BACK FLEXIBILITY - BACK BRIDGE

BACK FLEXIBILITY - BACK BRIDGE Due to my scoliosis, back bends were never recommended for me by my doctors, Schroth physiotherapists and yoga teacher. I could do a bridge when I was in my teens but never maintained the capability or practiced from my twenties to fifities. When I was in my fifties and tried it out in a adult gymnastics class, I immediately got a bad back spasm and had to sit out the whole class. And was told by yet another instructor that back bends were not suitable for me. Not deterred, I felt I should at least have some minimum capability, so I started to do ‘bed’ exercises every night. I lay at my bed and just let my neck and shoulders drop down the bed a bit to get a gentle stretch of the back. After nine months of doing that, I tried to do a bridge and I got it just like that.I think the reason why many people have trouble with the bridge is that they try to do it straight away, without having sufficient back flexibility. I found the yoga wheel is a excellent way to gradually gain the back flexibility for a bridge. If you don’t have a yoga wheel, a bed or a pillow would be also suffice. While my back bridge is nothing great as I only do the bare minimum work, since I’m not supposed to do it, I believe its should be easy for most people to get the bridge if they just spent a little time on it. It’s definitely easier than getting a split or a flat pancake. And after revisiting it, my back feels a-lot better.