Side bending is one of the most lovely ways a spine can move.

Here’s a love letter to this humble tadasana variation.

1) I love that you are so free of frills. Your simplicity and elegance highlight how even the most minuscule of changes can impact the way things feel in a posture dramatically.

2) I love that you let me decide how much to push and how much to pull-- I just have to lean and breathe. You help to highlight the push and pull from the side of the body, but also the deep muscles inside like my transverse abdominals and disphrapgm! You help me understand the layers of stability a posture can have— and you don't make me go very far to discover what is comfortable and stable!

3) I love that you help so many kinds of backs feel so good! Little side bend, you do a world of good for folks who have rounding, swaying, or curving to the spine-- things like kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis.

Thanks, side-bend!