Hi there
I stumbled across this question today and realized it doesn’t appear answered. It is one of our server crash casualties – lost in the meltdown.
So here goes my second take on the topic!
Summit82 is correct that in a backbend your vital organs are vulnerable and unprotected. This is an innate response of all of us. It takes practice in these backbends to breathe through what can be a very intense experience. And it comes in different forms, nausea is just one of them. Shortness of breath is another. Many people sense some kind of turmoil somewhere on the front of the torso. They react by dropping the eyes and or the chin which starts to bring them out of the pose.
There is a little ‘trick’ besides focusing on the breath!! Look back as far as you can and register where you can see on the ceiling or the wall and don’t let your eyes come up from there once they settle. Any ‘upward’ or ‘forward’ movement of the eyes (down the nose) will have you identifying with your sensations rather than just simply observing them. There is a BIG difference there. Where your eyes look is crucial in this pose not only for lessening risk of muscle strain or damage but for making sure you can facilitate being able to stay in the whole time so that you have the chance of breathing through the intensity.
Hope that helps!!!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
