Today’s video is the yin yoga posture “reclining spinal twist”. There are many variations to this pose dependent of personal preference and mobility in the knees and back. This posture primarily helps to twist the spine and “massage” or squeeze the internal digestive organs, making it a great pose to work out any last bits of tension near the end of your practice.
The twist targets the Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, Urinary Bladder and Gallbladder meridians.
Yin Yoga Twist
In a yin yoga twist as you lay on your back drop your knees to one side weighting the upper body. Support the legs and knees with some padding if they don’t meet the floor. You can also place padding between the legs if you have a sensitive lower back. Experiment with the placement of your neck. Some people like to turn the gaze away from the knees and others like to look straight up.
Variations include crossing legs or dropping a straight leg over the body. You can use your hand to guide the knees closer to the floor and if you would like to open up the tissue and the channels on the upper arm and shoulder you can rest the arm furthest from the knees alongside the head.
To release this yin yoga twist inhale and lift the knees back to center resting in neutral for a moment before transitioning to the opposite side.
