IN VOGUE February 2019 BOWSPRING IN GERMANY A new style of Yoga advocates a completely different approach to movement owspring was developed 6 years ago, by Desi Springer and John Friend in the USA and uses curvy pulsating movements. The basic idea is that instead of artificially elongating the body with as straight a posture as possible, one follows his natural curves. “After all our spine is not a straight line, but a double-S curve it serves as a shock absorber for our movements and allows us to jump, spring and run. However, we are sitting too much these days, resulting in a shortened body front,back muscles and thus a curved C-posture. In Bowspring we try to bring out created by nature” explains Yoga teacher Sybille Dieckert. She is one of the few Yogis who teaches Bowspring in Germany. The biggest difference between Bowspring and Modern Postural Yoga is apparent in the wavy attitude of “Post- Classical Yoga” as Bowspring is also called. The chest is widened like a balloon in all directions by a special breathing technique, the stomach is stretched like a bow and the pelvis is tilted backwards, which raises the buttocks. The Bowspring shape is an unfamiliar sight, not only in Modern Postural Yoga, but also in the eyes of the non Yoga common person because it’s deep curvature generates thoughts of “holzkreutz” (a German expression for a deep or excessive curve in the lower back). “Bowspring is like learning a new B
Transcript
IN VOGUEFebruary 2019
BOWSPRING IN GERMANYA new style of Yoga advocates a completely different approach to movement
owspring was developed 6 years ago, by Desi Springer and John Friend in the USA and uses curvy pulsating movements. The basic idea is that instead of artificially elongating the
body with as straight a posture as possible, one follows his natural curves. “After all our spine is not a straight line, but a double-S curve it serves as a shock absorber for our movements and allows us to jump, spring and run. However, we are sitting too much these days, resulting in a shortened body front,back muscles and thus a curved C-posture. In Bowspring we try to bring out created by nature” explains Yoga teacher Sybille Dieckert. She is one of the few Yogis
who teaches Bowspring in Germany. The biggest difference between Bowspring and Modern Postural Yoga is apparent in the wavy attitude of “Post-Classical Yoga” as Bowspring is also called. The chest is widened like a balloon in all directions by a special breathing technique, the stomach is stretched like a bow and the pelvis is tilted backwards, which raises the buttocks. The Bowspring shape is an unfamiliar sight, not only in Modern Postural Yoga, but also in the eyes of the non Yoga common person because it’s deep curvature generates thoughts of “holzkreutz” (a German expression for a deep or excessive curve in the lower back). “Bowspring is like learning a new
B
language, the body needs a few lessons to understand it. That’s why at the beginning of a new course, I always tell my students that they better forget everything they learned so far”, explains Sybille Dieckert who first met and loved Bowspring 2 years ago. It quickly became clear to me that I could not and did not want to teach classical Yoga”, recalls the 48 year old. Her promise: “If you practice Bowspring for one hour twice a week, you will notice an effect very quickly. Your muscles will become longer and leaner, your waist and hips will become narrower, cellulite disappears and the gluteal muscles form beautifully. It is a very demanding practice that addresses the entire body evenly and stimulates metabolism. The movements are called “Katas” and like water, they are soft but powerful and almost acrobatic. Some movements are animal oriented or inspired by primitive tribes. Jumps, turns and flections make the exercises particularly
complex. “Bowspring has no static postures, we are constantly in motion in all directions. We work with the 3-dimensionality of the body in tensegrity (to balance the push and pull forces)” emphasizes the expert. The goal is to lengthen the front of the body and strengthen the back. The fascia also plays a central role, the connective
tissue structures that support and connect our muscles and organs. Due to lack of exercise, improper diet and stress, they really stick together and lead to tension and pain. “ We r e m o l d t h e f a s c i a through pulsating movements,
sophisticated pressure and traction techniques, your body creates new collagen that results is smoother, more flexible movements while your body becomes firmer” Dieckert continues. Even mental flexibility can be trained by Bowspring. All movements are subject to the so-called “readiness principle”. This means that the body is kept in flection during the entire practice and is therefore
Sybille Dieckert in Kneeling Wave pose
RESHAPE YOUR
POSTURE
in constant expectation of change. There is no moment of stand-still in Bowspring, no “Child’s Pose” as known in Modern Postural Yoga. “It’s about your willingness to do something unexpected in every moment.” Downward Dog Pose has been replaced by Crouching Cat - a cat ready to spring, with knees bent and high glutes. A Crouching Cat moves in
springy movements and gentle turns of the upper body to each side. You will also find that Bowspring teacher’s instructions are more detailed than other Yoga styles. Beginners need to learn a whole new vocabulary. Even movements of the fingers and hands have several names and different positions.
T h e p o w e r f u l m o v e m e n t s t h r o u g h t h e deliberate length of the front of the body should have a positive effect on your external and internal posture: “By nature, we protect the front of our body, when we are tired, stressed or sad, we drop our shoulders and fold into ourselves. In Bowspring we strive to unravel this emotional side, opening up our physical posture has an energizing effect that in turn effects our attitude. You are able to approach people more openly, you hold yourself differently, you become more self-confident and courageous.”
To learn more about this revolutionary movement practice and how it can benefit you, please visit www.globalbowspring.com.
