Australian Yoga Journal — July 2017

your practice

ANATOMY

Parivrtta Trikonasana

Revolved Triangle Pose

From Mountain Pose, step your feet about 1.2 metres apart and

turn your right foot out to 45–60 degrees, with your left foot facing

forward. Bend your left knee and on an inhale, raise your arms

overhead; on an exhale, turn your torso to the left, encouraging

your pelvis toward the front edge of the mat. Now lean forward

over your front leg, reaching your right hand down either to the

floor (inside or outside the left foot) or a block; bring your left hand

skyward. With your front knee still bent, squeeze your torso against

your thigh. Hold this shape, and then gradually engage your quads

to straighten your front leg (shown). Draw your hips away from

your shoulders to lengthen your spine. Stay here for 5 deep breaths,

and then switch sides.

Sphinx Pose

Practicing chest openers, such as Sphinx Pose, before you twist is a

nice way to expand the chest—a key action while twisting, too. Lie

on your belly, legs side by side, and contract your glutes. Roll your

outer thighs toward the floor to internally rotate your femurs, helping

to broaden and lengthen your lower back and sacrum to protect

them in this backbend. Set your elbows under your shoulders, and

your forearms on the floor parallel to each other. Inhale and lift your

upper torso and head away from the floor into a mild backbend.

Stay here for 3–5 deep breaths, then find your way to Adho Mukha

Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose).

Paschimottanasana

Seated Forward Bend

To release any tension created in a twist, I like to follow up with a

pose in which the spine is symmetrical. Forward folds—such as

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) or Paschimottanasana—are

great choices. For the latter, sit on the floor or a folded blanket with

your legs extended in front of you. Press actively through your heels

and slightly turn in the tops of your thighs, pressing them down into

the floor. As you inhale, lengthen your front torso; as you exhale,

lean forward from your hip joints and lengthen your tailbone away

from the back of your pelvis to fold over your legs. Stay in the

posture for 5–10 deep, easy breaths.

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july 2017

yogajournal.com.au

3 poses to relieve low-back pain in twists

PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: STEPHANIE SCHWARTZ;STYLIST: JESSICA JEANNE EATON; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER; TOP: BEYOND YOGA; BOTTOMS: TEEKI

Also crucial: contracting the

transversus abdominis (TA) muscle,

which creates the ‘corset’ that starts in

the front body, wraps around the torso

on both sides, and then attaches

to the thoracolumbar fascia—the

tri-layered connective tissue enclosing

muscles associated with the thoracic and

lumbar spine. The abdominal oblique

muscles, which run along both side

bodies and rotate your trunk, also attach

to this fascial structure.

The thoracolumbar fascia is one of

the most important fascia in the body.

This is because it’s responsible for load

transfer from the shoulder girdle to the

pelvic girdle and is also a key player in

maintaining the integrity of the

sacroiliac (SI) joint—the spot at the base

of the spine where the sacrum joins the

ilium bones of the pelvis. Interestingly,

tightening the TA and thoracolumbar

fascia increases the pressure inside your

abdominal compartment, causing your

abdominal organs to press against your

lumbar spine to stabilise it even more.

(Pregnant women and those with

hernias or diastasis recti—in which

the abdominal muscles widen away

from rather than stay knitted to each

other—should check with their doctor

before working with twists.)

Engaging these muscles is important

because the spine isn’t designed to

excessively rotate or fl ex. In fact, that’s

why it has facet joints: cartilage-lined

joints that run along its length and

between which nerves exit the spinal

cord en route to other parts of the body.