Chapters (11)

Art of Backward Extensions | Viparita Dandasana Tutorial & Motivation with Anita #yogavanam

YogaVanam · 1:38

asana pranayama

In this practice

Key teachings

Progressive practice for backward extensions
Cultivating trust, surrender, and resilience through backbends
The art of opening the heart and expanding the spine
Practice with awareness, patience, and breath

Ideal for

Beginners exploring gentle backbends
Advanced practitioners deepening wheel variations
Individuals seeking to build trust and courage
Those looking to improve spinal mobility

Lesson

Instructions

Unlock the grace and strength of backward extensions through this inspiring Viparita Dandasana (Inverted Staff Pose) tutorial from Yogavanam. Join Anita as she demonstrates the art of opening the heart, expanding the spine, and finding courage in every arch.

This video isn’t just a pose tutorial — it’s a reminder that bending backward teaches us trust, surrender, and resilience. Whether you’re a beginner exploring gentle bridges or an advanced practitioner deepening your wheel variations, this flow will help you: ✨ Strengthen your back and shoulders ✨ Open your chest and heart center ✨ Enhance spinal flexibility and nervous system balance ✨ Cultivate confidence and emotional release

🧘‍♀️ Practice with awareness, patience, and breath.

Steps

Suangasa (likely Sphinx or Cobra prep)
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Arm and shoulder loosening exercises
Hip and pelvis mobility exercises
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose / Chakrasana)
Viparita Dandasana (Inverted Staff Pose) variations

Benefits

Strengthens back and shoulders
Opens chest and heart center
Enhances spinal flexibility and nervous system balance
Cultivates confidence and emotional release
Improves posture

Transcript

[Music] Backward extensions helps us to create more space in the anterior end of the spine. We can start by introducing backward extensions through suangasa. Then we can prepare ourselves for bjanga asana. To work on the upper back by placing the elbow on the ground and lifting up. Next to that is you can pull the left leg in. Lift up. Same way we can try with the right leg. When we gain more looseness in the back, we start exploring bjangasa. When bjangasa becomes comfortable, we can prepare our arm by moving up and down, rotating the elbows, loosening the shoulders. Then we can work on loosening the hip by moving and tilting the pelvis up and down. All this together helps us to get into uruaurasana commonly called as chakrasa. When chakrasa becomes comfortable, we can try vibarida dandasa b trying to make the knees straight. When variant B is also comfortable, we can try resting the elbows on the ground stretching the legs into vigorandas. of your deep anterior spine extension. [Applause] [Music]

Practice summary

Level: all levels
Duration: 15 minutes
Equipment: yoga mat
Target areas: spinebackshoulderschesthipsheart center
Energy: energizing

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