Asana of the Month: Revolved Triangle
Photo credit to Orel Revivo Photography
Revolved Triangle, known in Sanskrit as Parivrtta Trikonasana (pronounced PAHR-ee-VREE-tah trick-ohn-AHS-ana), is a standing posture that develops balance, strengthens and stretches the legs, and opens up the chest for improved breathing.
The posture requires a fair amount of focus to practice with ease, making it an excellent posture for the cultivation of one-pointedness of the mind, the necessary prerequisite for the deep concentration required in meditation. Practicing this posture can help you cultivate the mindset and physical endurance necessary for sitting still for longer periods of time with genuine enjoyment.
As a posture that involves twisting, it helps to relieve lower back pain while aiding the process of digestion. It is a counter-pose to Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose), and a variation of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). Like all variations of more ‘basic’ asanas, Revolved Triangle stands both on its own and as a complement. By practicing Revolved Triangle, we will naturally improve our ability to practice and hold Triangle Pose with more ease and for longer periods of time.
Energetically, this posture is a powerful heart-opener that revitalizes your internal battery while grounding you.
Revolved Triangle Pose: Asana Overview
English — Revolved Triangle Pose
Sanskrit — ParivrttaTrikonasana (pronounced PAHR-ee-VREE-tah trick-ohn-AHS-ana)
Level — Intermediate
Position — Standing
Type — Twist, Side-bend, Stretch, Balance
Chakra Balancing — Heart Chakra (Anahata), Solar Plexus (Manipura), Sacral Chakra (Swadisthana), Root Chakra (Muladhara)
Benefits — Physically, this asana develops balance, strengthens and stretches the legs, and improves breathing. Energetically, this posture opens your heart, recharges your internal battery, stimulates your creativity, and leaves you feeling grounded. Mentally, this posture cultivates intense focus and improves meditation.
How to Practice: Step-by-Step Instructions for Revolved Triangle Pose
Contraindications: The rotation of the spine in this pose requires a certain level of flexibility and mobility in the hips and pelvis. If you do not have the mobility to flex and rotate as necessary, the spine will compensate by flexing. This can be dangerous because rotating the spine in a flexed position can lead to overstretching. Please respect the range of motion in your spine; if you feel resistance, don’t push through it, honor it. Avoid using pressure of the hand on the floor/block or pressure of the arm against the leg to force any further twist or movement. Those with recent injuries or sprains to the ankles or shoulders, as well as recent surgery of the spine, hips, knees, ankles, or shoulders, should avoid this posture.
Bring your legs two hips’ width distance apart. Take several long breaths, grounding yourself.
Place your hands on your hips to ensure that they are squared.
T out both arms.
Inhale; keeping your hips squared, bring your left foot 90 degrees out, toes pointing straight in the direction you are facing.
If you are finding it difficult to keep your hips squared, move your right foot slightly in, about 45 degrees.
Exhale; helicopter your arms to the left, bringing your right hand down either on the inside of the left foot, on top of the left foot, or on the outside of the left foot. Engage the belly, lifting it up and in.
Keep the left arm extended above you, straight, with fingers pointing to the sky. Close your eyes and hold posture for 5 - 20 long, comfortable breaths.
Repeat steps 1 - 7 on the opposite side of the body.
Therapeutic Modifications
The positioning of the feet — there is no right way to place the feet. It is important to note that the general rule of thumb is: the wider your stance is, the easier it is to square your hips. Most of us are working towards having the left foot’s heel directly in line with the center of the right foot (or vice-versa); this requires open hips and established sense balance. Until we develop the hip flexibility and physical stability that this feet placement requires, it’s important to meet ourselves where we’re at and practice accordingly. This posture is already considered intermediate due its combination of balance and twisting. Therefore, it’s smart to start with the legs wider apart to help build up our internal confidence, keep the hips squared, and find balance.
Blocks and props are friends — as mentioned, this pose is intermediate in nature. It is highly recommended to use a block underneath the hand that is near the ground to help stabilize the body. This also prevents any over-twisting and incurring injury.
Watching the distance between the feet — a stance that is too wide will create tension in the hip flexors and quadriceps of the back leg. This tensions will restrict movement in the pelvis, creating an anterior tilt that is too strong. This can cause compression in the lower back. Try to keep feet two hips’ width distance apart; if this puts too much pressure on the hip flexors and compresses the lower back, shorten the stance.
Anatomy of Revolved Triangle Pose
Revolved Triangle strengthens the internal and external obliques and stretches the gluteus maximus and hamstrings. It increases focus, balance, and mobility of the spine. Due to the opening of the chest through the stretching of latissimus dorsi, an accessory muscle of respiration, breathing is improved. Holding the posture for longer allows for a supply of fresh blood to the face, throat, heart, lungs, and upper abdomen. Due to the twisting motion, one hip is flexed and in internal rotation while the other hip is in lateral extension.
Planes of Movement — “In revolved triangle you’re rotating your spine through the transverse plane, bending your hips through the sagittal plane, and aligning your arms (at least trying to!) in the frontal plane.” — Kelly Solloway, The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book
We move in three dimensions. In Solloway’s book, The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book, she refers to three planes of movement that the body moves through. The sagittal plane divides the body into right and left sides. The frontal (or coronal) plane dives the body into front and back sides And the transverse plane divides the body into top and bottom sections. These divisions are not 50/50, although they can be.