Intermediate Yoga Practice: Torso Spiraling (Twists)

Disclaimer

Intermediate practices are for those who have been attending classes regularly for two years or more, who have a consistent and regular home practice, and who have familiarity with the basic standing poses, floor poses and with supported shoulder stand. In these practices, the information becomes a little more technical as the poses become more challenging and other inversions are introduced. Always seek out the guidance of a qualified teacher before you attempt new poses, especially inversions and Head Stand, so that they may instruct you in the safest way to approach them. There is no substitute for instruction from a seasoned teacher.

About The Practice

This practice begins with lateral standing poses that are not considered to be twists, but that have a spiraling action in the torso, the pelvis and rib cage turning in opposite directions. In poses such as Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose), the cue is often given to square the hips, or to push the hip of the back leg back. This only serves to limit range of motion in the hip joint, putting unnecessary strain on the knees and lower back. Allowing the pelvis to follow the feet with a slight turn creates a tremendous amount of freedom in the lower half, while spinning the rib cage back to the lateral position activates the spiral in the torso that is an essential feature of functional contralateral movements such as walking and reaching.

Practice Tips

• Lengthen the sides of your torso from sitting bones to head, softening and widening across your whole back and your whole front.
• Divide your torso at the navel, allowing your upper abdomen from above your navel to turn into the direction of the twist, while allowing your lower abdomen from below your navel to turn in the opposite direction.
• Soften and create space inside your pelvis, expanding from the center out.
• In asymmetrical poses where your legs are doing different things, widen across your pelvis from the hip of your front leg towards the hip of your back leg.

Sequence

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose) hands on blocks

Adho Mukha Shvanasana Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Parivrtta Parshvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) simple variation with hand on floor inside front foot

Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior Pose 2)

Utthita Parshvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose) with feet hip width

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose) from Ardha Uttanasana (Half Intense Stretch Pose) with hands on blocks

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Parivrtta Parshvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) front foot up on chair at rope wall

Salamba Shirshasana (Head Stand) preparation

• Place one block at its tallest height close to the wall and two blocks on top at their lowest height pointing lengthwise out and resting against the wall.
• Place your palms against the bottom block, your forearms on the floor and lift up into a headless head stand preparation, walking in to rest your upper back against the blocks.
• Hold for two or three minutes, allowing your neck to ease and lengthen evenly around its circumference, and your head to ease towards the floor as you press your forearms down and lift your upper arms.
• Widen your chest and upper back evenly.

Salamba Shirshasana 1 (Head Stand 1) [1 to 5 min]

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)

Marichyasana 3 (Marichi’s Pose 3)

Ardha Matsyendrasana 1 (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose 1)

Salamba Sarvangasana 1 (Shoulder Stand 1)

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) blanket under head, bolster under knees

About Yoga: Art+Science

This post originally appeared on my former blog, Yoga: Art+Science, a passion project that I ran from 2004 to 2014 that accumulated more than 1000 posts and articles. It appears here as part of a project to revisit all that material and update it to make it fresh and relevant to a modern yoga practice.

If you enjoyed this practice, I’d love to share my approach to yoga with you. I hold weekly classes online and new students are very welcome. Hope to see you there!