Backbend Play

Shoulder & upper back flexibility for creative backbends

Backbends don’t have to be painful, scary, or just for the super bendy, but they feel intimidating for a reason. They’re often rushed, misunderstood, or downright uncomfortable.

But what if backbends could be powerful, playful, and make you feel good?

Backbending has been shown to improve posture, boost energy, support spinal health, and even regulate the nervous system, when practiced with awareness.

Backbend Play – Flip Your Grip is designed to help you move past fear, stiffness, or uncertainty, with a focus on shoulder and upper back mobility needed for flipped-grip postures like King Dancer and King Pigeon. We’ll blend spine theory, breath, creative flow, and targeted drills for shoulders, arms, and the back body to help you feel strong, open, and supported in these postures.

Expect a mix of:

• Flow sequences to prepare the spine, shoulders, and hips
• Drills and exercises for back-body strength and stability
• Partner work and props to guide your body safely
• Step-by-step flipped grip practice with straps, walls, or active foot catches

Whether you’re a beginner using a strap or already confident with flipped grips, you’ll have options that meet you where you are.

You’ll learn how to:

• Open shoulders and upper back safely for flipped-grip backbends
• Strengthen the back body to support your postures
• Use your breath and props to find stability and control
• Explore creatively, safely, and joyfully, at your own level

This isn’t about forcing extreme shapes. It’s about learning to listen, explore, and feel good in your backbends while building confidence in flipped grip variations.

Perfect for you if:

• You want to work on shoulders and upper back flexibility for deeper backbends
• You’re curious how strength, mobility, and alignment come together
• You want to explore flipped-grip variations safely, beginner or advanced
• You’re ready to feel more open, supported, and confident in your backbends
  

  About Jara

  For Jara, the exploration of yoga began when she left Amsterdam to settle in Paris in 2016. Today, she passionately teaches creative and functional vinyasa, as well as a yin practice that is both soft and powerful. She also offers specific classes focused on backbends and back health.

  With an approach that is both technical and accessible, she creates a relaxed space where everyone can challenge themselves with confidence, let go of insecurities, and explore their potential. Jara is recognized for her passion in guiding students toward places they never thought they could reach. Her classes are carefully designed to offer a smooth progression.

  Teaching in both English and French, she makes it a priority to release tension and bring lightness into her classes.

Limited places.