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NEXT STEP IN YOGAPEDIA 3 Ways to Modify Parivrtta Trikonasana
SEE ALL ENTRIES IN YOGAPEDIA
Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)
Parivrtta = Revolved · Trikona = Triangle · Asana = Pose
Benefits
Increases circulation in your lower spine, abdomen, and pelvic region; improves balance; teaches you to rotate your spine while maintaining stability in your torso and legs
Instruction
1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) at the center of your mat, facing the long edge. Take a deep inhalation, and jump your legs about 3 feet apart; make the outside edges of your feet parallel to the outer edges of your mat. As you jump, bring your arms in line with your shoulders. Extend your arms out from the center of your chest by reaching through your fingertips, palms facing down. This is called Utthita Hasta Padasana (Extended Hands and Feet Pose).
2. Turn your left foot inward about 60 degrees, and turn your right foot outward 90 degrees. Internally rotate your entire left leg until your torso and left hip face the right. Without disturbing this position, stabilize yourself by pressing down into your right big-toe mound and inner heel and your left outer heel. Draw up through your thigh muscles, and firm your outer hips toward each other. Keep your legs straight and your kneecaps lifted.
3. Maintain stability in your legs, and with an exhalation, rotate your pelvis, abdomen, chest, and head to the right so that your left arm extends over your right leg. Put
your left fingers down on the floor (to the outside of your right lower leg) as you extend your right arm up.
4. Extend through your arms, and imagine your ribs following your arms like a river: Your right ribs turn upward, following your right arm. Your left ribs turn downward, following your left arm. Extend the sides of your torso toward your head. Keep both sides of your torso parallel and in line with your right leg.
5. On an inhalation, expand your chest, and press your left arm into your outer right calf. On an exhalation, tuck your left shoulder blade into your back, and move your back-left ribs deeper inward as you rotate your torso farther to the right.
6. Stay in this pose for 10–20 seconds, breathing normally. Inhale, and press into your left heel, lifting your left hand and rotating your torso back to Utthita Hasta Padasana. Repeat on the other side.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
Don’t allow your head to go past your front leg because you will lose the
axis of rotation, which could lead to strain in your back and make it harder to maintain your balance.
Don’t swing your front hip outward, as this takes the head of your femur away from its socket and can lead to instability in your hips or strain your inner groins.
See also VIDEO: Extended Triangle Pose
About Our Pro
Teacher and model Lara Warren is a senior certified teacher at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, Kula Yoga Project, and Chelsea Piers Fitness in Brooklyn. She started practicing Iyengar Yoga while living in London in her teens, and she has been going to India regularly to study with the Iyengar family since 2003. For more information on her daily classes, monthly workshops, yearly retreats, and ongoing teacher trainings, go to yogawithlara.com.