Utthita Trikonasana is one of the most popular asanas in hatha yoga. Today we will tell you how to perform this exercise correctly, as well as talk about its benefits and possible harm and contraindications.
When you first come to the yoga room for the easiest class, one of the first asanas that the teacher will show you will be utthita trikonasana. Do not be afraid of such a tricky name, this is a rather simple-looking position when the human body forms a visual triangle in an inclination. Asana seems simple and does not require special training, and even a not very athletic person can perform it with ease the first time. Simple, but not really. In order to perform it correctly, you need to use not only your arms and legs, but also correctly distribute the weight, as well as control the back muscles. We are together with yoga instructor Anastasia Krasnikovskaya we will tell and show you today how to properly perform the asana of an elongated triangle in order to get the maximum benefit for the body.
Why do you need trikonasana at all? Any asana associated with stretching in yoga works to strengthen the muscle frame and properly stretch the muscles. You must have noticed that when you do, for example, a warm-up before running and work with the knee and hip joints of one leg, it becomes noticeable how the muscles feel differently, warmed up before training feels better than the one that remained cold.
It’s the same with stretch poses. In ordinary life, we do not notice who we have is skewed in the muscle load and on the spine, and on the arms and legs.
Proper stretching of the muscles helps to align the pelvis, evenly tones the muscles of the legs, arms and back. Trikonasana allows you to properly stretch the stiff muscles of the legs and relieves the load on the spine, removing heaviness and pain in the back. That is why this exercise is included in the program of therapeutic exercises.
The benefits of exercise
As mentioned above, this practice helps to stretch the muscles of the legs well, toning and strengthening them. But the triangle pose is not strong with legs alone. After all, in order to perform this asana correctly, you need to use the entire body and properly rebuild the pelvis. Performing trikonasana correctly will teach you to control the hip joint and align its position, thereby affecting its normal state. And the correct position of the pelvis affects the rest of the spine, removing the clamps in the back.
To make the triangle correctly, you definitely need to turn your chest up, thereby opening your chest. You can’t just hang with a bag, it will not be a triangle, but a squiggle and will not give any benefit. Keeping the body in tension and opening the chest, you strengthen your muscular frame, back and neck muscles, and also allow yourself to breathe deeply, filling your lungs.
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Anastasia Krasnikovskaya, yoga instructor, listed the main factors of the influence of trikonasana on the body:
- promotes the opening of the hip joints;
- strengthens the muscles of the legs;
- stretches the arches of the feet, calves, hamstrings;
- stretches the spine;
- works on the lumbar spine (especially important for the inverted triangle pose);
- increases the mobility of the chest and promotes its disclosure;
- relieves tension from the lumbar region and neck;
- has a beneficial effect on the digestive system;
- improves blood circulation;
- develops a sense of balance and coordination.
Exercise harm
It is difficult to talk about any harm when, in general, any asana in yoga is aimed at causing good and benefit to the body. But if you perform any asana ahead of you, without listening to your body, then you can harm even during the performance of a healing pose.
As for trikonasana, special attention should be paid to the spine and knees. During its implementation, muscle strains under the knee and near the knee joint are not uncommon. After all, cold, not stretched muscles are very difficult to pull without warming up. And sharply stretching the leg without muscle control and the knee is easy to get a sprain.
Also, if you do not control and stretch the spine in this position, but twist in an inclination to the leg without opening the chest, then in this twist you can stretch the muscles of the back or even get a clamp in the lower back. Therefore, it is important to competently approach the exercise, as well as control all of your body parts involved in its implementation.
Anastasia Krasnikovskaya, yoga instructor:
“This simple asana has contraindications in which it is better for you to refrain from doing it. It:
- pain in the sacroiliac region;
- third trimester of pregnancy (for parivrita (inverted) trikonasana – the entire period of pregnancy);
- muscle injuries of the back of the thigh;
- hyperextension of the knee.
Pregnant women should be very careful with this asana. It is better to refrain from performing the triangle pose, especially if you feel uncomfortable in it.
Trikonasana Pose Technique
Be very careful when doing this pose. It is better to perform a simple version of trikonasana, which will be discussed now, and correctly open the chest and stretch the spine, than chasing a more complex version of the asana, performing with errors:
- stand straight, legs on the same line at a distance of about a meter, not wide, so that it is convenient to lean to the side;
- stretch yourself with your hands in different directions evenly;
- turn the right foot to the right about 90 degrees, turn the left foot slightly towards the right. Watch the knee of the left leg so that it is pulled up;
- take the pelvis to the left and begin to lean towards the right straight leg, while stretching yourself with your hands in different directions;
- rest on the shin of your right leg with your right hand to fix yourself in this position. In no case do not rest your hand on the knee, you can damage it;
- if you feel a strong tension under the knee to which you leaned, bend it so as not to stretch the muscles;
- pull your left hand up, opening the thoracic region. Look up at your left hand or straight ahead if you feel tension in your back. Stay like this for about a minute.
- to properly exit the poses, bend your right knee and with a straight back, inhale, rise to a straight position.