WHY TWIST??
Twists are extremely good for your spine and organs because of their SQUEEZING and SOAKING action. They SQUEEZE out toxins through the compression of your internal organs, and allow your organs to then SOAK in nutrients.
HOW TO SAFELY TWIST
It’s crucial to have proper form when twisting because if done incorrectly, you can pull a muscle in your back or hurt your spine.
- Inhale and elongate your spine. You must create SPACE before twisting to keep the length of the spine. No crunching!!
- As you exhale, engage your core and twist from the inside out!!! Initiate the twist from your organs. This is crucial.
“the most common cause of injuries in yoga practitioners is moving the musculoskeletal system farther than the underlying organs can support.” (p.159 Yoga Mind, Body, & Spirit by Donna Farhi)
WHY WARM UP BEFORE TWISTING???
It’s important to warm up the shoulders, spine, and hips before twisting to avoid injury. Tonight, to warm up, we did some easy spinal circles in a seated position and Cat Cow in a seated position to warm up the back, and opened up our shoulders with Eagle Arms and CowFace Arms.
^^^EAGLE ARMS
^^^COWFACE ARMS
A few of the twists we did in class were:
Cross Legged Twist
Eagle Arms with Twist
Marichi’s Pose
@shannenrobertsyoga on insta 
Child’s Pose Twist
Warrior 2 (twist in upper body)
Triangle Pose
*PEAK POSE* Leg on the wall with an upper body twist
To prep for our peak pose, we did many hamstring stretches such as dynamically lunging and then straightening the leg, Half Sun Salutations to fully warm up the body, and Triangle Pose.
I hope this helps clarify twists Email me or comment on my instagram @shannenrobertsyoga if you have questions !!
—For anyone interested in their twisting form, and for my Wednesday 8PM LA Fit Valencia students xox
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