For Beginners: Triangle Pose

This basic pose improves strength, stability, and balance.

By Jason Crandell

You stand on them every day, but you'd be surprised by how much you take your legs for granted. It's easy to forget their power and grace, especially if you have bad knees or tight hamstrings or achy feet. During those times when you're feeling disconnected from your lower half, Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) can help bring you back. Before you know it, you'll come to crave this elegant, powerful pose. I know because it happened to me.

I used to loathe Triangle Pose. Just thinking about it made me feel frustrated, vulnerable, and irritated. Every time I did it, I felt it exposed my physical restrictions, imbalances, and weaknesses. Once I figured out that Trikonasana teaches the three physical principles in hatha yoga I cherish the most—stability, expansion, and evenness—I fell in love with it. Now I practice it almost every day, slip it into nearly every sequence, and teach it to beginning students in every class.

Trikonasana, like so many yoga poses, combines many elements in one posture. It builds strength and steadiness in the legs and feet, creates magnificent expansion and space in the torso as the arms and legs reach outward, and cultivates sama (evenness) in the body. And as you balance the effort between your arms, legs, and torso, your state of mind becomes steady and even as well. As the mind reaches the shores of the body and you turn your consciousness inward, the true experience of yoga, or union, begins.

Take It in Stride
A solid Trikonasana begins with a steady, comfortable stride, so it's important to figure out what that feels like. To begin, stand lengthwise on your mat with your feet parallel and about four feet apart. Turn your right foot (we'll refer to it as your front foot) out so it faces the top of your mat and align your front heel with your back heel. Then turn your back foot in about 15 to 20 degrees. Next, bend your front knee until it is directly over your heel and glance down at your front thigh; it should be nearly parallel to the floor.

Most beginners start with a stride that is too short, so you may need to separate your feet farther. Keeping your front knee directly over your heel, slowly inch your left foot backward. Then restraighten your front leg and look at the distance between your feet. This is it: your unique stride for Trikonasana. If your legs and pelvis are less flexible and you can't bring your front thigh parallel to the floor without distorting your feet or straining your legs, knees, or lower back, take a shorter stride.

Expand Your Triangle
Now that you've established a solid foundation, you're ready to move into Trikonasana. First, take a block (if you don't have one, a hardcover book will do) and place it on the outside of your front foot. Start with the block at its highest. Once you're in the pose, you can readjust if necessary.

Bring your arms to a T position at shoulder height. Extend strongly through both arms and legs, and reach up through the crown of the head to lengthen your torso toward the ceiling. Your arms and legs should feel as if they are expanding out of your core and becoming longer and more vibrant with each breath. Next, reground the outer edge of your back foot and lift your right hip away from the front of your thigh. Inhale deeply as you bring your left hand to your hip and gaze over your right fingertips. Then exhale as you slowly fold at the hip crease and bend to the right. As you come into the pose, lengthen both sides of the torso evenly. Reach your bottom arm down until your hand firmly roots onto your block. Balance the reach through your bottom arm with a surge of energy through your top arm, extending it toward the sky. Take a full round of breath here and enjoy the sense of space and expansion in your chest, lungs, and heart.

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