Sign up to get updates from us
Twists in yoga are like a shower and deep cleanse for the internal body - a glorious internal rinse.
A twist in the yoga world, although comes in the form of a physical posture, actually works into our internal body as well. When we move into twists, our internal organs are given a refresh - think of the internal body as a sponge - when we twist, we wring out our sponges, thus allowing the sponge to be cleaned , rinsed and ultimately refreshed. In yoga classes, you will typically find at least one twist - that’s how important they are!
Hi and Welcome to your Journey into Yoga! I’m Avery Rich and am so happy to have you along for the ride :)
Ah showering - we do this often whenever we feel the need - after a workout; in the morning to start our days, and any time we just want to feel clean and fresh. If you are a bather, same thing - we clean our external bodies so we can feel fresh and renewed. We are no strangers to cleaning our physical bodies - but what if I were to tell you that we can do the same thing with the internal body - that there is a way to clean and refresh our inside body?
wait, what? Tell me more!
Yoga has a wonderful technique which allows us to refresh our insides, and the vehicle we use are twists.
No, not THOSE kind of twists…let me explain. A twist in the yoga world, actually works into our internal body as well. When we move into poses which include a twist, our internal organs are given a refresh - think of the internal body as a sponge - when we twist, we wring out our sponges, thus allowing the sponge to be cleaned , rinsed and ultimately refreshed. In yoga classes, you will typically find at least one twist - that’s how important they are.
Personally, I typically place twists in the middle or near the end of a yoga class as I believe that the body needs a bit of warming up to open to the shape of the twist. the more open and pliable the muscles are, the deeper the student can move into and receive the ultimate benefits from their twist. Twists can be stand alone poses, meaning its all about the twist or they may be a part of the pose - for example, triangle pose comprises a lot of different elements to it (and we will visit triangle pose a little bit later on in the journey), and one of these elements is a twist.
Another thing to remember is that it is very important to feed the twist with our breath - you want to find your fullest deepest breaths in your twist….if the breath Twists do not only revive and bring space into the internal body - they also help to lengthen and create space i the spine, and this will allow our energy to flow better. Creating and inviting space into both the external and internal body - ahhhh breathe easier!
Not surprisingly, another great benefit from twists is that they can sometimes help alleviate issues such as IBS and other digestive issues that have become so prevalent these days in so many people. Also, twists can also help you to get a good nights sleep Sounds good to me!
Well, without further adieu, Its time to twist
Today we are going to explore a bent knee twist. For this posture, we will lie down on our mats or other comfortable surface, and you may want to have a prop handy - such as a yoga block, or a pillow, or folded blanket or towel.
We will begin lying down with our legs bent, feet resting on the floor. Let’s begin to draw our knees towards our chest - bringing the feet up away from the floor; now take your arms out to the sides, maybe shoulder height or a bit lower; keeping the feet lifted, slowly as you take an exhale breath release your legs over to the right. As you bring the legs down towards the ground notice if your left shoulder begins to lift away from the ground - if yes, this is an indication that you should slide a support underneath the right leg close to the hip. If you needed to make this adjustment, now notice if your left shoulder ia able to rest on the ground more easily - and of course if the prop wasn’t needed just ignore that instruction. Once the legs are resting onto floor or prop, you can gently turn the head to the left - let your eyes rest or even close them. Let’s hold for 5 slow deep breaths. On the inhale, draw the legs back up and pause. Let’s move into the second side. With the feet lifted away from the ground take a big inhale and then on your exhale drop the legs over to the left. As you bring the legs down towards the ground notice if your right shoulder begins to lift away from the ground - if yes, use a support as you did for side one, if no jus ignore that instruction again. Turning your head to the right this time, let’s hold for 5 slow deep breaths. On the inhale, draw the legs back up and pause, hugging the knees into the chest. Your are welcome to pause here in stillness or you can rock gently side to side.
A short shavasana may be in order and if so move there now and allow yourself to stay and rest and relax for as long as you would like or time permits. However, if you are ready to complete your practice, I will leave you with the following quote from Mandy Ingber “No matter what twists and turns your life offers you, your ability to be adaptable will help you to stay open to all of the hidden gifts that difficulty may offer.”
A quick reminder, make sure to drink some water after your twist - think back to my sponge analogy…right now our sponges are empty so we need to fluff them up again with water - so drink drink drink! thank you for journeying with me into yoga and I look forward to seeing you next time!
