--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I also say with backbends, you have to be…" description: "\"I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/b-k-s-iyengar-949_backbends_i-also-say-with-backbends-you-have-to-be_1669169.png" --- # I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold… ![“I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command from the brain to do the poses. As you play with a child, guarding the child from injuries, similarly you have to play in backbends, guarding your…” quote by B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/b-k-s-iyengar-949_backbends_i-also-say-with-backbends-you-have-to-be_1669169.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/b-k-s-iyengar-949_backbends_i-also-say-with-backbends-you-have-to-be_1669169.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/b-k-s-iyengar-949_backbends_i-also-say-with-backbends-you-have-to-be_1669169.png) > “I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command from the brain to do the poses. As you play with a child, guarding the child from injuries, similarly you have to play in backbends, guarding your spine.” [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Backbends require cautious boldness, respecting the spine’s limits while allowing growth, similar to protecting a child. **In simple terms:** Be bold yet careful in yoga poses. Key Takeaway Move with mindful strength. Themes yoga mind‑body safety Mood focused steady Type instructional motivational When to use this quote - Yoga class - personal practice - rehabilitation sessions - teaching beginners Key Concepts Anatomy spine health mindful practice Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge safe limits? - What signals indicate you’re pushing too far? A Different Perspective Over‑exertion can cause injury. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backbends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbends-13864/) [Backbends Cautiously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbends-cautiously-841604/) [Backbends Guarding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbends-guarding-841605/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Dictation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictation/) [Guarding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarding/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Backbends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-backbends-841606/) [Say Backbends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-backbends-841603/) [Spine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spine/) ## Related quotes > [In forward bends, one uses the outer mind while in backbends the outer mind is silenced and the inner mind is made to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-forward-bends-one-uses-the-outer-mind-while-in-backbends-the-outer/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Backbends are not poses meant for expressionism. Backbends are meant to understand the back parts of our bodies. The front body can be seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/backbends-are-not-poses-meant-for-expressionism-backbends-are-meant/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [In backbends, one touches the body physically, mentally, intellectually, consciously and spiritually everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-backbends-one-touches-the-body-physically-mentally-intellectually/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [That's the beauty of backbends. Emotionally we can never be disturbed, for the emotional centre becomes an extrovert. When you do Viparita Dandasana, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/that-s-the-beauty-of-backbends-emotionally-we-can-never-be-disturbed/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Backbends are to be felt more than expressed. The other postures can be expressed and then felt. Like in meditation each person has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/backbends-are-to-be-felt-more-than-expressed-the-other-postures-can/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Why are we doing all these handstands, backbends and arm balances? I don't know why we're doing them unless our lives are shaped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-hanson-lasater/why-are-we-doing-all-these-handstands-backbends-and-arm-balances-i/) [Judith Hanson Lasater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-hanson-lasater/) > [I never exactly made a book. It's rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-exactly-made-a-book-it-s-rather-like-taking-dictation-i-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a situational writer. You give me a situation, like a writer gets in a car crash, breaks his leg, is kidnapped by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-m-a-situational-writer-you-give-me-a-situation-like-a-writer-gets-2/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [ \[The married woman is\] is a bonded slave, who takes her master's name, her master's bread, and serves her master's passion; \[and\] who passes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-married-woman-is-is-a-bonded-slave-who-takes-her-master-s-name/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Is not the real experience of each individual very limited? And, if a writer dwells upon that solely or principally, is he not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/is-not-the-real-experience-of-each-individual-very-limited-and-if-a/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I have a feeling that art is something you do for yourself, and that any time you turn your decisions over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-have-a-feeling-that-art-is-something-you-do-for-yourself-and-that/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [You can't sort of write the novel as if you're taking dictation from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-can-t-sort-of-write-the-novel-as-if-you-re-taking-dictation-from/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I wrote before I could write. I got my hands on a journal, maybe a hand-me-down; I had three older siblings. My first entries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/i-wrote-before-i-could-write-i-got-my-hands-on-a-journal-maybe-a-hand/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [It's a question of trying to take down by dictation what's already there. I'm not making something, I'm trying to hear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oswald/it-s-a-question-of-trying-to-take-down-by-dictation-what-s-already/) [Alice Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oswald/) > [War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is worse… Freedom, if we hold fast to it, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/war-is-an-evil-thing-but-to-submit-to-the-dictation-of-other-states/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) ## More by B.K.S. Iyengar > [It is through the body that everything comes to the mind. It is through and with your body that you have to reach realization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/it-is-through-the-body-that-everything-comes-to-the-mind-it-is/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [A yogi's brain extends from the bottom of the foot to the top of his head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/a-yogi-s-brain-extends-from-the-bottom-of-the-foot-to-the-top-of-his/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Is it necessary to practice all these asanas, further and further? Is it necessary to develop scientific researches further and further? To a yogi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/is-it-necessary-to-practice-all-these-asanas-further-and-further-is/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [The best way to overcome fear is to face with equanimity the situation of which one is afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/the-best-way-to-overcome-fear-is-to-face-with-equanimity-the/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [You have to create love and affection for your body, for what it can do for you. Love must be incarnated in the smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/you-have-to-create-love-and-affection-for-your-body-for-what-it-can/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-whatever-position-one-is-in-or-in-whatever-condition-in-life-one/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Learning is as much an art as teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/learning-is-as-much-an-art-as-teaching/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Why should you practice Yoga? To kindle the divine fire within yourself. Everyone has a dormant spark of divinity in him which has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/why-should-you-practice-yoga-to-kindle-the-divine-fire-within/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Yoga is the method by which the restless mind is calmed And the energy directed into constructive channels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/yoga-is-the-method-by-which-the-restless-mind-is-calmed-and-the/) [B.K.S. 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Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Breath is the vehicle of consciousness and so, by its slow measured observation and distribution, we learn to tug our attention away from external…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/breath-is-the-vehicle-of-consciousness-and-so-by-its-slow-measured/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Yoga releases the creative potential in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/yoga-releases-the-creative-potential-in-life/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Do not live in the future, only the present is real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/do-not-live-in-the-future-only-the-present-is-real/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) [Explore all 322 B.K.S. Iyengar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) ## More Backbends quotes > [That's the beauty of backbends. Emotionally we can never be disturbed, for the emotional centre becomes an extrovert. When you do Viparita Dandasana, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/that-s-the-beauty-of-backbends-emotionally-we-can-never-be-disturbed/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Why are we doing all these handstands, backbends and arm balances? I don't know why we're doing them unless our lives are shaped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-hanson-lasater/why-are-we-doing-all-these-handstands-backbends-and-arm-balances-i/) [Judith Hanson Lasater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-hanson-lasater/) > [Backbends are to be felt more than expressed. The other postures can be expressed and then felt. Like in meditation each person has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/backbends-are-to-be-felt-more-than-expressed-the-other-postures-can/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [In backbends, one touches the body physically, mentally, intellectually, consciously and spiritually everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-backbends-one-touches-the-body-physically-mentally-intellectually/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [Backbends are not poses meant for expressionism. Backbends are meant to understand the back parts of our bodies. The front body can be seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/backbends-are-not-poses-meant-for-expressionism-backbends-are-meant/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [In forward bends, one uses the outer mind while in backbends the outer mind is silenced and the inner mind is made to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-forward-bends-one-uses-the-outer-mind-while-in-backbends-the-outer/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) [Browse all 7 Backbends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbends-13864/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I also say with backbends, you have to be cautiously bold. Not carelessly bold. You have to descend to the dictation of the spine. You cannot command from the brain to do the poses. As you play with a child, guarding the child from injuries, similarly you have to play in backbends, guarding your spine.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B.K.S. 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