Have you ever seen a bendy Pilates practitioner perform a backbend and think to yourself, “Wow, I’ll never be able to do that…”? 🙋‍♀️

I have news for you! With a little bit of Pilates and consistency, you’ll be on your way to performing backbends in no time! (Make sure backbends are safe for your body first, of course.)

Your spine is capable of movement in various ways. Forward bending (flexion) is the forward fold of your spine as if you’re picking something up off the floor. Back bending (extension) is just the opposite and involves backward arching of the spine as if you’re in a backward dive. Your spine also bends side to side and rotates too!

Creating movement in the spine whether in flexion, extension or side bending is incredibly beneficial for the health of the spine and overall body.

“Moving your spine into extension allows your internal organs to decompress, your joint spaces to open and your lungs to fully expand. That means you allow for increased flow of oxygen, blood, lymph and synovial fluid.” – Alycea Ungaro, Very Well Fit

Check Out Our Enliven Your Backbends Series!

Create more balanced, dynamic backbends in our 3 class series with Victoria Torrie-Capan. This series takes you step-by-step from the absolute basics all the way to a full High Bridge. You’ll discover where your own body is holding you back and specific exercises for freeing up what you need to bend with ease and length. All 3 classes are workouts you can come back to again and again and the series builds to the final advanced flow workout culminating in the High Bridge. 

This 3 class series is designed to Enliven Your Backbends with step-by-step workouts you can repeat to free up your stuck spots and strengthen what you need to arch like a rainbow. 🌈

We also have tons of fun, challenging mat classes that incorporate bending, see below: