How I came to love backbends

I have practiced yoga for about 10 years and marveled at the benefits. I feel better physically, emotionally and spiritually. Physically fit throughout my adult life, I have completed marathons, short triathlons and many long distance recreational events. Lean and built unmistakably like a runner; unfortunately, I am also stiff and usually feel like a six foot piece of lumber. Flexibility is not my forte – before yoga, bending forward to touch my toes or bending backwards to look at the ceiling were all out of my reach.

The lack of flexibility and the need to offset the effects of a highly stressful executive job is why I turned to yoga. As I passed fully into middle-age, I found myself becoming noticeably stiffer and subject to regular aches and pains. My lower back throbbed. From time to time, an intense sharp pain between my shoulder blades would remind me of a car accident I was in decades ago. I suffered from pinched nerves in my neck and had a difficult time looking up or turning sideways. I lived with the nerve-tingling, numbing sensations in my arms and hands. On a family trip to Rome, pain in my neck prevented me from enjoying the wonders of the Sistine Chapel.

Multiple visits to physicians, chiropractors and physical therapists offered little relief. MRI images indicated compression of the vertebrae and loss of the natural curve to the spine. Reports of spinal bone spurs narrowing nerve canals led me to believe my symptoms and complaints were permanent.

Once I started my daily practice, it became crystal clear that backbends would be my most difficult challenge. My hamstrings lengthened and soon enough I could easily touch the floor. And, blessed with what appears to be innate ability, I found twisting postures quite easy. However, any and all backbends appeared to be next to impossible.