photo cred📷Yoga Bar
PARIVRTTA TRIKONASANA
(par-ee-vrit-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna)
parivrtta = to turn around, revolve
trikona = three angle or triangle
Revolved Triangle Pose
1. Stand in Mountain (tadasana). With an exhale, step or lightly hop your feet 3½ to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in about 45 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the heels, firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.
2. With an exhale turn your torso to the right, and square your hip points as much as possible with the front edge of your sticky mat. As you bring the left hip around to the right, resist the head of the left thigh bone back and firmly ground the left heel.
3. With another exhale turn your torso further to the right and lean forward over the front leg. Reach your left hand down, either to the floor (inside or outside the foot) or, if the floor is too far away, onto a block positioned against your inner right foot. Allow the left hip to drop slightly toward the floor, be sure NOT to keep the pelvis parallel to the floor.
4. There’s a tendency in this pose for the front leg hip to swing out to the side and round up toward the shoulder. This causes the torso to “hunch” over the front leg, and unless the spine fully and evenly lengthened, front to back and side to side, a full twist is inhibited. To remedy this, release your right hip back, away from the right shoulder. If you like, you can hook your right thumb in the hip crease, and strongly pull the outer hip toward the back foot.
5. This draw on the outer hip invariably shifts the weight onto the outer edge of the front foot, threatening the stability of the pose. Be sure to press the mound of the big toe firmly into the floor, then from the inner ankle pull up sharply along the inner leg channel deep into the pelvis. From that depth, release any tension you might be feeling in your belly.
6. Beginning students should keep their head in a neutral position, looking straight forward, or turn it to look at the floor. More experienced students can turn the head and gaze up at the top thumb. The chin should dip down toward the top shoulder, if the back of your neck shortens and tenses when you turn your head, it would be best to hold your head neutral. From the center of the back, between the shoulder blades, press the arms away from the torso. Bring most of your weight to bear on the back heel and the front hand.
5. Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Exhale, release the twist, and bring your torso back to upright with an inhale. Repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed, twisting to the left. Be sure not to come out of the pose by shifting forward onto the front leg and foot. It’s much safer to turn the feet parallel to each other, and step or lightly hop your feet together.
- Benefits
Strengthens and stretches the legs
Stretches the hips and spine
Opens the chest to improve breathing
Relieves mild back pain
Stimulates the abdominal organs
Improves sense of balance
- Contraindications: If you have a serious back or spine injury perform this pose only with the supervision of an experienced teacher. Also avoid this pose if you have:
Low blood pressure
Migraine
Diarrhea
Headache
Insomnia
- Modifications & Props: One of the most common problems in this pose is the inability to keep the back heel grounded, which makes the pose very unstable. There are various ways to deal with the back heel. First, of course, you can just accept the situation and work diligently to press through the heel (and open the back leg groin) even though it’s off the floor. Second you can perform the pose with your back heel wedged against a wall, which gives you something to push into. Or finally you can raise the back heel on a lift and, over time, work to gradually lower the lift until the heel stays on the floor.
- Variations: Parivrtta Trikonasana leads into a very interesting variation, not usually described in popular instruction manuals, called Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose). Perform the pose (twisting to the right). Then exhale, bend the right knee and reach the left hand forward on the floor (or onto a block) about 12 to 18 inches beyond the right foot (with the hand positioned on the big toe side of the foot). Inhale and straighten the right knee, lifting the left foot off the floor and bringing the leg parallel to the floor. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, return the left foot to the floor with an exhale, and leave the twist as described in step 5 above. Repeat to the other side.
- Preparatory Asanas:
Baddha Konasana
Prasarita Padottanasana
Siddhasana or Sukhasana
Supta Virasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Supta Padangustasana
Upavistha Konasana
Uttanasana
Utthita Parsvottanasana
Utthita Parsvakonasana
Utthita Trikonasana
Virabhadrasana II
Virasana
Vrksasana
- Follow-up Asanas: Parivrtta trikonasana is usually sequenced just after, (as a counterpose to) trikonasana. You can also use this pose as a standing preparation for sitting forward bends like Janu Sirsasana and sitting twists like Ardha Matsyendrasana and Marichyasana III.
- Beginners Tip: This pose is slightly easier with a narrower stance. Beginners should also, as suggested in the main description, bring their hand to the inner foot, whether on the floor or a support like a block or folding chair.
- Advanced Tip: When you bring the bottom hand to the outside of the forward leg, be sure to press the forearm firmly against the outer shin. This pressure of arm-against-leg will help your torso rotate more deeply into the pose.
- Partnering: A partner can help you stabilize and align this position and get a better feel for the twist. Perform steps 1 and 2 in the main description above. Have your partner stand behind you and wrap a strap across your front hip crease. Then continue with the rest of the pose. As you move into the twist, the partner will pull firmly on the ends of the strap, dragging the front groin deeper into the pelvis and the outer front hip away from the shoulder. Also he can pull in on the strap to help you keep the front hip tucked in and, with one of his feet, press against and ground your back heel.