Benefits of spinal twists in yoga

We often spend our day with one gaze point straight ahead of us, meaning that we rarely twist around trying to gaze behind us. Not allowing your body to twist can cause stiffness in the body from your shoulders to your back. It’s important to incorporate twists to keep shoulder mobility as well as mobility through the spine.

Twisting has many benefits for the body beyond shoulder and spine mobility. Practicing yoga with twists a couple times a week can help improve digestion as well as stretch the entire body which is important for runners and hikers as well. Twists are great for people who run and hike as it helps to strengthen and stretch the entire body at the same time. Generally runners who don’t stretch can get a stiff lower back over time and spinal twists are great for counteracting this problem as it helps to restore and keep the spine’s natural range of motion.

Twists are great for digestion as it very literally twists through the abdomen which stimulates digestion and can boost metabolism. These poses also gently compress the stomach which can help as well. I like to take this twist laying on my back and pulling my right knee into my chest as my left leg is still out long. Gently take your right knee and massage your abdomen by rotating your hip in circles in one direction and then the other direction. This motion helps to massage the ascending colon which helps widen the colon in this area getting the digestion moving. Then hug your knee into your chest and on your exhale bring it to the left taking a supine twist. Hold this for as long as it feels good to you.

Then switching sides bring your right leg long and hug your left knee into your chest and take hip circles in each direction here massaging out your descending colon this time. This helps to move digestion down for elimination. Then hug your left knee into your chest and on your exhale bring it across your body and again staying there for as long as it feels good to you.

Some other yoga twists that I enjoy that are good for spinal mobility and digestion is taking a lunge keeping the back heel lifted, then bringing your hands to connect at your heart center and twisting by hooking your elbow outside of the knee in front of you. Then doing this on the other side as well, so if you had your right leg forward, switching sides to have your left leg forward.

Revolved pyramid pose is also a great twist that also stretches through the legs and hips. Start with the right leg about a foot or two ahead of the left leg, keeping your hips aligned with each other. Place your left hand down toward the right leg, if you can reach the floor press your palm into the ground, for a deeper twist place your hand on the pinky toe side of your right foot. Then reach your right hand up to the sky twisting your chest to the right. Try to hold this for about five breaths. Then, switch sides. Your twists will get deeper with practice.

With each pose try to gaze over the shoulder that you are twisting towards, gently twisting through your neck, increasing spinal mobility up through your shoulders. This will also help to deepen your twists a little more.

Happy twisting :)