Asana Lab - Backbends & Heart Openers

ASANA LAB | Backbends & Heart Openers
Saturday 7 March | 11:00am–1:00pm
Taught by Clare Lovelace

ASANA LAB is a deep-dive workshop series designed to refine your physical yoga practice through intelligent alignment, embodied awareness, and practical skill-building. Each session focuses on a specific family of postures, offering you the tools to move with more ease, strength, and confidence, while honouring your body’s unique structure and needs.

In this ASANA LAB, we explore backbends and heart-opening postures.

Backbends are not about forcing flexibility or pushing deeper. When practiced skilfully, they build strength, resilience, and spaciousness through the spine, shoulders, hips, and nervous system. They invite us into courage, vulnerability, and an honest relationship with sensation, both physical and emotional.

In this workshop, Clare will guide you through:

• How to prepare the body for backbends through intelligent sequencing

• Understanding the role of the legs, pelvis, and core in safe spinal extension

• Opening the front body without compressing the lower back

• Shoulder and thoracic mobility for heart-opening postures

• Working skilfully with effort, sensation, and breath

• Modifications, prop support, and variations for different bodies

The session will include:

• Clear anatomical explanation

• Progressive warm-ups and strength-building

• Exploration of accessible backbends and deeper options

• Time for questions and integration

This workshop is suitable for curious practitioners of all levels, including teachers wanting to refine their understanding of backbending mechanics.

Free for members | $45 non-members
Bookings essential.