CH.13 THE HAMMOCK ATLAS
Superficial Back LineSBL
Releases the back of the body
The back of the body, one line from head to foot
The only line in the body that runs from the brow ridge to the sole of the foot, changing hands just once, behind the knee. So if you cannot touch the floor, the problem is not necessarily the hamstrings — any stuck segment anywhere along the line gives the same result.
Where this line runs
- 01Brow ridge
- 02Galea aponeurotica
- 03Occipital ridge
- 04Erector spinae
- 05Sacral fascia
- 06Sacrotuberous ligament
- 07Ischial tuberosity
- 08Hamstrings
- 09Back of the knee (change-over to the hamstrings) ★
- 10Gastrocnemius · soleus
- 11Achilles tendon
- 12Calcaneus
- 13Under the toes · plantar fascia
What this line does
The Superficial Back Line runs up the back of the body: the sole of the foot, the back of the leg, the spine, the crown of the head. It is what keeps you from falling forward. In a forward bend the whole line lengthens, balancing the Superficial Front Line front to back.
How to train it
The base of the neck, the hamstrings and the calves shorten most readily. A forward head leaves the back of the body long and tight at the same time, and muscle in that state does not need more stretching — it needs to be put back to work. Hanging, folding and rounding in the hammock restore length along the whole line.
Go deeper
Standing overly upright — the military posture — holds the back line in something like a permanent combat stance and makes it hard to release. Rounding the back instead, as in Child’s Pose, lengthens it and switches it back toward rest.
Clues
A back that is long and tight at once, with the fold stopping at the hamstrings
- You cannot fold without bending the knees; it stops at the back of the thigh
- The first few steps in the morning feel especially tight as the heel lands
- The base of the neck and the upper back stay braced all day and feel hard to the touch
- After long standing the calves and soles feel swollen
When the back is too tight, the lumbar spine compensates in a forward fold: the spine never lengthens segment by segment, and the whole movement is completed by flexing the lower back.
Lengthening the whole back line and rounding the back switches off a posture that has been standing by for a long time. Only when the nervous system moves from guarding back to repairing does sleep go deep.
Test it yourself
Sit with the legs straight and fold forward, noting the distance from fingertips to feet. Then do each leg separately and compare the two sides.
The rest of it, a book can’t carry
What this line feels like when it releases, I can’t put into writing.
Lie into the hammock and find out for yourself.