If you're looking for a pose that will strengthen your shoulders and core, and increase flexibility in your spine then give Extended Tabletop a try. I like to move into this pose from a variation of Three-Legged Dog with your knee bent (see the photo after the break). This is a pose I've only seen in Vinyasa Yoga classes, so it's a newer pose that will help prepare you for doing Wheel.
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Backbends are some of my favorite yoga poses. Since our bodies rarely have the opportunity to bend this way, not only is arching the spine a treat but it stretches the front part of your body quite nicely. Not only that, but increasing flexibility in your spine is a great way to stay healthy and avoid lower back pain.
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Sitting with a rounded spine typing all day and biking hunched over takes a toll on my spine. All that rounding forward can make my back ache. I find that arching backwards, in the opposite direction of all the hunching, feels great.
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Since I run a lot, my hip flexors and lower back get really tight, so I love stretches that focus on opening these areas, such as Scorpion. This is actually a yoga pose that's a balancing backbend. It feels amazing on the front of your body and your spine, but it's a really difficult pose to get into, let alone hold long enough to get a good stretch.
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When you do Bow pose on your own while lying on your belly, it's really difficult to get a good stretch in your spine because gravity is working against you. Flipping the pose over with help from a partner and trying it upside down feels amazing. The person on top will get an unbelievable stretch in her torso, chest, and shoulders, and the person on the bottom will greatly appreciate the pressure and support on his lower back.
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I love when I can find ways to stretch my shoulders, chest, and back since swimming and working at a desk all day can make them so tight. This partner yoga pose called Triple Hill gets its name from the two humps your bums make and the tall "hill" bump your arms make. It's a great total-body stretch like Downward Facing Dog, but since you're standing up and leaning against a partner, you'll get more of an intense stretch in your upper back, shoulders, and hamstrings.
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Some people like to bend forward and some like to bend backward. I guess it takes all kinds, right? For me it feels great to fold in my spine forward and rest my forehead on my shins. 
In Ashtanga yoga, right before you go into the closing sequence, you do the Wheel, aka backbend. This is one of my favorite poses because not only does it increase flexibility in your spine, but it also opens up your shoulders and strengthens your upper back and thighs.
Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Dhanurasana
English Translation: Upward Bow Pose
Also Called: Wheel or Full Backbend
Want to know a great trick for getting into this pose? 
I thought it would be fitting to do a pose called Bow the day after Christmas. OK, so maybe this pose has nothing to do with ribbons or presents, and the bow instead is referring to a bow and arrow, but I thought it would be cute anyway. This pose is best done on an empty stomach, and really works on increasing flexibility in your spine. 
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One of my favorite 
