Twister

by Cheng-Ling Chen — January 28, 2008

Is your back or neck feeling tight today? Try a simple twist to release the tension and get a boost of energy. Here's what you do:

1. Lie on your back. You may want to use a couple blankets for extra padding. Relax your limbs. Let you neck be neutral. Close your eyes and breathe.
2. Bend your knees. Bring them together into your chest.
3. On an exhale, lower your knees slowly to the left. Press your arms straight out on the floor in T position. Turn your head to gaze over your right. Breathe into the twist. Feel a stretch in your back and spine.
4. On an inhale, return your knees to center, and repeat on the other side.
5. To get out of the twist, turn to your right side and rest in fetal position for a few moments. Then support yourself on your arms to sit up.
6. Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Move the flesh away from your sits bones. Lower into a seated forward bend. As you inhale, straighten and lengthen your spine, and as you exhale, deepen the fold. The seated forward bend is a good counter pose to follow the simple twist.

For deeper twists you can try a few variations:

• Keep the right leg straight out on the floor and cross the left on top of it. Drop the left knee to the right for the twist. Repeat on the other side.
• Cross your legs at the knees and lower them to one side followed by the other for the twist.
• Lift your legs straight above you, perpendicular to the floor, and lower them straight to one side followed by the other.

Twisting from side to side promotes spine and upper back flexibility, stretches the shoulders and upper chest, and massages the abdominals. Do a twist to energize in the morning, to take a break and connect with your body during the day, or to release tension before turning in for the night.