Online Class Notes (Jesse) [18]

the secret of gazing point in the backbending poses

occipital muscles

Each time you begin a back bending pose, have you ever paid attention to the direction of your gaze, or perhaps you just have the natural tendancy to look upwards the whole time? Eye movement will affect the muscles of the neck (the occiptal muslces to be exact). Eyes are the rudder of the body. When you do backbending poses, the movement should begin from your chest. Upon starting your movement, your brain receives information about the direction you’re heading and your eyes follow. This causes contraction of the 1st and 2nd vertebra neck muscles which we would prefer to avoid. In this case, your backbending is starting from your neck as opposed to your chest.

From a yoga point of view, while you’re practicing, if your gaze is upwards, you will be hyper-pranic which causes your lower back to compress. Conversely when the gazing point is downward, or “apana”, it will bring you a calmer and more steady energy, and send the breath more smoothly into your lower back. This will give you a sense of spaciousness during your backbending.

Throughout backending it is important to retain an inner focus and internalise each movement, which connect your body with your mind each moment. Without this inner focus, yoga becomes merely stretching and aerobics.

Pronunciation

hastag

ignorance – “IG nerrenss”

gymnastics – sport – “jim nas ticks”

genetics – DNA – “jen net tick”

Vocabulary

whole hearted – all heart / energy / emotion / feeling

single minded – focused on 1 thing