Twists

General guidelines for Twists

  • If you have suffered an injury effecting your spine (neck or back) twists may not be an appropriate movement for you. Consult with your doctor on what type of movement you should stay away from
  • Before coming into a twist feel length and stability through the entire spine and continue to have that length while in the pose
  • Enter into a twist slowly and with control

Down Dog Twist
Cues:
  • Come into this pose from down dog
  • Connect strongly into the ground with your right hand making sure that your shoulder is externally rotated and stable
  • On an inhale reach the left hand towards the outside of the right leg
  • Place your hand on either your ankle, shin or thigh
  • Turn your gaze so that you are looking under your right armpit

figure four twist
Cues:
  • Begin by lying flat on your back
  • Bring the soles of your feet flat on the ground hip distance apart
  • On an inhale bring your left ankle onto your right thigh allowing your left knee to come away from externally rotating the left hip
  • On the next inhale bring the arms out wide like airplane wings with your palms down
  • On an exhale drop your right knee and left foot to the right side keeping the left hip externally rotated so that your left knee points towards the ceiling
  • To intensify the stretch in your left hip bring the right knee closer to the right armpit
  • You can also place your right hand on the inside of the left thigh and press your leg away from you

IT band twist
Cues:​
  • Start by lying on your back holding both knees into your chest
  • Extend your right leg fully, straight ahead and on the ground
  • Place a strap over the left foot
  • Bring the upper leg and your hip towards a 90 degree angle
  • Keep your knee as bent as you need to bring your hip and upper leg towards a 90 degree angle
  • Hold onto the strap with your right hand and extend your left arm straight out from shoulder like an airplane wing with the palm down
  • On an exhale allow your left leg come across the body towards the right, twisting through the spine. 
  • Turn your gaze to the left

revolved chair
Cues:
  • Come into this pose from ​mountain pose  
  • Bring your feet together
  • On an inhale bring your arms up overhead 
  • On an exhale start to bring your seat back as if you were about to sit in a chair
  • Look at your knees making sure they are pointing straight forward and can see your toes in front of your knees
  • Place your palms together with your thumbs coming towards your sternum
  • On an inhale round through your back as you were coming into cat pose
  • On an exhale bend forward at your hips and bring your right elbow to the outside of your left thigh twisting through spine and turn your gaze to the left
  • If you want to bring more intensity into this pose once you have come into the twist you can separate the hands and bring the arms out wide like airplane wings

revolved lunge
Cues:
  • Come into this pose from a low lunge
  • On an inhale bring your palms together with your thumbs at your sternum
  • On the next inhale round through the shoulders
  • On an exhale rotate through the spine and bring the right elbow to the outside of the left knee
  • Keep the spine long from the tailbone to the crown of the head
  • Push strongly into your palms and have your elbows in one line
  • If you feel stable and balanced enough you can bring the back knee off of the floor

revolved triangle
Cues:
  • Come into this pose from warrior two
  • On an exhale bring your front leg towards straight
  • On an inhale reach the finger tips of your lead arm forward stretching through your side
  • Have your torso follow the same direction as your finger tips
  • On an exhale bend from your side and bring the finger tips of your lead hand towards the ground placing your fingers onto the ground, knee, shin or use a block
  • The top arm stays in line with the bottom arm in line with the shoulders
  • ​On an exhale start to bring your right hand down towards your right shin or ankle while bringing your left finger tips towards the sky

seated twist
Cues:
  • Come to a comfortable seat where the spine is long and the hips are in a neutral position
  • Extend your legs out in front of you
  • Cross your right leg over your left thigh placing the sole of the right foot flat on the ground with the right knee pointing towards the ceiling
  • You can keep your left leg straight out in front of you or you can bend your left knee bringing your heel towards your seat on your right side
  • Which ever leg position you choose make sure that you still have your seat is flat on the ground
  • Bring your right hand behind you with your palm on the ground
  • On an inhale press your right hand strongly into the ground lengthening through the spine while extending the left arm up overhead 
  • On an exhale twist to the right side of the body either holding onto your right knee or bringing your elbow to the outside of the right knee
  • On your inhales lengthen through the spine
  • On your exhales come deeper into the twist

Reverse Twist

  • Come to a comfortable seat where the spine is long and the hips are in a neutral position
  • Cross your left leg over your right placing the sole of the left foot flat on the ground to the outside of the right thigh with the left knee pointing towards the ceiling
  • You can keep your right leg straight out in front of you or you can bend your right knee bringing your heel towards your seat on your left side
  • Which ever positioning your choose make sure that you still have your seat is flat on the ground
  • On an inhale bring your right hand back behind you with your palm on the ground
  • On the next inhale press your right hand strongly into the ground lengthening through the spine while extending the left arm up overhead 
  • On an exhale twist to the right side of the body with your right arm on the inside of the left thigh

Lying twist
Cues:
  • Begin by lying flat on your back
  • On an inhale bring your knees in towards your chest
  • On the next inhale bring your arms out wide like airplane wings with your palms down
  • On an exhale slowly drop your knees to the right allowing them to come towards the ground while turning your gaze to the left

thread the needle
Cues:​
  • Come into this pose from table top
  • Press strongly into your left hand and on an inhale bring your right arm up and out to the side stretching through the chest and shoulder and twisting through the spine
  • On an exhale bring your right arm under your left placing your right cheek or right side of the forehead to the ground
  • An option is to bring the left arm forward as if you were in child's pose stretching through the left side of the back

Deer Twist
Cues:
  • Come to a comfortable seat with a long spine 
  • Bend your right knee to a 45° angle in front of you
  • Bend your left knee bringing your left heel back towards your seat on the left side bringing the knee towards a 90° angle
  • Place your right foot on the inside of your left thigh
  • On an inhale feel the spine lengthen
  • On an exhale keeping your spine long turn your upper body towards the right placing your left hand on the outside of the right thigh