parivrtta trikonasana.doc
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
1/6
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Revolved Triangle Pose
Yoga Journal October 2001
Benefits
Tones legs and hipsStrengthens upper back
!proves spinal fle"ibilit#
$assages organs and regulates their function
%ourishes spinal discs
&ontraindications
Back !uscle spas!s
'erniated discs
Sciatica
Positional vertigo
1( )s a #oga teacher* +hen sa#* ,Root #our feet- or ,Be grounded in #ourlegs*- a! asking #ou to find the sensation of connection to the earth(
2( .ift #our toes(
/( Separate the! ust as #ou +ould #our fingers #ou can even si!ultaneousl#
spread #our fingers to guide #ou to the right sensation( )t the sa!e ti!e* tr#
to +iden the ball !etatarsal3 oints of #our feet(
4( 5ven if #our toes see! stiff* #ou +ill probabl# see and feel that b# lifting the!
#ou engage the !uscles that support the arches of #our feet(
6( Standing on tiptoe is another good e"ercise for strengthening #our feet(
7( 8hile #our toes are lifted and separated* plant #our +eight so that it falls
evenl# on both feet(
9( Then* on each foot* root #our +eight e:uall# bet+een the ball oint of the big
toe* the ball oint of the little toe* and the center of the heel( ;istributing #our
+eight in this +a# helps support the arch and establishes a broad* balanced
link to gravit# that influences #our +hole bod#(
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
2/6
each action* like oil in a bo+l* until it feels level( 8ith the pelvis in this
neutral position* #ou +ill be able to stand tall +ith out being rigid( n fact*
#our pelvis +ill float lightl# and co!fortabl#* rooted in the legs and feet(
8hen #our pelvis is free* the spine is far !ore likel# to be pliable and light*
especiall# as #our internal strength continues to gro+( To add strength in the
base of the spine and pelvis* !ove #our tailbone to+ard the floor as if a +eight+ere attached to the cocc#" tailbone3( This action is subtler than tucking
#our pelvis it>s !ore a letting go than an action( Though the pri!ar#
sensation is one of release* #ou +ill begin to feel a response in the interior of
the back pelvis as abdo!inal !uscles engage and stabili?e the lo+er spine(
Secure no+ in a grounded base* #our upper bod# +ill instinctivel# begin to let
go of chronic holding patterns( You can speed the process along b# gentl#
!oving the spine* +hich is :uite pliable( To do this* first spend a !inute
feeling the rh#th! of #our breath then deliberatel# direct that pulse into #our
spinal !uscles( &an #ou feel the !assage@ Araduall# #our spine +ill feel
lighter* as though it is gro+ing fro! #our pelvis like a vine( Arounding #our
legs and pelvis so #our spine can e!erge up+ard +ith suppleness instead ofrigidit# is crucial as #ou begin to e"plore standing t+ists(
Testing Your Roots
1( 8e>ll begin +ith a revolved version of Prasarita Padottanasana 8ide.egged
Standing Cor+ard Bend3(
2( Because the spine is attached to the pelvis* an# spinal rotation that is restricted
or forced can shake #our foundation(
/( n this first t+ist* the pelvis +ill be s#!!etrical( This position provides a
so!e+hat si!pler relationship bet+een the pelvis and the lu!bar spine than
do poses that re:uire an as#!!etrical pelvic align!ent( 8ith a s#!!etrical
pelvis* #ou can !ore easil# feel the effect of the spinal t+ist on #our roots*
gaining insight that +ill help #ou guide the t+ist !ore directl# into the spine
and carr# over into #our practice of less stable standing t+ists like Parivrtta
Trikonasana(
4( Take a !o!ent to re!ind #ourself of all our preparator# +orkD
a( active feet*
b( buo#ant oints*
c( floating pelvis*
d( grounded tail(
6( %o+* standing +ith legs +ide apart* feet parallel* and +ith #our spine light and
fluid* inhale as #ou begin to rotate #our pelvis for+ard and e"hale to continuebending for+ard until #ou lightl# place #our hands on the floor(
7( Eeep #our ar!s straight +ith #our +rists in line +ith #our shoulders and #our
head at shoulder level(
9( f #our hips are too tight to place #our pal!s on the floor* it>s fine to be on
fingertips* bend #our knees slightl#* or use blocks under #our hands(
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
3/6
!ove!ent +ith both #our e"halation and the slight pause that follo+s it(
;uring the pause* consciousl# release #our abdo!en #ou !a# feel it
spontaneousl# lift into the front of #our sacru! and lu!bar spine( Rel# upon
that strength and support* reinforced b# #our e"halation* to feed length into
#our spine so that #ou feel it gro+ to+ard #our skull( 8hen #our spine gro+s
to+ard the skull +ith support at its base* the upper bod# beco!es light andspacious* ripe for the deeper !ove!ent of a spinal t+ist(
=( $ove #our left hand to the right* centering it under #our torso( Aentl# place
#our right hand on #our sacru!* pal! do+n if possible( This hand gives #ou
tangible feedback on the position of #our pelvis* helping #ou keep #our hips
level( The !ore level #our pelvis* the !ore the t+ist +ill target the spine so it
receives the greatest benefit(
10( 'o+ever* be careful not to !ake #our pelvis rigid* gripping the !uscles too
tightl# can irritate #our lo+er back(
11( n this position* tune in to the stead# rh#th! of #our breath and the cal!
environ!ent of #our bell#( )s #ou e"hale* press #our left ar! and hand into
the floor* feeling #our torso rebound up+ard in response( Corgo the urge toturn #our chest further than it is carried b# action of the left ar!(
12( 8hile turning the chest is not necessaril# +rong* leading +ith that action can
hide and even di!inish trul# deep !ove!ent of the spine(
1/( Observe in #ourself an# resistance #ou have to this last instruction( t !a# not
have occurred to #ou to hang back( )fter all* +hen #ou look at a photo or
de!onstration of an asana* +hat #ou usuall# see is the !a"i!u! e"pression
of the pose( 8hat a photograph cannot reveal is the internal and often length#
process that guided the pose to full flo+er( t is understandable that #ou !ight
si!pl# tr# to !i!ic +hat #ou see( nstead* go inside* even close #our e#es*
and let this t+ist be a discover#(
14( You have alread# spent so!e ti!e !aking #our spine consciousl# pliable and
adaptable no+ tr# to feel the e!ergence of the t+ist as #our spine rotates
slightl# each ti!e #ou e"hale and press #our right ar! to the floor(
16( )s #ou inhale* begin to raise #our right ar! and turn #our head to the right(
Fse #our e"halation to full# e"tend #our ar!* feeling the rotation deepen(
&ontinue to e"plore the +a# #our breath>s rh#th! resonates through #our
spine* helping to a+aken core sensitivit# and !ove!ent( 8ith each
inhalation* rela" a+a# fro! the edge of #our !ove!ent +ith each e"halation*
e"tend #our ar!s farther* letting their action turn the spine(
17( &oordinating breath and !ove!ent in this +a# co!pels #ou to slo+ do+n and
+ait for the asana to unfold naturall#(19( )s #our !uscles rela" +ith this breath !assage* the spine beco!es !ore
adaptable and #our ar!s can e"tend !ore strongl#* facilitating a !uch deeper
spinal rotation(
1
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
4/6
pelvis rigid* since this can stress #our sacru! and lu!bar spine( The pelvis
continues to float* as #ou practiced earlier* over a cal!* controlled bell#(
20( )s an e"ploration* drop #our left hip and feel ho+ !uch !ore easil# #our
spine turns to the right(
21( %o+* tr# to keep that turn as #ou e"hale and raise the left hip again( Though
lifting the hip +ill !ost likel# pull #ou slightl# out of that enticing t+ist* #ou+ill feel in the second position that the !uscles directl# along the spine
beco!e !ore involvedGespeciall# in the area of #our back that !ost needs
the attention of the !assaging breath(
22( &ontinue to refine #our t+ist until further visible progress is not possible(
5ven then* notice the breath>s pulse reverberate through #ou* a subtle !otion
that connects #ou to #our core and persuades #ou to sta# in the pose(
2/( )t a certain point #our enduranceGand this does re:uire enduranceG+ill
begin to +ane( Fse that as #our cue to co!e out of the pose( On an
inhalation* begin to lift out of the pose* rela"ing #our ar!s and letting #our
head and spine !elt out of the t+ist( .ift fro! the abdo!en and use #our
e"halation to help bring #ou full# upright(24( Repeat these first t+o positions t+isting to #our left and then rest for a !inute
or t+o in a passive Fttansana Standing Cor+ard Bend3 before proceeding on
to+ard Parivrtta Trikonasana( Re!e!ber to pace #ourself(
Squaring Your Hips
1( Begin as in the previous pose* +ith #our feet +ide apart and parallel +ith each
other( Then turn #our left foot and leg and pelvis about 20 degrees to the
right( Pivot #our right leg and hip so the thigh* knee* and foot turn =0 degrees
out fro! their original position line #our heels up +ith each other for
stabilit# and place #our hands on #our hips(
2( Once #ou have established #our standing position* direct #our attention to the
left leg( Though #ou can no longer see the leg* #ou can feel it( Eno+ing bod#
!ove!ent and position b# sensation rather than b# vision is an essential skill
in hatha #oga( )s #ou did earlier* spread the ball oints of the foot* rooting
#our big and little toe oints as +ell as the center of the heel( 8hen +ell
grounded* #ou +ill feel an internal lift flo+ up #our leg* bringing space and
inner support to #our oints( 8hile #ou !a# need to encourage this rebound a
bit b# lifting the front ankle or knee* the point of an# such e"ternal action is to
facilitate inner !ove!ent(
/( %o+ that #our back leg is grounded* rotate #our hips farther to the right until
the# are as close to being side b# side as possible(4( f #our hips easil# !ake this rotation* #ou>re all set(
6( Fsuall#* though* the left hip hangs back(
7( ;on>t turn #our hips b# rotating #our left leg in !ore(
9( This +ill disturb the grounding of the back leg* and keeping the pose rooted is
essentialD t helps #ou resist the lure to do the t+ist fro! the hips instead of the
spine(
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
5/6
10( $oving deeper +ith #our right hip not onl# opens that hip and !oves it back
beside the left* it also generates a s!all rotation in the sacru! and s:uee?es
the abdo!inal organs(
11( %o+ inhale and again plug #our left leg into the earth e"hale to rotate #our
pelvis for+ard over the right leg until the torso is parallel to the floor* placing
#our left fingertips on the floor as close to #our right big toe as possible( f#ou can>t reach the floor* place #our hand on #our leg or a block or bend #our
knees slightl#(
12( f #our hand rests easil# on the floor* !ove it to the little side of the foot(
1/( Take a !inute to stabili?e #our base(
14( B# this point #ou have probabl# reali?ed that Parivrtta Trikonasana is not ust
a t+ist but also a balancing pose* +hich !akes it even !ore necessar# to think
about #our roots(
16( The !ore grounded #our left leg* the lighter* !ore spacious * and !ore !obile
#our right hip +ill be* !aking it !uch easier to find inner s#!!etr# and avoid
unco!fortable pressure in #our right hip(
17( )t the sa!e ti!e* keep the inner environ!ent of #our pelvis fluid and stead#b# focusing on the rh#th! of #our breath* letting the e"halation and the pause
that follo+ it create internal support for the sacru! and lu!bar spine(
19( Recall the sensations of the s#!!etrical pelvis #ou e"perienced in the
Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana( !agine that #ou have a second pair of legs
positioned as the# +ere in that pose let these i!aginar# legs stabili?e #our
pose(
1
-
8/13/2019 Parivrtta Trikonasana.doc
6/6
/1( Persist in +orking +ith the head !ove!ent if #ou don>t turn #our head*
rotation is reduced not ust in the cervical spine but also in the thoracic region*
depriving #ou of the chance to restore !ove!ent in this notoriousl# tight area
of the spine(
/2( Sta# in Parivrtta Trikonasana for a fe+ breaths(
//( &lose #our e#es to better sense the subtle !otion that free breathing sustainseven +hen the outer for! of the asana appears static(
/4( .et this internal !otion help #ou beco!e !ore co!fortable(
/6( identif# and release an# nagging pockets of holding along the spine until #our
chet bloo!s full# fro! the inside out(
/7( Rel# on subtle internal !ove!ents and #our breath to tell #ou +hen to leave
the pose(
/9( )s the abilit# of the structural !uscles to support #our asana +eakens* #ou
+ill feel strin in #our breathing( )t that point* inhale and rela" #our ar!s*
letting he spine uncoil then e"hale and dra+ #our torso up to a standing
positin* initiating the !ove!ent fro! #our pelvic floor(
/