Backbends are overrated... Or are they?

Backbends are overrated! Did I just write that out loud? Yes, I did. For anyone who has looked at me with the eyes of an observer of the body, this statement would come as no surprise: the shape of my spine is pretty much the shape of a rod, especially in the lumbar region, and my ribcage is long, that is, the space between the top of my pelvis and the floating ribs is minimal, as in a couple of inches. In short, not much to backbend. I know, I know: the backbend is supposed to be in your upper back and, yes, I am pretty capable of doing that. But, let's face it, the picture-perfect backbends are mostly due to the degree of curvature in your lumbar, whether you like to admit it or not and regardless of whether you are a Cirque du Soleil contortionist or just a flexible chick (or bloke). After all, this is what the low back is made to do: flex and extend. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy backbends and am aware of their many benefits. But it's taken me a few years to actually say this with a straight face and believe myself when I am saying it. But backbends do not come easily to me. I find them hard, for some of the very physical reasons outlined above, and also loaded with sociological implications in the context of the general yoga scene. The regular person who does not do yoga or goes to a weekly class or two is unencumbered by such heavy thoughts. But if you consider yourself a committed practitioner, that is, if you are heavily identified with that part of your embodied experience (for example, I practice every day for 75 to 120 minutes and can't remember the last time I skipped my daily yoga practice), being able to do some serious backbends and to be actively wanting to do them is considered the norm, and that's where the disconnect occurs with me. I am not able to do serious (as in deep) backbends, nor am I serious about them. I almost feel compelled to rebel against the general obsession for outrageous backbending that exists in the yoga scene. So, with all of this being said, what is my point? I think what I am trying to say is that being able to do advanced backbends is not a gateway to anywhere. Not to anywhere that matters anyway. If I am able to do dropbacks, does that make me a better wife or a better friend or a better writer? I don't think so. The real bending over backwards occurs in life in the livingworld, often when you are physically in flexion.