Time to Twist!

One of the great things about Christmas is 'indulgence'. So, we may have eaten too much, or rich foods that take more time to digest and also perhaps drank too much, leaving us feeling bloated, lethargic and sluggish. It is time to Twist then!

Supine, standing or sitting twists are the super asanas to focus on in the yoga practice, such as Revolving Triangle (Parivrtti Trikonasana), Lord of the Fish Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana), Supine Spinal Twist (Jathara Parivrtti) to name a few.

Why do we do twists?

B.K.S. Iyengar, the great yoga teacher, described Twists as ‘squeeze and soak’.

The rotational movement of the twist helps to wring out the digestive organs and allow the digestive juices to flow more easily. The movement helps with digestion, elimination and stimulates detoxing of the system.

In addition, the rotational movement helps to keep the spine healthy and ease lower back pains as well as stretch the muscles that wrap around the ribcage, shoulders, arms and legs. The movement helps to cleanse the adrenals.

Twists make space in the body, help to unblock energy, release toxins and bring flesh blood and oxygen back into the body once the twist is released.

However, twists are not recommended for those who have spinal injuries, disc issues, during pregnancy, or have SI joint disfunction.