Pose of the Week: Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Good things come in threes...

Utthita means extended, and trikona means three angle or triangle. If you look at the image you are making a triangle in between your legs, and between your torso, lower arm and leg... as you extend your upper arm towards the sky.

Taking position...
Begin standing tall in mountain (tadasana). Extend your feet 3-4 feet apart. Rotate your right foot out 90 degrees, keep your left foot facing forward. Keep your heels aligned.
Inhale your arms up to shoulder height, keeping your upper body upright, shoulder blades engaged, palms down. On an exhale bend from the hips toward your right leg. Windmill your arms so that the left hand reaches toward the ceiling as you release your right hand to rest on your leg, on the floor palm down outside your right ankle, or on a block. Turn your head to look up to the ceiling. If you feel tension in your neck, look forward or down.
Breathe into the pose. Keep your back lengthened and your legs engaged.
When you are ready, on an inhale straighten your back (relax your arms if you wish). Repeat on the other side, rotating your left foot out and hinging towards it.


The many benefits...
As with all standing postures you are improving balance and inner stability, strengthening your legs. The subtle twist in trikonasana releases your lower back and stretches the hips,groins and hamstrings. This is an excellent posture for relieving stress, (as a result of the forward bend) and improving digestion (on account of stimulating the internal organs).
This is also a great pose to help with sciatica and flat feet.
This is an excellent pose for releasing lower back pain in pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimester.

Concerns...
If you have neck injuries keep your gaze forward and your neck evenly long on both sides. If you suffer from heart problems do the pose against a wall and keep the upper arm on your hip.

Tip... 
If you feel unsteady in the pose, Brace your back heel or the back of your torso against a wall.


Most of all, have fun and keep breathing.

Image taken from Dr. Frank Lipman.
In this variation a block is used to help support the lower hand reaching towards the earth
while maintaining a long spine that folds from the hips.