‘Parivritta’ means revolved, ‘Prasarita’ means spread ,expanded or wide apart, ‘Pada’ is foot, ‘Ut’ is Intense , ‘Tan’ is stretch, ‘Asana’ is posture or seat. This name literally translates as ‘ spread out feet intense stretch’, so it does exactly what it says!
Organising the Pose:
- Stand in Tadasana
- Jump and spread your legs 3-4 feet apart with the heels aligned and toes turned inwards.
- Bending forward from the base of your spine take your right palm to your left ankle and lift the left arm straight upwards, turning your chest towards the left side.
- Look towards the fingertips of the lifted arm and use the bottom palm to press into your foot to maximize the rotation in the waiste.
- Stay for 10-15 breaths then breathe in and come back to position 2. Repeat on the other side.
- Come up and return to position 2. Jump or step back to Tadasana.
DO’S:
Engage your thigh muscles and tighten your knees.
- Rotate the spine more and use the bottom arm as a lever to help you lift and turn more.
DONT’S:
Don’t bend your knee and don’t drop the top shoulder down.
- Don’t practice this pose if you have back, shoulder or neck problems.
BENEFITS:
- Lengthens the spine.
- Opens the shoulders
- Improves digestion.
Use your breath in to lengthen through your spine, and each breath out to twist a little more. Feel the intensity of this deep stretch in the lateral sides of your body.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj- Yoga Expert