YOGA TODAY YOGAJOURNAL.COM 77
twiststo different creatures. How does your
right shoulder feel compared with your
left? Can you detect any new pattern to
your breathing after practicing just one
side of Reclining Twist? Does your spine
feel more fluid and free?
When you’re ready, repeat the pose on
the second side. Because twists are asym-
metrical, it’s important to spend equal
time on both sides to create overall bal-
ance. Remember, the name of the game
in this exploration is to anchor the legs
while revolving the spine and torso in the
opposite direction; on the second side,
that action will maximize the stretch in
the left side of the body.
When you’ve reached your comfort-
able limit, remember to settle in and
breathe. Soften the body, relax the skin,
and sur render into the stretch of the
twist. Observe how, breath by breath,
time and gravity al low you to release ever
more deeply into the pose, wringing out
your spine from bottom to top.
Now sink, stretch, ooze, and release.
Relinquish any grasping from your bones
all the way out through the skin, so you
feel softer, warmer, and stretchier. In your
mind, trace the snakelike spiral of the
twist from your tailbone to the top of your
head. Linger here for a few more breaths,
yielding and growing more supple with
each exhalation.
When you’re ready, unravel yourself,
coming onto your back. Draw both knees
toward your chest, rocking gently from
side to side; place your arms and legs on
the floor and settle into Savasa na. Let
your breathing be full and deep, with each
inhalation bringing you renewal and vital-
ity, and each exhalation offering a sweet
sigh of relief.
Before you move on with your practice
or your day, note the effects of the twist—
you might feel an evenness in your body
from left to right, an increased ability to
breathe deeply, or a sense of stillness and
equanimity—and bring this increased
awareness with you the next time you
come to your mat. ✤Claudia Cummins teaches yoga in central Ohio.
Visit claudiacummins.com to read a selection
of her essays.In your mind’s eye, trace a diagonal
line from your right knee to your right
hand and then lengthen through the torso
along that line. If you feel yourself kink-
ing up in the right waist, place your right
thumb in the hip crease and actively draw
the right hip away from your shoulder and
toward your feet. Then bring the right
arm back to its place.knee will drop easily toward the floor. For
others, the floor will feel like it’s a mil-
lion miles away. If the latter is the case
for you, slip a folded blanket or bolster
between the right knee and the earth. In
this twist, it’s more important that the
right knee is supported enough for you
to feel grounded than to force the leg to
reach all the way to the floor.
FREE YOUR TORSO
Before completing the twist, visualize the
possibility of maintaining the well-rooted
feeling of the lower body—with the pel-
vis still looking toward the left. From the
pelvis down, you’ll stay nestled on your
left side in that sleepy Saturday-morning
pose. However, from the rib cage up, you
will spin toward the right—ending up
relaxed and lying on your back as if you
were resting in Savasana.
To do this, first anchor the inner right
knee by imagining that you’re stitching it
to the ground. Press the left elbow into the
floor to help you rise up lightly through
the chest, so the ribs and heart can spin
toward the right ever so slightly. As you
do this, reach the right arm up above the
body and extend from the heart all the
way through the fingertips, with the palm
facing the same direction as the face.
Now imagine you have eyes in the
front of your heart. When you are rest-
ing on your left side, these eyes are look-
ing toward the left. But as you revolve
the upper chest toward the right, the
heart spins so it gazes up toward the sky.
This deep rotation at the body’s core will
encourage the right arm and shoulder
blade to sweep outward toward the floor
on your right side. Let the head follow the
action of the twist, so you end up looking
toward your right hand.
It is likely that in the beginning, muscle
tightness will prevent the right shoul-
der from releasing completely onto the
ground as you spin the upper body open.
If this is the case for you, don’t despair.
In stead, bend the right arm and rest your
hand on your ribs. Positioning your arm in
this way is a better solution than plopping
your right hand onto the ground while the
shoulder still bobs in space, which risks
straining the upper body.
)
(
pose benefits
Improves breathing
Eases back tension
Increases hip flexibility
Opens the chest and shoulders
Soothes the nervous system
Enhances digestioncontraindications
Lower-back injury
Herniated disk
PregnancyThe action of twisting will compress
the diaphragm, so you may feel your
breathing get shallower. Bring your atten-
tion to the space you have created in the
right side of the rib cage and imagine
flooding the right lung with your breath.
Once you’ve settled as far into the twist
as your body will allow, release any sense
of effort and let gravity do the rest of the
work. Enjoy the deep spiral of the spine.
When you feel the urge to unwind, release
out of the posture and lie flat on your back
in Savasana.EXPLORE ASYMMETRY
Remain here for a few moments and
take stock of any new sensations moving
through you. After exploring the asym-
metry of this twist, you will likely note
that the two sides of your body—your
shoulders, ribs, belly, hips, and legs on
the left and right—feel like they belong