Start in a mountain position Your feet are around hip-width apart, and your knees are bent. Take a deep, full breath in and with your breath out start folding up and over the legs. You may use your hands to slowly inch down to the knees, shins, or ankles. It’s hard to let go of our shoulders, head, and neck. Pay extra attention to letting go of every part of your body, especially the upper body. If you feel gripping of the back of the leg, bend the knees even deeper. Take a few breaths and roll out of the position and back into your mountain pose. Repeat this three more times. This position creates a great deal of flexibility in the spine. It also aids digestion and reduces the abdomen in the way the belly rests on top of your thighs.
Standing Forward Fold Pose Photo Gallery
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Bring both arms to the sides just like you were forming a letter “T.” With your inhalation, fill the lungs; with your exhalation, lower your knees to the right and turn your head to the left. Hold the pose for a few breaths. Inhale to bring the knees to the center and exhale to repeat the pose on the other side.
“Twists are o ften taught as balms for sluggish digestion, low energy, stifled breathing, and a variety o f muscle aches and pains. Best of all, they feel good from the inside out. Reclining Twist offers an opportunity to feel the power of wringing out the body from its core. It can improve breathing, ease back and neck tension, and soothe frazzled nerves. Its reclined position lets us linger in the posture’s curves and spirals, inviting the twist to penetrate deep into the spine. ” – Claudia Cummins, Yoga Journal, Hit Refresh with a Reclining Twist38
