Triangle – TRIKONASANA

Trikonasana (Sanskrit:त्रिकोणासन) pose or triangle is the final pose in a 90′ Sivananda hatha yoga asana class.

Definition: A lateral bend resembling a triangle.
The Triangle is a lateral stretch for your trunk muscles and spine, and makes your hips, legs, and shoulders more flexible.

Step 1: initial pose

Stand up straight, and place your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart (about 1 meter distance), keep your heels in the same line, firmly pressed in the mat.

Step 2: stretch and bend

Turn your left foot to the left and align it with the instep of your right foot.
Be careful not to turn your hips, they are square.
Inhale and stretch your right arm up, put your left hand on your left thigh. Exhale and bend sideways to your left, sliding your left hand towards your left foot, keeping both arms and both legs straight.
Look up towards the sky.
Try not to twist your body.
Try not to keep weight on your left arm, it’s the right side of your body that’s carrying you.
Hold for 30 seconds, working up to 2 minutes with practice.
Inhale as you straighten up again. Repeat the pose on the other side.

Body line

Your body forms a straight line, parallel to the floor. from your waist to your fingertips.

Benefits of Trikonasana

• Reduces or eliminates pain in the lower back.
• Tones the spinal nerves and abdominal organs
• Improves the appetite, digestion and circulation.
• Strengthens and stretches the hips, back, arms, thighs and leg.
• Tones the spinal nerves.
• Tones the abdominal organs.
• Gives flexibility to groins, hamstrings and hips.
• This asana improve the balance and increases concentration and determination.
• Triangle can teach you how to face a challenging task while staying mentally calm and detached.
• Iyengar claims practice of this asana improves the flexibility of the spine, corrects alignment of the shoulders; relieves backache, gastritis, indigestion, acidity, flatulence; massages and tones the pelvic organs, corrects the effects of a sedentary lifestyle or faulty posture, assists treatment of neck sprains, reduces stiffness in the neck, shoulders and knees, strengthens the ankles and tones the ligaments of the arms and legs.
• Swami Satyananda Saraswati claims the asana stimulates the nervous system and alleviates nervous depression, strengthens the pelvic area and tones the reproductive organs.

Sources: Sivananda, Wikipedia, Leslie Kaminoff

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