There’s a lot of things you can do to toughen up your wheel/backbending practice!
From wheel ….
1. Do this pic.
2. Walk your feet to the midline of your body and straighten your legs. Your chest should push closer to the back of the room.
3. Do wheel pushups. Bend the elbows and touch your forehead to the mat then straighten the arms again.
4. Drop your elbows to the mat. (You might want some help here. Have someone hold onto your hips or just be ready to roll onto the side and fall?).
5. Walk your feet a little closer to the hands and see if you can point one foot towards your hands (like lift the foot off the mat to do this) and then see if you can touch that shin to the mat (essentially knee to mat). Then come back up to wheel and try the other one. If you get both knees to the mat, I’ve seen people kind of “roll” up to camel.
6. Walk your feet a little closer to the hands and hop up into a handstand then to down dog.
7. I remember someone submitted a fun wheel pose where they turned around clockwise on the mat where their hands were where their feet were and the feet were where the hands were. Then they rotated around counter clockwise. Challenges the perception and awareness! And is challenging for the body too.
ETC ETC! Fun transitions.
Wheel itself is difficult. … So watch your ego. Never do a yoga pose that is beyond your capabilities! If you’re fine in supported bridge pose … that’s COOOOOLLL TOOOOO
Awesomeness