This week in Nithya Priyan School of Yoga, contraction backbends are downward facing bends that require the strength of your posterior chain to pull ourselves up against the pull of gravity. The Locust shape is a particular family of contraction bends that work the lower back the most, but with proprioception and guidance we can learn to redistribute the work towards middle and upper back. See you on the mats!

My practice is Vipassana, a meditation technique taught by SN Goenka in the Burmese Theravada tradition. Each retreat, I peel back another layer. Each year, I understand myself a little more.
Here are seven things I’ve learnt along the path to where I am today.