Dear Yoga Student,
I’m going to teach you a very strange back bending
tip, but first, a story.
In a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, our clever
protagonist solves the crime by noticing a key clue
overlooked by everyone else…
… there was a dog present, and yet during the crime,
he didn’t bark.
A good guard dog would ALWAYS bark, and yet
he didn’t.
Why? Because the dog knew the perpetrator sop
well that he didn’t bother.
When we look at yoga and health transformation,
success always leaves clues behind, and yet sometimes,
the dog (the teacher) doesn’t bark.
Why? Maybe she forgot, maybe she got bored of
teaching it, or maybe she just knows it so well she
didn’t even think to mention it.
Mostly what I’m talking about are unorthodox practices
and things that that students do that help them achieve
greater benefits and transformation through yoga.
This is how I learned about the connection between
nutrition and flexibility.
This is how I learned about VO2 Yoga Interval Training
for arm balances and inversions.
And it’s also how I learned that in really deep back
bends, when you’re freaking out, one of the best
things to do is to open your mouth.
In almost any led class (mine included) the teacher
will tell you that you have more control of your
body and mind with nose breathing.
This is 100% true, and ultimately, it’s the best way
to practice a dynamic (flowing) yoga sequence.
But… I started noticing that of the teachers I knew
who had very deep, very open back bends, at least
half of them were opening their mouth to get into
the pose.
Emotionally, back bends are really intense and if
you couple that with restricted breathing, it can
sometimes be too much (ever seen someone cry
in yoga?).
So next time you’re working with a backbend sequence
and you just feel like you’re going to explode, allow
your mouth to hang open until you get your head
screwed back on straight.
Once you feel stable, close your mouth and get
back into the practice.
Stay bendy,
Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
Yoga Swings
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