I hope you all enjoyed a lovely FALL BREAK and found some time to breathe and maybe even take out your mat and yoga!
This coming week we will focus on twists so before we begin on Monday, I wanted to write a blog post on the numerous benefits of twisting. Before I get all yogi and technical though, today I started thinking about all the different twists that brought joy to my heart. And I made a list:
1) The infamous Chubby Checkers Let’s “Twist” Again
2) A vanilla and chocolate ice cream cone with the flavors “twisted” around and around until the peak forms at the top and just screams lick me
3) The way my Zumba instructor on Tuesday “twisted” her hips like Shakira
4) Vines and foliage all around me with “twisted” curling branches
5) Garland twisted around Christmas trees (it’ll be here before we know it!)
As this imagery came into my head, the best one a teacher has used to describe what a yogic twist does for the body is the ringing out of a dish towel. Twists help cleanse the internal organs, stimulate digestion, and circulate new blood flow to areas that help naturally detoxify our body from the wear and tear of daily life and aging. There are physiological benefits to the circulatory system and internal organs, structural benefits to the musculoskeletal system, and focusing benefits to your consciousness. Enough said right?
And the beauty of them is you may think that you have to twist your body into a pretzel to release these benefits but there are a few seated and laying down twists that are great for beginners and to do at nighttime before bed or upon first waking up. Don’t forget to breathe length into the body during these twists and on the exhale see if you can twist deeper without compromising the breath or causing any pain. You want to feel something but you don’t want the face to cringe in agony. Find your twist sweet spot and build from there using your breath.
Below are a few photos of some twists that we will dive into this week. Hope to see you in class on Monday! Namaste
What NOT to do:
