If you thought wide-legged forward fold felt amazing, wait until you experience THIS amazing pose. It has all the benefits of a forward fold, but with the added delight of a spine twist — and we all know how nice they always feel! In our Hot26 classes, we encourage our students to go for a more advanced version, with the hands tucked under the opposite feet. However, in these instructions, we will go through a more basic twist, with the palms planted to the mat for support. This will give you a solid foundation to work from.
Benefits:
- Improves spine flexibility
- Releases through lower back
- Relieves back and shoulder pain
- Increases flexibility through the back of the legs
- Increases blood flow to face, head and brain
- Improves memory function
- Improves circulation in the feet
- Strengthens feet and ankle joints
- Strengthens arms
Common mistakes:
- To much pressure on the palm on the mat
- Upper arm not aligned with lower arm
- Hips not level
Instructions:
- From wide-legged forward fold, take the left hand and place it flat on the mat between the feet, below the face.
- Bring the right hand to the right hip. Use this as an indicator, as the hips need to remain level throughout the pose.
- Twist the torso to the right, keeping the hips level, aiming to face the chest towards the right of the room.
- Release the right arm up to the sky, keeping it strong and straight, aligned with the lower arm. Feel the twist through the spine and keep the core and legs engaged for support. Hold for 5 slow breaths.
- To release, bring the right hand back down to the hip and rotate the torso back to a tabletop position, facing the mat.
- Release the right hand back down to the mat and repeat pose on the opposite side.
Do you love learning about the setup of different poses? Are you a perfectionist when it comes to your own practice? Have you ever thought about becoming a yoga instructor? Want more info? Read about our teacher training programs here!
Namaste!