Reclining Twist For Beginners

Try gently wringing out your body to enjoy a deep sense of renewal and rejuvenation.

By Claudia Cummins

Still drawing the right knee toward your chest, slowly straighten the left leg by reaching your foot toward the end of your mat. Ideally, the leg will end up fully outstretched, as in Savasana (Corpse Pose). If this action causes you to wince, though, extend the leg only as far as is comfortable. Linger here for just a few moments, allowing the leg and hip muscles to release while encouraging the breath to feel as free and rhythmic as possible.

Now comes the fun part. Imagine you're lounging around in bed on a sleepy Saturday morning. Roll onto your left side, bringing your right knee and both arms along with you as you turn. You should end up on your left side from ear to ankle, with your right hip stacked directly on top of your left and both arms resting on the floor to your left. If rolling over feels awkward or gawky, try this tip: As you begin to roll toward your left, bend your right arm so the fingertips point upward, then press the right elbow firmly into the floor on your right side. This should give you a little leverage to roll over toward the left without strain.

Once you've rolled over, take a moment to assess the situation. For some, the right knee will drop easily toward the floor. For others, the floor will feel like it's a million 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 pelvis still looking toward the left. From the pelvis down, you'll stay nestled on your left side in that sleepy Saturday-morning pose. But from the rib cage up, you will spin toward the right—ending up 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 resting on your left side, these eyes are looking toward the left. But as you revolve the upper chest toward the right, the heart spins so it gazes upward 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 shoulder from releasing completely onto the ground as you spin the upper body open. If this is the case for you, don't despair. Instead, 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.

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