‘The back of the body is as important as the front and it must regain its dignity.’ Vanda Scaravelli
In everyday life it can be easy ‘live in’ and be more aware of the front part of our body and forget the back, for example, the back of the lungs when we breathe, the back of the knees when we walk, back of the neck, hips, eyes… A yoga sequence which draws our awareness to the more neglected parts of the body can help deepen poses and creates a true balance between the front and back of the body, enabling us to see the body as a whole by refocusing our attention and reliance on less dominant parts of the body. This is turn may help change certain unhelpful patterns in the body.
It can be helpful to use visualisations to focus on these neglected areas. My yoga teacher recommended ‘See How Yoga Feels’ by Su Sareen:
There are some great illustrations which show how poses can actually feel. So to draw attention to the back of the knees in uttanasana (forward fold), we can imagine a sun lamp behind the knees.
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‘Exhale down through your heels as you enjoy watching the backs of your knees softening in the warmth, keeping the knee caps lifted.’ Su Sareen.