Backbends help counteract the damage of bad posture by bending the spine in a direction it isn’t used to. They help to realign our vertebrae while at the same time stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. They open the chest, lengthen the spine and strengthen the upper back, all of which make our posture more straight. Think of all the times you spend bending forward in a day. Whether you’re driving, eating at a table, typing at a computer, cleaning, or gardening, it is likely that you are spending a majority of your day in an unsupported forward bend. And for this reason, you need to practice backbends every day. Too much forward bending, and as a result, poor posture, can lead to: • Back and neck pain • Restricted blood-flow to vital organs and glands (preventing them from working as they should) • Negative effects on self-esteem and mood What most people fail to recognize is that our backs are meant to move in all directions – forward and back. Back-bending is actually a natural range of motion for the spine – take a look at children or monkeys, for instance. They have the ability to move their spine in more ways than you could imagine! Fluid and without restriction. The posterior part of your spinal column is compressed as you bend backwards, which helps push the disks in your vertebrae away from the spinal nerves, and decompresses the front of the vertebrae. As a result, the damage from forwarding bending (over time) can be reversed.
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