YOGA + Life® Magazines
  • Partner With Us
  • Subscribe
  • Education, Trainings + Retreats
  • Events
  • “The Practice”
  • HOME
  • FEATURED
    • Community + Culture
    • Wellness + Nutrition
    • Products
    • Profiles
    • Yoga + Fitness
    • Events
  • ALL CONTENT
    • Community + Culture
      • Art
      • Books
      • Community
      • Culture
      • Family
      • Fashion
      • Food + Drink
      • Nourish Me
      • Motivation
      • Music
      • Outdoors
      • Travel
    • Wellness + Nutrition
      • Self-Care
      • Nutrition
      • Psychology
      • Recipes
      • Therapy
      • Weight Loss
    • Products
      • Product Spotlights
      • Roundups
      • Try It On – Reviews
      • Try It Out – Reviews
    • Profiles
      • Business
      • Partner Profiles
      • People
      • Spotlight Cities
      • Students
      • Studios
      • Teachers
      • Seva Story
      • Sustainability Story
      • Storytelling
    • Yoga + Fitness
      • Asana
      • In the Practice
      • Meditation
      • Philosophy
      • Physiology
      • Sports
      • Workouts
    • Events
      • Festivals
      • Retreats
      • Training Spotlights
    • Inspiration From Y+L Partners
  • Y + L COMMUNITIES
    • COLORADO
    • MINNESOTA
    • NEW YORK
  • CONNECT
    • Order A Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contribute
    • Contact Us
  • LIVE CLASSES
Featured Posts
  • Partner Profile : Drishti Beats
    • 24 views
  • Partner Profile : Maine YogaFest
    • 26 views
  • Partner Profile : Lotus Network
    • 25 views
  • Partner With Us
  • Subscribe
  • Education, Trainings + Retreats
  • Events
  • “The Practice”
0 Followers
0 Likes
Partners
YOGA + Life® Magazines
Subscribe
  • HOME
  • FEATURED
    • Community + Culture
    • Wellness + Nutrition
    • Products
    • Profiles
    • Yoga + Fitness
    • Events
  • ALL CONTENT
    • Community + Culture
      • Art
      • Books
      • Community
      • Culture
      • Family
      • Fashion
      • Food + Drink
      • Nourish Me
      • Motivation
      • Music
      • Outdoors
      • Travel
    • Wellness + Nutrition
      • Self-Care
      • Nutrition
      • Psychology
      • Recipes
      • Therapy
      • Weight Loss
    • Products
      • Product Spotlights
      • Roundups
      • Try It On – Reviews
      • Try It Out – Reviews
    • Profiles
      • Business
      • Partner Profiles
      • People
      • Spotlight Cities
      • Students
      • Studios
      • Teachers
      • Seva Story
      • Sustainability Story
      • Storytelling
    • Yoga + Fitness
      • Asana
      • In the Practice
      • Meditation
      • Philosophy
      • Physiology
      • Sports
      • Workouts
    • Events
      • Festivals
      • Retreats
      • Training Spotlights
    • Inspiration From Y+L Partners
  • Y + L COMMUNITIES
    • COLORADO
    • MINNESOTA
    • NEW YORK
  • CONNECT
    • Order A Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contribute
    • Contact Us
  • LIVE CLASSES
  • Asana
  • MN YOGA + Life
  • Yoga + Fitness

Working into Full Wheel | By Sarah Mandel Krug

  • Juli Rathke | Founder, YOGA + Life®
  • 484 views
  • 3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

This deep heart opener is an advanced pose from the standpoint of both strength and flexibility. If your body is not ready for full wheel you can do camel, supported bridge pose, bridge pose, or half wheel. As always: listen to and honor your body along the way. 

For many people, especially those of us who work sitting down for much of the time, tight shoulders and hip flexors can make this a real challenge which makes the journey to full wheel one that requires a lot of patience. Even in yoga class we may stretch the hamstrings but neglect to stretch the two muscles that make up the iliopsoas– the iliacus and the psoas, which work to draw the trunk and the thigh towards each other (like sitting in a chair). If these are tight you cannot back bend without feeling discomfort and pain in the lower back. 

Heart openers can also be scary. Exposing your heart is a vulnerable thing to do. What do you do when you’re sad or scared? You likely hunch over, rolling the shoulders forward, caving the chest in, protecting your heart. Opening the chest and exposing your heart can cause feelings of panic, fear, and uncertainty.

Back bending brings energy up the spine cleansing the nervous system.

Back bending brings energy up the spine cleansing the nervous system. Your prana or life force is released, burning through any blockages you have. But this process can release a tidal wave of emotions that can flood you with not so happy feelings. Whether you are deep in a backbend or a beginner in a mild bend it doesn’t matter, because the emotional state that is triggered feels just as strong no matter where you are.

We usually like to back away from these overwhelming experiences, so we avoid getting deep into our backbends. To deal with the fear, we need to cultivate a calm and balanced mind. As you practice you need to breathe deeply and evenly, and try to stay a little bit longer each time. When you begin you might be unable to avoid the release of some unhappy emotions. Don’t judge yourself, but don’t shy away from the process either, allow it to happen. I dealt with a period of panic and tears on the mat constantly when I started back bending. No matter where you are on the journey I promise you it will get easier. Because back bends also release adrenaline and produce feelings of euphoria – they can and will feel good too!

It is tempting to try to get into wheel using muscular force only, but this is inviting strain or injury. When muscular tension is first released the pose becomes light and you can hold it up with your breath. We release that tension by slowly and with great awareness working into it – stretching and opening all the right places. It is always about the journey and observing yourself on the path– not rushing to get to the destination.

To bend the spine backwards, you need to open up the hip flexors, shoulders, intercostal muscles, side body, psoas, and quads. Opening the heart center, the “Anahata” chakra is a beautiful feeling. Anahata means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” Remember: this is a journey of the body opening up, and letting love flow freely towards yourself and others.

Be kind to yourself every step of the way, extending the compassion and the forgiveness that you feel towards others towards yourself as well. When you’re practicing backbends it’s also good to cultivate a meditation practice where you just sit and observe your feelings without judgment. A Buddhist mantra to go along with this is Om Mani Padme Hum. Contained in this verse is the truth of the nature of suffering and how to remove its root cause.

Take a look at these eight poses you can do to get ready for full wheel

A reformed perfectionist, SARA MANDEL KRUG is a Twin Cities yoga instructor with a passion for practicing and teaching Ashtanga yoga. She hopes to inspire people of every age and ability to try and experience its healing power. Sara is a proud mom of 2 and has a very supportive husband who sometimes even takes her Instagram pictures.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Avatar
Juli Rathke | Founder, YOGA + Life®

Juli is a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur and the Founder of YOGA + Life®. She has enjoyed a career in television, health & wellness, media and is a multiple business founder/owner turned fearless optimist in Life + Business. Juli is finishing her first book titled, "Do THIS", which provides a road map for living a more fulfilling life and how to make some of life's tough decisions. More at www.JuliRathke.com or follow @JuliRathke

Previous Article
  • Community + Culture
  • Culture
  • MN YOGA + Life
  • People
  • Profiles
  • Teachers

I Quit. How to Rediscover Yourself | By Juli Rathke

  • Juli Rathke | Founder, YOGA + Life®
View Post
Next Article
  • MN YOGA + Life
  • People
  • Profiles
  • Students
  • Teachers

Confessions of a Yoga Teacher | By Kate Robertson

  • tessapowell
View Post
More from Y+L
  • An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert : A Revolutionary Woman Is A Relaxed Woman | By Rachel Glowacki

    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
    View Post
  • Telluride Yoga Festival

    Telluride Yoga Festival Makes A Move To Mountain Village | By Kristen Grace

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
  • Elizabeth Gilbert is Coming to Denver on May 4 | By Kim Fuller

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
  • Oars

    On The River + In The Flow : Balancing Yoga, Meditation and a Thirst for Whitewater at a Women’s Wellbeing Retreat | By Lisa Blake

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
  • Break Free Fitness Festival : Colorado’s Largest Fitness Festival With A PARTY Twist

    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
    View Post
  • Vail Symposium Celebrates 50 Years in the Vail Valley | By Katie Coakley

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
  • Shakti Flow in Mexico : “With Nature, Yoga and Inquiry, We Transformed” | By Peggy Markel

    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
    View Post
  • Tips on Success : Falling Upwards with Nina Williams | By Olivia Lyda

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
  • Play + Connect at Everland : Sedalia, Colorado | By Lexi Reich

    • Lexi Reich | Managing Editor
    View Post
  • RiverWonderGrass

    Rafting, Camping + Live Music : The 2021 RiverWonderGrass Expedition Lineup is Here

    • CO YOGA + Life®
    View Post
Archived Posts!
  • Bullet Journaling : Creativity, Goals + Community | By Hannah Bittrolff
    • 263
  • John Denver Sanctuary - Photo courtesy of Sandy Ferguson Fuller
    John Denver Rocks On : Legacy of Colorado Musician and Activist Stays Timeless for New Generations | By Sandy Ferguson Fuller
    • 1.7K
  • Summer + Fall Adventure with RiverWonderGrass | By Brooke Welsh
    • 317
  • The Long Road Home : Pilgrimage to Scotland | By Julia Clarke
    • 385
  • Street Fraternity boys
    Street Fraternity : A Sanctuary in Denver’s East Colfax Neighborhood | By Marisol Cruz
    • 182
Instagram
Many CBD companies out there make full-spectrum products, but @miraflora.co, a CBD company based in Boulder, CO, takes it to a whole new level, starting with the way they grow the hemp itself. Call it full-spectrum farming, if you will.
RENEWAL 🌱
Can you create a to-do list prioritizing tasks where contentment and meaning mesh together?
@holisticyogaschoolcolorado was born over a decade ago with the intention to create a Yoga Shala, a community place for learning and growth. Krista Davis founded the school, drawing inspiration from many years of traveling, living and teaching in conscious communities and yoga centers around the world. To this day, the school continues to thrive as a family-owned and operated small business.
The benefits of meditation are alluring. However, there is no instant, one-size-fits-all solution — like most things in life. In fact, researchers recommend practicing meditation daily for at least 10 to 20 minutes to reap rewards. Most importantly, always remember: the only unsuccessful meditation is the meditation not taken.
@mnyogalifemag congratulations on your new issue! So happy we could celebrate at the virtual reveal party. Great work @amyzellmer and your amazing team, and gorgeous shot of cover model @ericka.jones_ !
Send our YOGA + Life Valentine’s Day gram to your lover and make their day ❤️
Send our YOGA + Life Valentine’s Day gram to your best friend ❤️
Facebook
Facebook
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Many CBD companies out there make full-spectrum products, but @miraflora.co, a CBD company based in Boulder, CO, takes it to a whole new level, starting with the way they grow the hemp itself. Call it full-spectrum farming, if you will.
RENEWAL 🌱
Can you create a to-do list prioritizing tasks where contentment and meaning mesh together?
@holisticyogaschoolcolorado was born over a decade ago with the intention to create a Yoga Shala, a community place for learning and growth. Krista Davis founded the school, drawing inspiration from many years of traveling, living and teaching in conscious communities and yoga centers around the world. To this day, the school continues to thrive as a family-owned and operated small business.
The benefits of meditation are alluring. However, there is no instant, one-size-fits-all solution — like most things in life. In fact, researchers recommend practicing meditation daily for at least 10 to 20 minutes to reap rewards. Most importantly, always remember: the only unsuccessful meditation is the meditation not taken.
@mnyogalifemag congratulations on your new issue! So happy we could celebrate at the virtual reveal party. Great work @amyzellmer and your amazing team, and gorgeous shot of cover model @ericka.jones_ !

Join the YOGA + Life® Newsletter!

Events, Product Reviews, Promotions and More!

about
YOGA + Life® - an online community and magazine.
Recent Articles
  • Partner Profile : Drishti Beats
    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
  • Partner Profile : Maine YogaFest
    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
  • Partner Profile : Lotus Network
    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
  • 22 Days Of 50Ks : Kirsten Beverley-Waters Aims For World Records For LGBTQ+ Charity | By Kristen Grace
    • YOGA + Life® Magazines
  • About Us + Policies, Terms
  • Online Columnists
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
YOGA + Life® - All Rights Reserved

Input your search keywords and press Enter.