5 Challenging Backbend Yoga Poses

February 3, 2024

5 Challenging Backbend Yoga Poses

Starting a journey into backbends has been a fascinating experience for me. I get excited (and a bit scared) every time practicing these challenging poses, however it feels so good when I get into a deep stretch.

The fact that everyone’s bones are different shows us that we can extend our spines differently, which also means we might need to work on our backbend differently as well. Mastering backbends requires a combination of flexibility, strength, and mobility. Even though I’m not naturally bendy in general, I believe that developing these qualities brings true benefits in practice.

… and recently, I’ve been excited about my new colorful mat from Exciting Store. This local brand’s first mat collection features eight colorful designs made from plant-based biodegradable material, each with a thickness of 5mm. My pick goes to ‘Rainbow Mountain Peru,’ and I’m totally in love with its color and design.

While perfect grip isn’t a big issue for me, the soft and comfortable touch allows me to move easily, especially in seated poses like splits, and it drives me to go beyond my practice >>> fun, creativity, and inspiration!

I think the designer is truly amazing – I love their work of art and the brand’s eco-friendly approach also got me really in love with the mat.”

So yes, let’s practice some challenging backbends on this inspirational mat!

When doing a backbend pose, I try to minimize the risk of stressing my lower back as much as possible. My practice starts with exercises that focus on improving shoulder mobility, strength, and flexibility in my upper back, hips, and hamstrings before slowly compressing force on my lower spine.

Here are some yoga poses as preparations for backbends, such as cobra for the upper back, downward dog for shoulder extension, upward facing dog for full back extension, and dolphin pose for shoulder opening.

so here’s my 5 challenging backbend poses!

1. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

Camel pose involves both strengthening and stretching the front part of the body, including the flexors and quadriceps. The focus is on lifting the upper chest up and extending the back.

The challenging aspect of this pose is keeping engaged the front part of the body and lifting the chest up while leaning back to find the heels.

2. Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

Wheel pose is a comprehensive backbend that targets various parts of the body, including the wrists, arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, hip flexors, and quadriceps. It also serves to strengthen the back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes.

I slowly extend my legs fully as I gently push myself forward. It gives me a deeper stretch in my upper body as I work on lower back extension. However, I find it’s quite challenging to keep pushing the ground away and bring my shoulders on top of the wrists.

3. One-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

A fantastic combination of hip flexor and quad flexibility, shoulder flexibility, and back bending. The first challenging part for me is the shoulder rotation when reaching out to find the big toe, and the second challenge is finding balance in the pose. This pose always gives me a very good deep hip stretch.

4. One-legged Forearm Wheel Pose (Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana)

Focuses on stretching the upper front body, belly, and opening the shoulders. In this picture, I extend one leg up while resting the other leg with the tiptoed foot, adding awareness and fun to the pose.

For a more challenging stretch, I like to do the Forearm Wheel Pose by bringing both heels down parallel onto the floor, which increases the stretch in the hip flexors as well. I enjoy both poses, but I feel more comfortable in this fancy one.

5. Feathered Peacock (Pincha Mayurasana)

The last pose is also quite a fun and challenging one, as always. Forearm stands incorporate strength and mobility in the shoulders while engaging the entire body.

I wanted this pose to be a bit more fun and not too bendy, so I added my mini hollow back to it along with some playful leg variations.

ohhhh there's one more!

These 5 poses are my favorites. I have an extra pose (you can see in the featured photo). It’s been a while since I did that pose, and it’s a little treat for me at the end of my two-hour practice. Yes! I can do it!

I believe that backbends are very challenging skills as they also promote overall flexibility and strength. The key takeaway from my journey is to simply listen to my body! I celebrate my achievement of mastering these 5 backbends today – I am so proud of myself!

… and what about you? Do you enjoy practicing backbends? Would you share with me your favorite backbend poses?

5 Challenging Backbend Yoga Poses​

1. Camel Pose (Ustrasana) ​

2. Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) ​

3. One-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) ​

4. One-legged Forearm Wheel Pose (Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana) ​

5. Feathered Peacock (Pincha Mayurasana)​

ohhhh there's one more!