
deepen hip crease
lengthen all four sides of ribcage away from pelvis
chest and upper back broad
shoulders over hips, ears over shoulders

Front 15

pashimottanasana general form

Back 15

raise arms to the ceiling and begin to slowly hinge at the hip crease, keeping a long spine, fold forward, hands come to the outside of feet or to your shins

Front 16

Pashimottanasana action cues

Back 16

fold forward with a long spine, not floor ward
keep the middle of sit bones grounded
shoulders draw away from ears
keep chest broad
draw upper spine in
chest and crown of head draw forward to create extension in torso
inhale lengthen
exhale fold deeper