Trikonasana Pelvis

Here I want to show you how I practice trikonasana and maybe give a few reasons why.

First, my main focus in all of my postures is that I have an internal feeling of freedom and lightness.  This is both a physical feeling and mental one.  I tend to let my body adjust itself from there.  

But when you are newer to yoga sometimes you have to focus on specific parts and narrow your focus of attention.  Over time the skill is in narrowing and broadening and being able to shift and integrate and come to some point of non-thinking mindfulness.  I still work at that.  

But back to the topic at hand, which are just some thoughts on the relationship between what you do with your pelvis and how that affects movement at the hip and what you see at the thigh in a pose like trikonasana. 

I made a video as that is the best way to explain.  Have a look and then I have written some commentary below.

Set up

I set my front foot up along an imaginary mat so that the outer edge of the front foot is parallel to the outer edge of that imaginary mat.  My back foot ends up toe down then heel down (mindful and slow movement) so that an imaginary line (lots of those going on in yoga and you get the sense of how yoga can train your sense of position in space when you consider all of the internal imagining and feeling that is going on) exists from the front heel towards the heel or back half of the back foot.  My foot is at an angle.  Other people do different things with their feet.  I try to figure out where my knee feels comfortable.  

With my front heel set like that I can try to grip the heel inwards.  That contributes to a feeling that the thigh rolls out.  You will feel some firmness around the outer hip joint.  

Front thigh rolling out.  Knee looks more like it is pointing towards outer edge of foot.

This rolling out is what I wanted to focus on in this post.  There is obviously a lot more going on in trikonasana.

If you know what you are doing you can actively just think about rolling your thigh out and it will happen. I show this a few times in the video how I can roll the thigh out or let it roll back in. 

The front thigh rolling in, with knee more over the inner edge of foot.  I avoid this in trikonasana.

Ultimately, the thigh bone sort of makes an imaginary line that is going more on the outer side of my foot rather than on the inner edge. 

Relationship of moving back pelvis to what happens in front hip joint complex

In the video I move my hand to touch the front of back pelvis.  Then I start to move that back, as many people do in an effort to get their pelvis pointing to the side. 

You can see what happens to my front thigh if I do that though.  I rolled my pants up so you can see clearly what happens and where the knee starts to point.  

What happens to front thigh when I try to take back pelvis back.  This is what I avoid in trikonasana.

Most people will also start to feel some stretch along the inner thigh as well.  

The act of moving the pelvis back is going to have an impact on what happens at the hip joint.  

In this case you start to get thigh rolling in at the front hip rather than the rolling out that we are looking for.  

So what?

So what I say is don't worry about where you think your pelvis should be facing.   

Most people will ultimately have their pelvis in more of a diagonal facing position--how diagonal is up to your own body.  

Front thigh rolling out.  Back pelvis comes around.  Pelvis neither pointing straight to front nor directly to side.  It is in a happy place in between.

I tend to instruct bringing the pelvis around a little so that you can get good activation in the front hip joint complex and so you do not feel the sensation of stretch in the front inner thigh.  

Roll your back thigh in.

Then, activate your legs by stretching the ground with your feet (trying to push the feet down and away from one another).  

Feel that your lower back is free.  Feel that you are firm but calm.  

You could stay there or you could start to move actively from your spine to turn towards the sky.  I turn while lengthening and not squashing the spine.  

I reach my fingers as far away from the centre of my chest as possible.

Inside I am singing and smiling and feeling like I am doing something but happy and calm and free.  

This is how I practice.  This is how I try to help you feel in class.  

Join us for Canberra Outdoor Yoga classes each week of join me for retreats in Sri Lanka where I teach principles of active movement, free spinal movement, and generally helping your body sing from the inside so you move happier and healthier.

Do not do anything that hurts.  Remember, these posts are mainly intended for my students as practice notes.  It is best to learn from an actual teacher and not from the internet. 

Much metta,

Samantha

www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com

www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com

Strengthen Your Butt With Trikonasana!

Trikonasana is one of the basic standing postures in yoga.

Cultivating good activation in the muscles around the hip of the front thigh will help you move gracefully into some other fun poses that have their foundations in the triangle posture.

In this post I show a fun transition out of trikonasana that will help develop some balance and focus skills.

Watch the video then take a look at the individual positions in the photographs below.

Lifting not sinking
It is hard to tell from watching (which is why I do a lot of demonstration and adjustment in class) but I work strongly in these transitions to cultivate a 'lifting' not sinking feeling out of the standing (front) hip/leg.

There is a strong action of external rotation of the thigh in the front leg.

External rotation of the front thigh in trikonasana is when you sense the inner thigh rolling up towards the sky/ceiling so the kneecap looks more like it is pointing more straight up or even slightly more towards the outer front foot (rather than dropping in over the inner foot).

You should feel a corresponding activation around your side/outer hip/butt area.

This can be easier to sense for many people if you bend the knee slightly, generate the action, then slowly start to straighten the knee.

If you can make sure you cultivate this external rotation in trikonasana then the transition to the balance will be easier.

If you move slowly you will notice there is a slight tendency for the standing leg thigh to want to roll in and the side of your hip move out slightly.  This leads to a feeling of 'dip' in the hip.

As you transition, counter this by bringing your awareness to the outer/side hip and try to either:

• roll the front thigh out
• move the front hip more to the centreline of the body
• push down strongly through the heel of the standing foot (while lengthening and gripping the toes)

The back thigh, throughout, is rolling in.

Trikonasana

Start in trikonasana.

Ardha Badha Trikonasana
Go for an arm bind if comfortable.  Mine easily wraps around my back to catch my thigh but yours might just be behind your back.  Don't worry where it goes, it is more important there is no discomfort.

Niralamba Ardha Chandrasana (with arm bind)
Niralamba means unsupported.  In this case it means you do not have hands on ground.

I try to maintain the external rotation in the standing hip as I lean forward.  I press strongly through my heel.  I keep leaning forward until my toes naturally start to grip--a good sign that the balance is coming!  My back leg comes up easily due to the shift of balance.  To get it higher I have to use active movement.

Raise elbow
I bring fingertips to shoulder.  Stay steady!

Raise body
Ok, starting to get tough here!  Raise the body!  This is the trickiest transition in my opinion.  You have to keep absolutely stable in that standing hip.

Release bind and straighten arm
Once you are here it is now relatively easy just to release the arm from the bind and extend it out.

You did it!
As Dora (the explorer) would say: You did it!

Of course, you can always keep that back toe tip down as lightly as possible and do the spinal/arm actions with toe tip just touching.  You still need to maintain that lift out of the hip though.

Have fun practicing.  Try your best but without an attachment to the outcome.  Without strain.  Without stress.

Oh, probably you will feel something deep in your butt after this sequence.  Yeah!  It's working.

I don't recommend learning from the internet.  Come to class if you can!

This is a mini-sequence we will be working with in our current 9 week sequence.  It is such a good training tool I will likely be teaching it in our retreat in Sri Lanka and in Bali as well (www.artofliferetreats.com).

This sequence is part of a Yoga Synergy style sequence taught by Simon Borg Olivier and Bianca Machliss.

Much metta,
Samantha

www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com
www.artofliferetreats.com

Trikonasana with active spinal movements

Here is Trikonasana with active spinal movements.  You can see the movement has been initiated from core stabilising muscles as you can see the tummy muscles in action.  This is not a 'sucking it in tightly' type of tummy firmness.

Trikonasana comes in many forms.  

In this post I share some tips on using active spinal movements to come into one variation.  I make a particular point of not sinking into the front hip. 

You will see that my active spinal movements create postural firmness in the tummy.  

Perhaps watch the video first, then take a look at the step-by-step instructions.

We all have different bodies.  This is the way I teach in class and is mainly intended for my yoga students so I can talk about the posture and discuss how these actions fit their bodies.  

When practicing move slowly and don't do anything that hurts.  Feel like you are doing something but without stress or strain.  

Video Sequence
The video shows me coming into the posture dynamically from a hypothetical top of mat (if I used a mat but who needs one for a pose like trikonasana especially!).

Step-By-Step Instructions

Below I have broken down some of the main actions.  They are not all of the actions.  I do quite a bit more subtle movement in my own practice.  I look for freedom, lift, and length.  I move away from squashing, pain, and strain.  

1. Lengthen lower back and open front of groin

I give the instruction to move the sitting bones down, top of pelvis back.  I look for a feeling of length in the lower back (subtle) as well as opening of the front of groin.  

2. Spinal forward bend

Here I maintain action 1.  Then I try to move forward from my spine around the level of my navel without letting my hips move back.  I am basically trying to do a sit up in my tummy in a way that I can still feel the movement of the breath there.  It is something I have posted about previously. 

3. Lean forward and step back

Maintaining all previous actions, I lean forward so my front toes start to naturally grip then take the other leg back. I am careful not to drop into my front hip, stick my butt out, or arch in my lower back. 

4. Open front of groin, lengthen lower back

Once I take toe and heel down I make sure I have maintained the length in my lower back and opening across front of groin (sitting bones down, top of pelvis back). 

5. Front thigh rolls out

I check the action of the front thigh.  It is rolling out.  

I could also make sure my front heel is out and the outer edge of my front foot is pointing straight ahead.  From there, I try to move my heel inwards without it moving.  This will help activate outer hip muscles to assist in rolling the thigh out. 

6. Back thigh rolls in

Allow the back pelvis to also come around to the front slightly so the lower back feels comfortable.

Roll your back thigh in.  Feel the inner thigh working. 

7. Stretch the ground with your feet

Push your front foot down and forward and your back foot down and backwards, as though you are stretching the ground with your feet.

You should feel the legs become very firm.

When the legs become firm, the spine should start to feel light.  I am always looking for lightness in my spine.

8. Lower ribs move subtly back

I move the lower ribs subtly back into my middle back so the middle back feels light and long. 

9. Navel turns towards top pelvis

I turn my navel towards my top pelvis.  Importantly, I keep my back thigh rolling in.  

10. Lower ribs and chest turn to sky

Keeping lower ribs in, I start to turn the rest of my spine up towards the sky. 

11. Arms reach

I take an arm up and and arm down.  

My arms are in line with the front of my chest.  

12. If going deeper, keep front groin open

It is possible to go lower to the ground.  However, I move slowly so that I do not sink into my front groin. 

I need to keep strong actions of rolling that front thigh out and the sitting bones down and top of pelvis back. 

If you start to sink or your butt starts to mutt out or your lower back starts becoming archy then these are signs you might be collapsing in the posture. 

13. Neck in a comfortable position

Once I have the rest of the spine in place, I decide where my head and neck will be most comfortable and move them there.  This could be looking down.  


Happy and safe spinal moving!

www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com
www.artofliferetreats.com

Fun With Trikonasana

Trikonasana is one of those poses that you learn early on in yoga.  I really like how it stretches out my sides even after all these years. 

Like any pose, Trikonasana can start to feel dull if you keep practicing it in the same way.  It's important to continually break down habits so your body keeps learning and keeps challenged. 

In this video, I leap into trikonasana like Paddy has shown me.  And then I turn it into a standing balance for a bit of fun. 

The trick in turning this posture into a standing balance is to learn to dance so that you transfer weight from the front foot to the back foot at just the right moment. 

I have been a bit naughty and not provided a modified version of this posture in the video.  If you cannot bind your arms (which is pretty hard) you can just try to keep your upper arm or shoulder pressed close to your knee instead. 

Have fun and remember to keep your spine long and free.

Step 1:
Come into Trikonasana with a long spine
Step 2:
Bend the front knee and bring your front shoulder towards the knee, nuzzling it in as close as possible.  If the shoulder does not get there, press your upper arm against the thigh or knee.  If you can bind your arms here then do so.  Don't worry it you can't.  Keep your spine long and free as though it is still in Trikonasana.
Step 3:
Start your little dance.  Transfer the weight into your front foot.  You need to start leaning forward to do so.  Your back foot should start to feel a little light so you can hop it close to your front foot. The back foot is perpendicular to the front foot.
Step 4:
Transfer your weight into the back foot now.  As you do so, shift your weight more and more to the back foot side.  With any luck your front foot will just start to float off.
Step 5:
As your foot starts to float off the ground, come into standing.  If you like you can straighten both legs! 
Relax and breathe.  Turn your head away from the raised leg.

Mettha,

Pelvis Vs Knee: Trikonasana

Pelvis Vs Knee: Trikonasana

I am often asked whether the pelvis should be opened fully to the side in trikonasana (triangle pose). 

Now, if you asked five different yoga teachers they would probably give you five different answers about how to do trikonasana, but they would all no doubt tell you that to answer the question you need to look at the relationship between the pelvis and the knee.   

In trikonasana there is a little tug of war going on between the movement on your front thigh and the opposite side of the pelvis.   The front thigh is trying to roll out while the opposite side of your pelvis is trying to move back and roll up towards the sky. 

A key action at the front hip joint is external rotation (it is also flexing and abducting—check out last week’s blog about defining movements of the hip joint).   As your front thigh rolls out, your front knee comes into alignment over the centre of your front foot. 

You can then try to roll that (front) side of your bottom underneath and press it forward at the same time so that it is not sticking out to the yogi behind you.  To do all of this you will find you need to maintain strong actions in the front leg of lifting the thigh up, rolling it out and under while pressing the big toe down so as not to roll on to the outside edge of your foot.    As you move into the posture more deeply by tipping the pelvis, you will feel the stretch on the inner front thigh and back of the front thigh as a result of these actions. 

But trikonasana is not all about the front leg.  You need to balance the work in the front leg with the work in the back leg.  And this means while you are doing all of that work in front, you are also trying to broaden the front of your pelvis and prevent the top of the pelvis (back leg side) from rolling forward and toppling over towards the floor.  To do this you need to strongly engage your back leg, pressing down through the outer edge of the foot, trying to roll the thigh out and trying to draw the whole inner thigh from the knee up and in towards your pelvis. 

But there is a reason the top of the pelvis wants to roll forward towards the floor.  And,  for many of us, it will be because allowing this action of the pelvis releases some of the stretch on the front leg and also lets us get closer to the floor with our arm if that is where we think our arm should be.

However, one of the (muscular) functions of trikonasana is to help open up the inner thighs and hamstrings so practicing in this way might not help you too much towards that end. 

What this all means is that you need to keep trying to roll the top (back leg side) of your pelvis up and back but, and here’s the point, there is no need to take it so that it is right on top of the bottom (front leg side) of your pelvis.  You do not need to square your pelvis to the side.  For most of us this is probably not even possible, and, if you persist in doing so you may find that your front leg starts to roll in and your front knee will lose its careful alignment (see my video link).  Over time this will transfer strain onto your inner knee joint, which is not something you want. 

So, should you be trying to get your pelvis open to the side?  The short answer is, start with the correct alignment of your front knee and then open the pelvis to the extent that is possible.   In the tug-of-war between knee and pelvis, the integrity of your knee needs to win. 

Trikonasana is a great pose and nearly every yoga class will include it whether or not it is for beginners or advanced students.  Thereis a whole lot more to it than I have mentioned here (did not even mention the upper body!), but more on that later.  For now, happy and safe practicing!

Mettha