Featured Pose: Reclined Twist

by Baxter

I am excited to be sharing Reclined Twist Pose (Jathara Parivartanasana) with you today! There are many different variations of this pose taught these days, and I will share several with you today. I appreciate this pose for a number of reasons. First, because this is a spine pose (done lying on the back), you can use it either as a warm-up pose at the start of a practice or a cool-down pose at the end. The supported version can be a good counter-pose for backbends or seated forward bends.

Second, because twists activate and stretch the various layers of rotating muscles that help to spin your spine around its vertical axis, this pose both strengthens these muscles if they are weak and helps to release excessive tension that can build up those muscles. So you can use this pose to release held stress in your body when you are preparing for more relaxing poses, where you will be lying still for a while, as well as to relieve mild back pain.

And finally, three of the abdominal muscle layers are activated in this twist: the two layers of Obliques and the deep Transversus Abdominis muscles. So this pose is good for building core strength.

I prescribe this pose for:

• Improving rotating range of motion of the spine, which useful for everyday actions, for example, grabbing something out the backseat of your car.
• Building strength in the rotating muscles for those who been inactive or are recovering from longer illnesses or injury.
• Improving core strength
• Because twists can be stimulating to your nervous system, you can use this pose to jump-start yourself when you are feeling fatigue, sluggishness, or depression in a practice.

Cautions: Any practitioners who has been warned by their doctor or physical therapist to avoid deep twists to do only the more restorative version of this pose or skip this pose entirely. This can include people with acute or chronic low back pain, sacro-iliac dysfunction or arthritis in the lumbar spine. If you are uncertain if the pose if right for you, ask an experienced yoga instructor for individual guidance.

Note: I know that there is a modern tradition of telling practitioners always to twist to the right first and the left second, but there is no good evidence that this makes any difference on bodily functions such as bowel elimination. So, I tend to mix things up in my own practice and encourage you to do so in yours as well!

Classic Version

1. Lie on your back in Constructive Rest pose, with your knees bent and soles of the feet on the floor.

2. Tip your knees in towards your chest until your thighs are vertical and your shins are parallel with the floor, and stretch your arms out to your sides with the palms of your hands facing up.

3. On an inhalation, drop your hips and legs to the right, one-half to three-quarters of the way to the floor and hold there for a moment. 

4. On your exhalation, swing your legs back up to center. Repeat on your left side, following the rhythm of your breath.

5. After several warm up rounds, drop back to the right side and keep your legs at the one-half to three-quarters mark for several rounds of breath, keeping your upper back and shoulder blades as even on the floor as possible. Then, on an exhalation, swing your legs back up to center and repeat on the left side.

6. Finally, drop your legs and hips gently to the floor to your right so your outer right hip and outer right leg are resting fully on the floor. Attempt to keep the ends of your knees even with one another. To avoid pinching the back of your left shoulder area, feel free to lift your left shoulder blade and arm a few inches off the floor and reach your left arm actively to the left side of the mat. Stay for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. 

7. Then on an exhalation, swing your legs back up to center and repeat on the left side.

8. When you've finished, return to Constructive Rest position. Then stretch your legs out and relax your front thigh muscles before moving on.

Although I’ve presented a sequence of three different versions here, you can, of course, choose to do any of these versions—dynamic version, the suspended version, or the floor version—individually if you prefer. The step-wise sequence, however, here will take you deeper into the pose.

First Variation: Gentle Twist

This gentle version is just much less demanding than the classic version and is more of a mild stretch on the rotating muscle of the spine than version 1, so this can be a good warm up for more challenging twists.

1. Start in Constructive Rest position.

2. Step your feet toward each other, so they are just a few inches apart, and bring your arms out to the side with your palms facing up.

3. On your inhalation, gently drop both knees to your right as far as they can go towards the floor, pivoting momentarily onto the edges of your feet. On your exhalation, swing both knees back up to center. Repeat on the second side, moving with your breath. Do about six warm-up rounds.

4. Drop your legs to your right side with the outer right leg resting on the floor or as close to it as possible. Allow your feet to stay slightly apart, with the edges of the feet are resting on the floor, so your knees do not stack up. Keep your shoulder blades evenly on the floor.

5. Now simply release all effort. If it’s comfortable for you, you can gently turn your head in the opposite direction of your legs. Stay for 1-2 minutes.

6. To come out of the pose, swing your legs back to Constructive Rest position. Then repeat on the second side.

Second Variation: Crossed Knees

This variation is a bit more challenging than the classic version, but it tends to stretch your outer hips more and also can build more core strength as well. The only difference is in the set-up:

1. In Constructive Rest pose, cross your left thigh tightly over the right.

2. Keeping your right foot on the floor, shift your hips an inch or two to the right.

3. Then, tip both knees up and in towards your chest and take your arms out to your sides, with palms facing up.

4. Follow steps 3-6 for the classic version.

5. To come out of the pose, swing your legs back toward center and bring your right foot back to the floor. Then uncross your legs and move your hips back to the center before doing the other side. (When you do the other side, cross your right thigh over your left.)

Third Variation: Restorative 

This restorative version of the full twist is appropriate for those who are in need of rest or who want to gently explore the twisting movements of the spine.

1. Start in Constructive Rest pose, with a bolster on the left side of your mat, parallel with the long edge of the mat.

3. Set up as for the classic version, with your arms out to the sides and legs tipped up, ready to drop to your left.

4. Release your left outer, lower leg and knee onto the bolster and relax into the support. Keep your chest broad and your shoulder blades relaxing onto the floor.

5. Consider closing the eyes, and rest in this position for 1-2 minutes.

6. To come out, gently swing your legs back to center and return your feet to the floor. Then carefully shift the bolster to the right side, and repeat the pose on your second side.

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