Welcome to Day Twenty. Reclining Spinal Twist. Supta Matsyendrasana.
Twists feel amazing. They ease back pain, aid digestion, relieve tension, and increase feelings of calm. (Please note: if you have osteoporosis, consult your healthcare giver before engaging in deep twists.)
Enjoy Days 1-19 of our challenge, before hugging your knees into your chest and moving back into Savasana, take a Reclining Spinal Twist (on each side) in this way:
- Take a full, long stretch, reaching your arms over your head, pointing your toes
- Inhale, bend your knees and bring the soles of both feet to the mat
- Exhale, drop both knees over to the floor on your right side (if your knees don’t reach all the way to the floor, stick a pillow under them and relax them into it)
- Keeping your neck long, take your gaze over your left shoulder
- Breathe and find as much length as possible between your left hip and your left shoulder (if your left shoulder lifts up in this twist, use a prop or a pillow under your shoulder to make it more comfortable)
- On each inhale, find a little more space between your ribs (in your intercostal muscles)
- To accentuate the twist, place your right hand on your left knee and press down
- After several breaths, inhale both knees back up to center
- Exhale, drop your knees to the other side
Here is today’s complete practice:
- Take a comfortable seat
- Close your eyes, Bring your attention inward
- Inhale, lengthen the spine, Exhale, keep that length
- Notice deeply
- Continue in this way for 10 or 20 breaths
- Open your eyes and move to a kneeling position (sit back on your heels)
- Perform Kapalabhati for 20-50 breaths, Repeat (as you like)
- Come to Child’s pose, enjoy the effects of Kapalabhati
- Come up to Table, then move with breath: Table > Down Dog > Table > Child’s Pose…
Repeat Five times (or as many or few times as you like) - Balancing Table (both sides)
- Lower arm/leg back to Table
- Exhale as you Push back to Downward Facing Dog
- Inhale, Step forward to Standing Forward Fold
- Exhale here
- Inhale up to Tadasana, Mountain Pose
- Sun Salutation (both sides)
- Tadasana
- Close your eyes, bring your hands together in Prayer Pose, Anjali Mudra, at the center of your chest
- Breathe
- Uttanasana, Standing Forward Fold
- Sun Breaths
- Step back to Downward Facing Dog
- Lunge (right foot back)
- Runner’s Stretch over left leg
- Lunge (left foot back)
- Runner’s Stretch right leg
- Step back to Downward-Facing Dog
- Lower down to Child’s Pose
- Step to Tadasana at the front of your mat
- Vira II (both sides)
- Tadasana
- Pyramid (both sides)
- Step back to Tadasana
- Revolved Twist (both sides)
- Step back to Downward-Facing Dog
- Lower down to Dandasana
- Release into Sukhasana
- Twist
- Come back to Sukhasana for a few breaths
- Supta Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (both sides)
- Reclined Spinal Twist (both sides)
- Balance your body by hugging both knees into your chest for a few breaths
- Lie back into Savasana
