76 YOGAJOURNAL.COM YOGA TODAY
twists
squeeze and stretch the entire contents of
the torso—muscles, nerves, glands, and
organs—from the pelvis all the way up
through the neck. After seeing this uni-
tard demo, I’m not surprised that twists
are renowned for their balancing and ton-
ing powers, and for their ability to cleanse
the body from head to toe.
Twists are often taught as balms for
sluggish digestion, low energy, stifled
breathing, and a variety of muscle aches
and pains. Best of all, they feel good from
the inside out. Reclining Twist offers an
op por tunity to feel the power of wringing
out the body from its core. It can improve
breathing, ease back and neck tension, and
soothe frazzled nerves. Its reclined posi-
tion lets us linger in the posture’s curves
and spirals, inviting the twist to penetrate
deep into the spine. If you’re anything
WHY DO IT
This variation offers a gentler wringing action for the abdomen without
sacrificing the benefits of Reclining Twist.HERE’S HOW
Lie on your back with both legs bent and your feet resting on the floor.
Then bring your feet together about a foot from your tailbone. Rest your
arms on the floor at shoulder height with the palms up. As you exhale,
drop both knees toward the left, keeping the left edge of the left foot
in contact with the floor. As you do this, press actively through the right
shoulder to maintain its contact with the earth. After several breaths,
return the knees to their starting position and repeat on the second side.like me, this pose will leave you feeling
refreshed, rejuvenated, and rinsed clean.EASE INTO THE EARTH
To begin, lie on your back with your
knees bent and your feet comfortably on
the floor. If your neck and shoulders feel
tense, or if your chin juts up toward the
sky instead of settling comfortably toward
your chest, elevate your head a few inches
with a folded blanket or pillow.
Take a few moments to make sure the
back body is long. Roll gent ly toward your
left side and slip your right shoulder blade
down toward the hips to create additional
space between the ear and shoulder.
Repeat this action on the other side.
To relax the lower back, lift the hips off
the ground and gently draw the tailbone
toward the heels. Maintain this length asyou set the pelvis back down. Let a few
soft breaths ripple through your body as
you surrender to gravity’s embrace.
Consider the sensations in your back
body. If you notice that you are at all
kinked up or wrinkled, adjust your posi-
tion un til you feel as if you are resting atop
a well-made bed rather than a tired and
lumpy mattress.
Invite the skin of the back body to
spread and soften, settling with ease and
relief into the earth. Try to let go as you
rest quietly here, breathing comfortably
and drawing your awareness inward.ROCK AND ROLL
When you feel the urge to move, grab
hold of the back of the right thigh or
the shin with your hands and draw the
right knee toward your ribs. (If you find
it difficult to reach your leg, wrap a strap
behind the knee, hold one end of the strap
with each hand, and gently bring the knee
toward you.) Rock gently from side to side
to massage the lower back, and invite your
exhalations to lengthen.
Still drawing the right knee toward
your chest, slowly straighten the left leg by
reaching your foot toward the end of your
mat. Ideally, the leg will end up fully out-
stretched, as in Savasana (Corpse Pose).
If this action causes you to wince, though,
extend the leg only as far as is comfortable.
Linger here for just a few moments, allow-
ing the leg and hip muscles to release while
encouraging the breath to feel as free and
rhythmic as possible.
Now comes the fun part. Imagine that
you’re lounging around in bed on a sleepy
Saturday morning. Roll onto your left
side, bringing your right knee and both
arms along with you as you turn. You
should end up on your left side from ear to
ankle, with your right hip stacked directly
on top of your left and both arms resting
on the floor to your left. If rolling over
feels awkward or gawky, bend your right
arm so the fingertips point upward, then
press the right elbow firmly into the floor
on your right side. This should give you a
little leverage to roll toward the left with-
out feeling any strain.
Once you’ve rolled over, take a moment
to assess the situation. For some, the right PHOTOS: DAVID ROTH;MODEL: LISA FRANZETTA; STYLIST: SAMANTHA DEGEN; HAIR: COLETTE TABERMODIFICATIONtwo-legged
twist