Sridaiva Yoga: Good Intention But Imbalanced

1/27/2014

I recently attended a workshop with John Friend and Desi Springer as they presented their new alignment principle, the "bow spring," as the foundation for their new Sridaiva yoga. I was very excited to attend this workshop and learn from such experienced yogis. My feelings afterward are mixed.

The "bow spring" is basically an arched low back and an open chest, both of which are great medicine for our current cultural maladies - sitting and hunching forward. When sitting, our low backs and upper backs tend to round forward, hunching our shoulders and closing our chests. This poor posture is bad for the muscles of the back, which get very weak, and bad for the chest, which gets tight and closes off our energy and confidence. The "bow spring" builds strength in the muscles of the back; encourages a more proper spinal curvature which then transfers our weight more efficiently; and stretches the muscles, tissues and energy centers of the torso, particularly the solar plexus, sternum and throat. In these ways, I think the "bow spring" is a wonderful technique.

The benefits of the "bow spring" are remarkably similar to Cobra Pose. Cobra is one of the most, if not the most, important single yoga posture. It strengthens the muscles of the back, achieves a gentle backward bend and stretches the chest. (Cobra Pose also compresses the kidneys and adrenals, reducing stress. And it compresses the pelvis, releasing testosterone that increases self-esteem and confidence.) The "bow spring," like Cobra, would be an excellent alignment for one posture, or even a series of several postures. But one would not claim that Cobra Pose makes a complete physical practice. And I don't think that the "bow spring" facilitates a balanced practice either.

There are many alignments and bends possible in the spine and hips. They are two of the most mobile structures in the body. A balanced practice requires an exploration of all (or at least many) of these positions. We must bend the spine forward, backward, sideways, twist it and stretch it long. That includes the lumbar (lower) spine, for which the "bow spring" encourages only one position.

We must stretch our hips in all directions and rotate them. That is how we achieve improved strength, flexibility and energetic openness. In order to achieve its exaggerated lumbar curve, the "bow spring" requires a forward tilt of the pelvis, which in turn creates a shortened front side of the quadriceps. This will create tightness in the hip flexor area (top front of the hips), which is already a common cultural problem due to all the sitting we do.

Both John Friend and Desi Springer are tremendous yogis, experienced and advanced in their personal practices and their understanding of yoga. Desi especially is impressive to watch in her strength, flexibility and playfulness with the postures (I believe she started as a Ghosh yogi, growing up on Bikram). But I find their new method of yoga to be imbalanced and incomplete.

19 Comments

Liz Coffman

3/23/2016 04:02:48 pm

Hi! I am curious about why you consider bowspring to be incomplete. Is it just due to shortening the psoas? I find myself constantly stretching my psoas in a brand new and intense way each time I practice bowspring. Would love to hear more of your thoughts on that.
Also, I 100% agree with you about moving the spine in all directions. The bowspring does teach twisting, LOTS of side bending, and back bending, as you experienced. The reason why it leaves forward bending out of the picture (for the most part) is because that's such a common postural default for most people. For many of us sitting in chairs, in car seats, and on couches, our lumbar is rounded kyphotically for many hours of the day. So the bowspring serves to balance that. I've been to many classes with John & Desi where they've stated clearly that it isn't wrong to forward bend, but it's just not advantageous to do it all (or even most) of the time.
Let's talk more! I love your insights and would love to hear more of your thoughts here.

Scott

3/24/2016 12:46:07 pm

Hi Liz, I consider the bowspring to be incomplete because it does not incorporate the full range of joint movements or muscular engagements. As stated in the blog, I think the bowspring addresses some important issues in our cultural posture, but I think it is more appropriately labeled as a specific therapy for the lower spine.

Jorge Pineda link

5/10/2016 01:44:44 pm

Totally agree Scott! Incomplete and yes imbalanced. What about so many people with back spinal problems, they are legion! If exagerated arched low back and opened and stretched chest is the great medicine for our maladies it is at least so simplistic! Life is complexity
As you say : there are many alingments and pose and we have to explore all.
Sorry for the criticism, but the straight way( simplistic) isn't the best, as many researchers of the posture (like the great Feldenkrais) have seen. You have to work instead with some kind of Judo, not the linear straight method.

Liz

5/10/2016 01:49:17 pm

Jorge:
I wouldn't call the bowspring simplistic in any way whatsoever. It is not arching the low back and opening the chest. That is an erroneous oversimplification of the method. If you are into complexity, research the concept of biotensegrity, around which the bowspring centers.

For both of you:
www.globalbowspring.com

3/24/2016 01:16:43 pm

Scott!
Thanks for responding! I'm really glad that people are starting a conversation about this methodology that claims to be so great. It's important to view all the possible setbacks and limitations. Maybe you don't even care to discuss it anymore, but as we are both yogis that care about physical wellness I feel obligated to keep the door open. Feel free to ignore. :)
I do have to say that since January of 2014, John & Desi have revised a BUNCH of stuff. My first exposure to the bowspring was in November of 2013, then again in 2014, then later in 2015 and again in 2016. It has REALLY evolved since the beginning days, and in some ways the bowspring is now completely different. One of the big changes that I think is tremendously important is that they are no longer flattening the thoracic spine. Back in Nov. '13, we were still doing "cactus arms" and pressing the chest forward to open the chest. This is no longer part of the system, because it creates a disharmony in the vertebral relationships from cervical to lumbar. If you hyperextend the thoracic while also creating a hyperlordotic lumbar, eventually you're going to run into trouble. I'm so glad they've adjusted that. Many of my students stopped coming to my classes when I was teaching the previous methodology, and now I'm able to see why. Kind of a train wreck! So now the emphasis is on keeping a 360º fullness around the thoracic spine, filling in around the whole of the ribcage.
I'm trying to call to mind which ranges of motion that the bowspring does not address in the joints. I suppose it doesn't ever overly rotate the shoulders (not much clasping the hands behind the back, except in bound utthita parsvokanasana, which in bowspring alignment would be considered pretty advanced). There also is no pose where the thigh bones pop forward in the hip joint (a la urdhva mukha svanasana). In that sense yes, you're right. The way I see it, we're just not exploiting these big, important joints. However, the bowspring does now explore a range of motion in several joints that modern postural yoga does not often address: namely, the fingers and toes. These small joints, when trained, can be powerful catalysts for a strong overall holding of the body. There are some finger and toe "alignments" (more like methods of engagement) that address common default patterns that are so transformative, and I've never seen them in modern postural yoga. For that innovation I am so grateful.
I love your insights about cobra pose. Traditional cobra isn't a pose that's seen in bowspring practice, but I'll be sitting with your commentary on its benefits for awhile. I do love a good cobra pose! :)
Thanks for engaging, Scott. I appreciate your honesty and willingness to share with the community.

3/24/2016 02:08:22 pm

I have heard that a lot has changed in the methodology since I learned about it two years ago. There are a handful of yogis at my home studio who practice this method (is it still called Sridaiva?), and I occasionally speak with them about it. I can't speak to what the method has evolved to incorporate. I generally support the evolution of physical yoga as therapy, so if the method is awakening you to unconscious patterns and helping you heal your body and mind, wonderful.

Rog link

4/28/2016 04:07:12 am

I agree, the bowspring method may be incomplete in itself and alone but, it's ok as a complementary part of our personal practice. Don't you think?

4/28/2016 10:32:26 am

Hi Rog, yes I think the bowspring has some wonderful elements that benefit the body. I just don't think it is healthy as the foundation for an entire system of positions. There is no single movement, stretch or engagement that is.

Kat

9/18/2016 03:30:38 pm

I appreciate this dialogue. As a Denver native, and one who has attended many of Desi Springer's classes during her tenure as a Bikram instructor I have appreciated her profound wisdom as a teacher and as a woman. However, the Sridaiva experience was not for me. Yes, while it targets (loosely) a large population of those that sit in front of their desks, yadda yadda,..and the rounding forward that occurs from prolonged shortening of pec major and minor and a lengthening and laxity that develops in rhomboids and other back muscles, it doesn't account for postural differences amongst many people. Personally as a yoga student, teacher and physical therapist, I have seen that there are those that have an exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt that may not benefit from this practice. Learning to stabilize the pelvis and finding a neutral state within these people (myself included) requires lengthening through the spine and experiencing posterior pelvic tilt that can help to bring awareness to postural issues that create pain or imbalance. Transverse abdominal engagement is key. This awareness can lead to lengthened iliopsoas connections within the hip flexors that Sridaiva practice does not seem to provide. Lastly, continuously holding an overly lordotic lumbar curvature within those that experience anterior pelvic tilt can result, amongst many other imbalances, pathology consistent with spondylolisthesis or other such conditions where the spine is overly compressed. That being said, I think the practice of Sridaiva iis well intentioned, but does not serve all...

9/20/2016 06:00:52 am

Hi Kat,
Thanks for your comment. I also see a lot of students with anterior pelvic tilt and dysfunction in the engagement of their abdominal muscles.

Simon

9/7/2017 07:47:03 am

Great place to talk about this. I have found this method around my area and I couldn't get my head around it. I think that ANY KIND OF ALIGNMENT HOLD FOR 60 MINUTES BRINGS YOUR BODY TO IMBALANCE. Balance comes from going from right to left, front to back, etc. When ever you bring your spine to hold one position what you are doing is creating a new problem for it. They way that your disk get lubricated and become healthy is through movement. When we teach a class to groups is irresponsible to assume that every single person in the room needs to arch their lower back in such a way. Nevertheless, one of the major muscles that holds your spine and prevent is from injury is your core muscles, the best way that I know to strengthen your transverse abdominal is actually the opposite of bow spring. I believe they got caught in this new wave of yoga that wants to bring unique thing to the practice, always something that no one ever seen before. Don t get me wrong, there are good things coming up, but aswell there is a lot of devotion for practices that are not healthy in a long term. Hope we adopt this practice as a 10% of other practices.

Jill

9/24/2017 04:57:47 pm

I started a teacher training that is largely being taught in the bowstring method (unbeknownst to me until the first day of class). It’s like relearning yoga. It’s absolutely not easy to grasp, so I’m grateful that I’ll be spending so many hours learning this method. I am beginning to see the utility. I recognize that normal forms of yoga do need improvement. I’ve always thought, if I do yoga my whole life I’ll come to be elderly and be so grateful that I’m still able to come to class. But when I look around I have to notice that I don’t see very many people who fit this idea I have. Where are all these people who have been practicing since the sixties who are doing so well with the old forms of yoga? I don’t know.

I don’t work a desk job and I do yoga everyday. My left wrist hurts as does my right shoulder and neck. The wrist didn’t really bother me until I started getting back into yoga over the last 6 months. So, perhaps there’s a connection. I’m open to trying out this method for the potential wrist and shoulder benefits, but I don’t think this method is going to take off like NASCAR. I just can’t imagine all of these mobs of people who have been taught to do Yoga certain way having that much incentive to ditch everything they’ve learned in the name of this new method that honestly, doesn’t have a very strong following. The fact that every single pose must basically be unlearned and then workshopped to relearn, I have a feeling that every proponent of he method has extensive training with it, and everyone who opposes it has probably had less extensive training with the method. So, how will this method ever take off?

At least where I live, it’s not being taught is mass like Anusara was.

It looks ugly. Sorry, it just does. It does not have the beautiful clean lines of traditional yoga poses. It doesn’t ask people’s bodies to fit in that box. Young people might be the only hope - they get trained in this new school and this becomes the new normal. But if you look at who is doing bowspring, the following skews strongly toward the over-40 contingent. Personally, I’ve never seen anyone under 30 in these classes. Perhaps because younger people have not yet been burned by traditional yoga? In any case, if bowspring is a step up from more traditional/iyengar-based mythologies it’s going to be an uphill battle for this new style to catch on.

As a community/culture, we yogis may be dependent upon people who are highly educated in human physiology to do in-depth (100-200 hour) trainings in this method before we really know if this new style is what we need to be moving towards - both in our own practice and in what we teach.

If I had to put my chips on the table, I’d hazard to guess that bowspring will continue to evolve and we may find ourselves landing somewhere in the middle. I could see bowspring methodology being offered as a therapeutic alternative for certain poses or even parts of poses. Got shoulder pain? Do a weird downward dog. Got hip pain? Do a weird warrior. I’d way rather see bowspring open doors for people who are not being served 100% by the more popular teachings, than see it create a new host of problems in people who are doing just fine with the old fashioned way.

In any case, I think it would take some serious humility from the thought leaders in the Yoga world to put in the hours necessary to really understand bowspring. I just stepped in the door for my extensive training and honestly, I’m afraid. What of I spend all this time and don’t care for it? What if it doesn’t work for me? Money’s already spent for me, but I don’t care how convincing John Friend can be - most people aren’t going to spend that kinda dough on something they don’t yet believe in. The trainings are just not being flooded like Anusara was (or even as much as trainings of other methodologies are currently). As for me, I’m in it now, so I guess I’ll keep y’all posted.

Maggie

9/26/2017 01:23:50 pm

Jill, I'm so intrigued to see where this training takes you and how it shapes your views on traditional yoga and the bow spring method.

I'm also familiarizing myself with the system after a long ride with Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha and still lots of Anusara principles still working their way onto my mat. I find this new method quite odd, definitely not pretty but surely intriguing.

My main concern is how this method cradles, the before mentioned, compacted lumbar spines. As for myself, I suffer from degenerative disc syndrome in my L4, L5 and S1. I know I'm not alone. Genetically or sometimes just with age, we humans may lose the space and even the discs along our spine.

This leads me to my inquiry, regarding functional anatomy, when treating a compacted lumbar spine, does mounding the gluteus fortify or benefit the said practitioner or could it cause more harm?

9/26/2017 02:17:25 pm

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m the training last weekend I was reminded of the importance of moderation - more than anything else the teacher emphasized hugging the midline. Whatever you’re doing with your gluteus don’t do it too much in one direction or the other. It was almost like every pose was mountain pose - don’t push anything too far this way or that, rather follow a basic shape and flex everything like the dickens. Even if I have more range of motion I’m supposed to use all this willpower to restrain myself. Makes sense to me that it’s better for the spine to follow a more natural curve for very repetitive poses. Or at least maybe there’s something useful there for you, Maggie. Practicing restraint is so challenging I can see why it makes some people want to quit doing yoga altogether after learning bowspring style.

Kate link

3/9/2018 06:48:48 am

Hello. I am looking into Bowsprings, and have enjoyed this thread. Like many, I am not sure what to think but feel like it is worth exploring as i have always had much respect for Desi and learned a lot from her years ago. I am curious if Jill would like to check back in after her training last fall. Or if others would like to share more thoughts and experiences . Thanks. 🙏

kathleen mccreedy

5/8/2019 04:40:15 am

Hi y'all:
Yoga teacher in Chs, SC trained in Bow Spring taught a 4 hour work shop here in Charleston i guess about 1 year & 1/2 ago now.. i m a massage therapist with extreme anterior tilt and i loved Bow Spring! I used to teach Nia so to me it was a wonderful way to combine a lot of my body improvement concepts... interestingly i actually had no idea of any Bow Spring criticisms:)!!
Looking fwd to hearing more insights from all
360 insights ;)

Shanti link

9/19/2019 03:30:22 pm

I find all these comments so interesting. With any available time, I find myself eagerly following Desi and John's videos on TINT. I love the postural guidelines. I find them brilliant! Desi is taking me into movements that I have never explored before, and I find them amazing at lengthening my iliopsoas muscle, like no other yoga I have experienced. I am finding my body more springing, and at 54, this is exciting and invigorating! It's only been a month of Bowspring. My ego loves the beauty and lines of the advanced 12 postures in haha, my body loves them too...but my body is giving me an even bigger yes to these more advanced bowspring postures I am learning in my living room! Shanti, lettuceflow insta, 54 year old yogini, 1000 hour trained with Sri Dharma Mittra.

Nomadding Nina link

11/29/2020 07:57:48 pm

Greaat reading your post

Shannen Yee

4/21/2022 07:41:11 pm

I went to my first bow spring class tonight.

The teacher talked about mind, body, and heart connectivity and about the balance between polar opposites.

She actually talked a whole lot and walked us through complex twists.

I feel warming up is good before you twist. There was no warm up.

I think back bends need front bends to balance them.

No front bends.

She told us to life our hips and sit back a lot. My posture is pretty good - I don’t hunch and I don’t puff out my chest.

I’m sure I’ll be sore in ways I haven’t been tomorrow but I didn’t feel relaxed at all. I don’t feel opened up or massaged. I feel stiff and sore.

I liked the loud, aggressive, foreign teacher but I prefer hatha.

Sridaiva Yoga: Good Intention But Imbalanced

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