Yoga asana can involve a wide range of different styles and poses, many of which involve bending the back. Back bending poses include dhanurasana (bow), bhujangasana (cobra) and matsyasana (fish). The back bending postures of yoga can be challenging, but when they are practiced correctly they can offer a number of important benefits. It is essential to ensure that you protect your back when you are performing these back bending poses.

1. Counteract the pressure everyday life places on your spine. Many everyday activities and simple bad posture tend to bend the spine forwards. This can lead to back pain and it can force the vertebrae closer together at the front. Back bending postures can counteract this by decompressing the vertebrae at the front and brining back to the natural curve of the spine.

People spending lot of time at work in sitting posture usually has lower back pain (lumbar region) or neck pain (cervical). The vertebrae in cervical and lumbar region are compressed closer twitching the nerves causing symptoms of sharp pain and numbness. In some cases, this pain can also be felt in arms or legs. Back bending yoga postures can help to counteract the pressure from spine.

2. Strengthen your back. The back muscles are among the largest and hardest working muscles in the body, so it is important to keep them strong and healthy. Back bending yoga postures can help strengthen the back muscles, which will keep them fitter for everyday use, other forms of sport and exercise, and for lifting and carrying.

3. Stretch and expand the chest, shoulder, hips and back. Back bending postures do not only help to stretch and strengthen the back. They also use the muscles of the hips, chest and shoulders, which will therefore also enjoy the benefits of these types of postures.

4. Improve your breathing. Expanding the chest and shoulders through back bending postures can help improve your breathing and it may even be able to alleviate some of the milder symptoms of asthma by working on the muscles that play a part in breathing.

5. Relieve back pain. Exercising, stretching and strengthening the back muscles can help to alleviate the symptoms of some types of back pain, particularly the lower back pain that is so commonly caused simply by everyday life. If you suffer from serious back problems, you should be particularly careful with back bending poses and you may want to consult your doctor before trying them. Some back bending positions are also unsuitable for women who are pregnant, particularly if they are in the late stages of pregnancy, so you should consult an expert or a doctor before attempting to alleviate back pain with these yoga poses if you are expecting a child.

6. Keep the lower back long. In order to protect your back when you are performing back bending postures you should ensure that you keep your lower back long. If you are not careful, you could damage your neck or your lower back when you are practicing these poses. These are the most flexible parts of your spine and they are, therefore, at the greatest risk. Keeping your lower back long in postures such as the bridge pose by ensuring that your tailbone is pointing away from your neck, rather than allowing it to shorten, can help to protect it.

7. Position the heels correctly. Another important aspect of protecting your back during backbend poses to ensure that you avoid positioning the heels too close together or squeezing your buttocks together. You need to ensure that plenty of flexibility and room to extend is retained around your hips in order to perform the poses safely and properly. Back bending poses should involve bending at the hips and not just in the lower back. If your heels are too close together or your buttocks are squeezed together, your pelvis will not be able to move as much, which will force your back to do too much of the work.

Backbends can be very beneficial when they are practiced correctly, however, it is important to be careful and to avoid overstretching the back. It can be sensible to work up slowly to the more difficult backbend postures and to use props such as mats, blocks or chairs in order to enable yourself to start with smaller backbends and build your flexibility until you are ready to stretch further.

Image: By vsion (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

References:
Livestrong.com: Back Care Basics in Yoga Poses http://www.livestrong.com/article/102346-back-care-basics-yoga-poses/
My Yoga Online: Back Bends http://www.myyogaonline.com/poses/back-bends
Oh My Bikram: Posture Clinic- Why back-bending is good for your spine http://ombyoga.com/2010/04/28/posture-clinic-why-back-bending-is-good-for-your-spine/
Yoga Journal: Positioning the Heels in Backbend http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/664
Yoga Journal: Bend It Like This- Backbends http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/1776