The Secret to Mastering Ultimate Neural Backbends

Hey Yogis. Today, I’m diving into a topic that’s close to my heart: backbends and how a technique called neural flossing can really make a difference in your mobility and strength. As a yoga teacher, physiotherapist, and neuroscience student, I’m always looking for ways to help you get deeper into your practice with a bit more ease. Today, we're focusing on this often-overlooked strategy that’s super useful, especially if you’re learning how to do backbends.

So, what is neural flossing? Essentially, it's an old-school physiotherapy technique designed to help your neural tissue glide more smoothly. Just like you stretch your muscles, you can also stretch your neural tissue—but it doesn’t stretch quite as much. By using the flossing technique, you encourage the nerves to glide within their connective tissue, making them better at sending and receiving messages throughout your body. Pretty cool, right?

But here's the catch: neural flossing doesn’t work for everyone. The best way to find out if it helps you is to start by doing a backbend, notice how it feels, and then try out the flosses I'm going to share. After that, retest your backbend to see if it feels any different for your unique body.

Let's jump into the three flosses that I believe will help take your backbends to the next level. But remember, with neural flossing, always keep it at a gentle 2 out of 10 intensity. Trust me, this is not the time to push hard; be kind to yourself!

Floss number one is for the median nerve in your arm. Imagine you're pushing a heavy wardrobe away with one arm. You should feel a light tension along the arm and palm. Now, add some movement: tilt your head away, shrug your shoulder up and down, or play with the elbow or wrist positions.

Next, let's combine that with the ulnar nerve floss. Start by bending your elbow so that your hand faces your face. Keep the same light movements: move your head, shoulder, elbow, or hand. You’ll notice different areas light up with these small adjustments.

Finally, let's work on the femoral nerve, which involves the legs. Place your knee on a chair or stool, and either rest your foot on the chair's back or grab it with your hand. Make sure your spine is flexed to put the floss under the greatest tension, and then gently move your head, spine, or hips.

After trying these, go back to your backbend and check: does it feel more open, or freer? If it does, you’ve found a strategy to return to again and again.

So, if you’re loving these tips, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel, leave some comments, and let us know about your progress. And if you want to get some visual cues on all you've read here - check out this video.

  Keep moving, stay curious, and see you soon!