PHYSICAL YOGA backs this up explaining , “ The base of your spine rests on your pelvis , so if you turn your pelvis and spine in the same direction when you twist , your whole spine will turn as a unit , and your vertebrae won ’ t rotate as much on one another — at least at first . But your pelvis can turn only so far , and when it stops , the base of your spine stops too . If you continue turning the rest of your spine , you can eventually achieve just as much vertebral rotation as if you had held your pelvis completely stationary from the beginning .
What Twists Should You Teach ? First , take some time to explore twisting on your own with the understanding that all bodies are made similar , yet are different in subtle ways . See if your twists feel deeper when you keep your pelvis neutral or how it feels to allow your pelvis to move with the twist . Some people can keep their pelvis neutral and go very deep into a twist without cause for concern . However , the majority of the population are not that flexible and need both the guidance and permission to allow their pelvis to move .
For example , in parivrtta trikonasana [ par-ee-vrit- tah trikcone-AHS-anna , “ revolved triangle ”], we have been traditionally taught to keep our pelvis level and only twist the spine . However , the majority of practitioners have a hard time revolving and do one of two things : just don ’ t revolve very well or torque their sacrum in the process . And if you keep your pelvis level and only try to twist at the thoracic spine , it just plain sucks because you feel stuck . Instead , keep your back straight and allow the pelvis to tilt by lowering the hip of the back leg . This will make your legs work harder and make room to twist fully while keeping your sacrum in its proper place . And you can still use your abdominal muscles to open your chest and twist even more into the pose in the thoracic area . However , if you can learn to relax into the twist instead it will allow the deep back muscles around the spine to release . As Cole explains , “ If you engage your trunk muscles to twist , you usually limit your range of motion ; beyond a certain point , you wind up contracting muscles that should be relaxing and stretching .”
Try a variation on parivrtta trikonasana using the wall and really find a deep , juicy twist . In the Iyengar yoga tradition , the wall itself is often used as a prop to help both stabilize you and give you a sense of pressing into something with the outside of your foot in standing poses . Set up for trikonasana beginning with the outside of your right heel into the wall and your left foot forward . Once stabilized , put your right hand on the wall and then twist the torso so that your left hand is now on the wall . Bend at the hip with your torso straight , and now you are in revolved triangle . Remember to allow your right hip to relax down as you twist so your pelvis remains neutral and back straight . Again , you can use your abdominal muscles to help
Parivrtta Trikonasana
open your chest to the left side . Come out of the pose in the reverse order that you came in . Repeat with the left foot back and right foot forward .
As for supine twists , there are still a few variations suitable for most practitioners . Twisting from the top down is what I recommend because you are keeping the pelvis neutral and ensuring that the twist comes from the upper spine . Begin by lying on one side with knees bent in a 90 degree angle and arms straight from your body with palm over palm . Then , open the top arm so that your chest is open and your arms make a “ T ”. You may have to shift the shoulder blade of the bottom arm over a bit to help your chest open even more . There may come a point where your other shoulder will not reach the ground and that ’ s
INDIANA & YOGA MAGAZINE ISSUE I 55
PHYSICAL YOGA
backs this up explaining, “The base of your spine rests on your
pelvis, so if you turn your pelvis and spine in the same direction when you twist, your whole spine will turn as a unit, and
your vertebrae won’t rotate as much on one another—at least at
first. But your pelvis can turn only so far, and when it stops, the
base of your spine stops too. If you continue turning the rest of
your spine, you can eventually achieve just as much vertebral
rotation as if you had held your pelvis completely stationary
from the beginning.
What Twists Should You Teach?
First, take some time to explore twisting on your own with the
understanding that all bodies are made similar, yet are different in subtle ways. See if your twists feel deeper when you keep
your pelvis neutral or how it feels to allow your pelvis to move
with the twist. Some people can keep their pelvis neutral and
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