Day 8: Wheel Pose or Bridge Pose #yogadebbychallenge

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Wheel Pose
Bridge Pose

Day 8 is Wheel Pose or Bridge Pose, depending on which works for you. I hope, 8 days into our challenge, that you have come to realize how energizing, physically and mentally, backbends can be! Both Wheel and Bridge strengthen the spine, arms, and legs. They open the heart and stretch the ribs and lungs. Both poses, fight mild depression by stimulating the thyroid and pituitary glands.

Wheel Pose is a challenging pose, which demands open shoulders and hips to accomplish the lift needed to create the spinal compression. If that lift is not accessible to you yet, do Bridge Pose. Bridge allows you to open the spine and slowly build the arm and shoulder strength, as well as, hip flexibility you will ultimately need for Wheel Pose.

In both poses make sure your arms and legs stay parallel to each other; not allowing your feet to turn out. When you lift, make sure the souls of your feet stay flat on the floor, while you push the inner edges of your feet down to activate your inner thighs. Keep your hips and bottom firm but avoid hardening your buttocks too much, as that will strain your lower back.

Want to go deeper?

  1. Lift your heels, to come up high on your toes
  2. Keeping one foot flat, pull the opposite knee into your chest and then extend the leg straight up to the sky, perpendicular to the floor
  3. Once you lift into Wheel, shorten the distance between your hands and feet, lifting your belly even higher, but still maintain hands and feet parallel to each other
  4. Once you lift into Bridge, walk your hands and shoulders closer together and interlock your hands below you, but still keep your arms and baby fingers touching the floor

Need to modify?

  1. In Bridge use a block, under your sacrum to support your pelvis as you lift
  2. In Wheel, place two blocks against a wall and place your hands on the blocks as you try to lift

As always, don't force the pose to happen, especially if you are feeling any strain. Please make sure you are warmed up before you attempt any pose. Post your pics to Debby Nachmann Yoga on Facebook and use #yogadebbychallenge. Got a question or comment? Leave it below.