For Beginners: Triangle Pose

This basic pose improves strength, stability, and balance.

By Jason Crandell

Take another deep breath and scan your body. Have you neglected any areas? For your last few breaths, savor the calming stability, exhilarating expansion, and mindful evenness that is Trikonasana.

After eight to 10 breaths in Trikonasana exhale and press your back foot firmly into the ground. Reach your top arm toward the back wall, and lift your torso until you come all the way back up to standing. Bring your arms back down by your sides and turn your feet parallel. Pause briefly before moving to the second side.

Cultivate Curiosity
To initiate your own love affair with this complex and challenging pose, approach it as an ongoing experiment. Each time you practice, revisit Triangle with a different emphasis—explore different strides, play around with the rotation in your pelvis, move your arms in their joints until they feel integrated with the shoulders. Lastly, practice Trikonasana on occasion with no instructional reference. Let your breath guide you into the pose. Then, simply be there and notice the sensations that arise. What subtle shifts create more grounding, expansion, and evenness in your pose? Make Trikonasana your own by being playful and curious. Ultimately, you'll find that it teaches your body to become more spacious and lively. And you'll learn to circulate awareness throughout your body, drawing your consciousness inward and uniting your mind, body, and breath.

Jason Crandell teaches yoga classes in San Francisco and workshops around the country. He can be contacted at www.jasonyoga.com.

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