Flat Back Forward Bend (Un-rounding your Upper Back)

For more on developing flexible hamstrings, check out this hamstring flexibility routine for beginners:
http://www.sensational-yoga-poses.com...

How do you keep your back flat when doing a seated forward fold?

This video shows you how to recognize when your back is hunched and also how what to do so that your neck is long, your chest open and your back float. It shows you how to tilt the pelvis forwards so that the ribcage moves closer to the thighs.

http://www.sensational-yoga-poses.com...

You may also find this page helpful.

http://www.sensational-yoga-poses.com...

For the latest videos on spine lengthening, transverse abdominis activation (and how it can be used when forward bending as well as how it affects the knees and hip flexors) check out some of the following videos:

1. Learning to feel your spine
For more on learning to feel your body, a good place to start is with this video on feeling your spine.

   • Improving spinal awareness, making your sp...  

This is the first in a series of videos designed to help you get a better feel for and understanding of your body.

2. Spine lengthening in simple poses
For some suggestions on how you can apply spine lengthening in some simple yoga poses check out this video:

   • Making your spine long while doing simple ...  

2a. Low lunge
Additionally, you can practice lengthening your spine in this variation of low lunge. (It's a nice way to practice strengthening your legs as well as developing balance awareness.)

   • Low lunge hand lift for leg strengthening ...  

3. Side plank
One of the advantages of making your spine long is that it can provide a foundation for the muscles of your arms and legs. And that's why another set of poses that you can practice spine lengthening in is in this set of side plank variations:

   • side plank variations for core, balance, h...  

Note that this set also includes some "knee" balancing.

4. Transverse Abdominis
With respect to the spine, and the abdominals in general, learning to activate (and otherwise control) the transverse abdominis can have a lot of benefits. As such I've done (and am doing) a series of videos on this muscle.

4a. Transverse abdominis Activation while breathing:
   • Activating the Transverse Abdominis and ac...  

4b. An overview of the benefits of Transverse abdominis control
   • Transverse Abdominis activation benefits  


5. If you have hip flexor problems or knee problems, learning transverse abdominis control may help. This video gives you an introduction on how:
   • Understanding the hip flexors for more eff...  

It's also a prelude to the next set of videos, couch stretch and other bent knee hip flexor stretching positions.

5a Couch stretch and other bent knee hip flexor stretches:

   • Couch stretch part 1, stretching the rectu...  

   • rectus femoris stretch, couch stretch p2 w...  

   • couch stretch hip flexor stretching altern...  

6. Focusing again on Transverse Abdominis, these videos offer a little more detail on benefits and affects of transverse abdominis activation.

6a. Transverse Abdominis activation and affect on obliques and rectus abdominis
   • Transverse abdominis activation and affect...  

6b. Knee pain, and how transverse abdominis may affect it
   • Knee pain, anchoring the hip bones via Tra...  

6c. Transverse abdominis activation while flexing the hips (standing forward bend)
   • Why activate your transverse abdominis whe...