TWO KNEE SPINAL TWIST

TWO KNEE SPINAL TWIST

Benefits

• Improves digestion
• Encourages movement in the spine and vertebrae
• Massages, stretches and tones the internal organs
• Stretches hips, lower back, middle spine, upper back, shoulders and chest
• Alleviates pain or stiffness in the lower back, spine, and hips

Contraindications

• Severe lower back problems
• Internal organ surgery
• Pregnancy (more comfortable with pillow between knees)

Step by Step

1. Begin by lying on the back. Exhale and press your lower back lightly into the floor. With the abdominal muscles contracted, inhale as you bend your knees and lift your feet off the floor. Exhale, open your arms out to the side in one straight line with the shoulders, palms facing down for support. Continue to support the spine with the core muscles. Bring feet and knees together. As you inhale lift heels slightly higher than the knees. Exhale, slowly lower both legs to the left to the floor keeping the feet and knees stacked. Knees should be at the level of the hips and the heels resting about a foot away from the buttocks
2. Continue to breath slowly as you let your head turn naturally to the right. Encourage your right shoulder to root down maintaining the twist through the upper spine. Having arms at or just below shoulder level will increase the ease of rooting the shoulders down. Hold for at least 20 seconds
3. To exit the pose, press both hands into the floor at shoulder level and contract abdominal muscles. As you inhale lift the knees and feet up over the chest. Hold onto the knees with both hands. As you exhale, draw the thighs down into the chest as you lift your head and chest into the thighs and knees. Avoid lifting the shoulders as the head rises to the knees
4. Lower head and shoulders to the floor. Contract abdominals as you open the arms again to twist to the other side. Repeat entrance into and exit out of twist on the right side

Modifications

• If the knees do not rest easily on the ground, place knees and feet on a large pillow
• If the twist feels too deep for the lower back, first try placing a pillow between the knees or move the knees below the height of the hips
• To deepen the twist, place right hand on the left knee (closest hand) and press knees down. To increase further, pull the knees up towards the under arm, but continue to keep the right shoulder from lifting off the ground