In yoga, twists can be simple, twists can be complex. They can be easy for you, or maybe they are daunting, awkward, difficult to move into and sustain, and yet, ultimately, either way, for me at least, extremely purging and cathartic. We’ve heard it many times in the yoga rooms, twists are like wringing out a dirty sponge, and even though this claim hasn’t really been technically proven, when I can get beyond that first onset of awkward feeling as I twist, I realize just how powerful they are, and not just for my physical body, but for my energetic and emotional levels as well.
One of my private clients recently requested that we focus on twists for a few weeks. It really was perfect timing as I delve more deeply into my own home practice with more time on my hands (and hips!), and as I more closely examine the long term effects of a serious accident and what it did to the 18 bones I broke, all located in my trunk, twists give me the perfect opportunity to explore. I broke 5 ribs, a shoulder blade, 2 vertebrae, and many transverse processes, the little bones along the outside edges of the spine, from the neck down to my lower back. These injuries are why I find twists so awkward and seemingly unnatural in this stage of my practice. Most people find them luscious and I used to be one of them, and with time, patience, work and careful attention to detail, I may just get there again.
As I ponder my own experience, I am better equipped and prepared to answer my client’s questions. They say that you should focus on the poses that give you pause, as they tell you you have something to work on. Knowing that twists are extremely effective in relieving backaches, especially lower back pain, and wonderful for relieving stiffness in the neck and shoulders, most days I come back to them. Most days.
Though current thought is to back off the claim that twists massage the abdominal organs, my experience is that they provide a chance for the organs to shift and move about a bit as we twist, nestling back into their natural positions upon return, and I think stimulating flow and movement in the digestive, eliminatory, endocrine and reproductive systems. This energy flow can reduce sluggishness and promote efficiency in the body, sparking vitality. Coupled with the energetic effects of bigger breath that a more expansive chest tends to deliver, twists might be just what you need, especially in the middle of the day after you’ve sat at your desk or device for far too long.
In twists, the lower part of the spine, the sacrum and lumbar spine, is meant to be relatively stationary, with just enough give to allow the hips to rotate and lend the twist pliability. Higher up, the range of rotation in the thoracic spine (to which the ribs attach), the chest and shoulders, and finally, the cervical spine (neck) and head, the range is bigger. Notably, when I had that car accident, I twisted so violently that I broke many of these bones, yet it was because I had become so stable and flexible in twisting in my yoga practice BEFORE the accident, that my life was spared. My doctors were amazed I survived and many times opined aloud in the weeks and months in therapy, that yoga literally saved my life.
If you are new to twists, it is important to start with more simple twists and build up your familiarity with your strength, your range of motion, and how your body will respond. Weak torso muscles might curve the spine forward as you twist, which can lead to compression in the lower back and limitations in the rotation. Strengthening and lengthening the base muscles by toning the glutes and upper thighs enhance the twist action, as the stronger they are, the stronger your link to earth’s powerful leverage and, usually, the stronger the connection between your lower and upper body. Freeing up mobility in the hips generally means the hips work with you as you twist, not against you. Again, it’s about finding just the right amount of stability, yet give, to lend the upper body what it needs to rotate.
Tight hamstrings and hips also may limit your range of motion, so it is important to respect limitations and approach them with careful attention, so that you safely begin to move beyond those limitations (your edge) by doing more prep work before you twist. Think Staff Pose, Legs up the Wall, low and high lunges, Pyramids and Downdogs, to name just a few. If tight shoulders and a stiff upper back are holding you back, more Dogs, Eagle and Cowface arms might help.
You can also create leverage at the upper part of the twist by using your arms and hands to hold onto the floor, a prop or wall and rotate further, taking you a bit deeper. Be mindful that you continue to rely on the trunk muscles to do the majority of the work, strengthening the prime movers and avoiding injury in the upper joints and muscles.
I’ll find that ease and comfort in twists again. And in all honesty, it’s not so much of a discomfort, it’s more of an awkward sensation. Big difference. As I work through this trauma physically, I stir deeply embedded emotional scars, and every time I take my body into a twist, it dredges up feelings of dread and despair, even fear, all that linger from that ancient, accident trauma. The body keeps the score. So, I take it very slowly, almost as if I am completely new to twists. I am careful not to go too far, not to go beyond my edge too quickly, that I carefully approach it and many times, even stay safely on the INSIDE of my edge. Better safe than sorry!
I apply patience and create a secure foundation with the ample space and structure to explore, and I breathe and relax. BKS Iyengar says to “never perform the asanas (poses) mechanically, for then the body stagnates”. I think he meant to bring that lightness, that open mind and definitive breath to it, that can in turn bring lightness to your body and your emotions, easing off that fear or unease from any unfamiliar sensation you may be feeling. Breathe, find comfort in your unease, but go easy! Go steadily and slowly with the flow, see what you find. Serenity ensues. Sigh…
Here’s my favorite recipe for a 5-minute gentle twist break:
Maypoles – Gentle Movement Driven (Dynamic) Twists
- Stand up and step your feet at least hip-width distance apart, maybe more, as comfort will allow
- Engage the leg muscles, draw the belly in and lift your heart and sternum, soften the knees and shoulders
- Level the horizontal line between your two hip joints and two hip bones, as well as the shoulders
- Keeping all corners of both feet evenly rooted to floor, begin to twist gently from side to side, arms starting low by the sides
- As you progress, notice the arms wanting to lift higher and higher with each and every twist, maybe eventually the arms go overhead and behind the body as you twist deeper and deeper
- Keep your torso and legs strong and the knees, hips, shoulders soft as you twist from side to side, as if your legs and trunk are the maypole and your arms are the ribbons, softly flying in the air (you may even feel a light breeze)
- Keep the torso muscles in a way that the center of it the trunk is the initiator of the hips and the arms twisting opposite of one another
- Eventually make your way back down, bit by bit, slower at the end, until you return to your maypole middle
- Feel free to hold a twist longer on each side for a few extended breaths at the end
- As you come to stillness in the middle, draw your awareness to the effects of this movement
If you want to see Maypoles in action, go here: (about 4 minutes in, if you want to get right to it!)
After any yoga practice, drink plenty of water to hydrate and enhance the detoxification effects that yoga has on the body.
And smile! You’ve likely done the body (and mind) good.