Twisting Poses will help restore your spine's natural range of motion, cleanse your organs, and stimulate circulation.
Try asking some nonyogis what they think happens in a yoga class, and at
least one will answer that people get "all twisted up like a pretzel."
In fact, we yogis do twist a lot in a well-rounded yoga practice: We
twist while sitting, standing, and standing on our heads. Because there
is such an intriguing variety of twists, you might guess that twists
provide an abundance of benefits. And they do. There are physiological
benefits to the circulatory system and internal organs, structural
benefits to the musculoskeletal system, and focusing benefits to your
consciousness.
Indian yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar describes twists as a
"squeeze-and-soak" action: The organs are compressed during a twist,
pushing out blood filled with metabolic by-products and toxins. When we
release the twist, fresh blood flows in, carrying oxygen and the
building blocks for tissue healing. So from the physiological
standpoint, twists stimulate circulation and have a cleansing and
refreshing effect on the torso organs and associated glands.
Yoga twists involve the spine, as well as several
major joints, including the hips and shoulders. In fact, full range of
motion in spinal rotation is essential to many yoga poses.
Unfortunately, many people lose full spinal rotation in the course of
living a sedentary lifestyle. Some losses can occur if joints fuse due
to trauma, surgery, or arthritis, but most range of motion loss comes
from the shortening of soft tissues. If you don't lengthen the muscles,
tendons, ligaments, and fascia (connective tissues) to their full length
at least a few times a week, they will gradually shorten and limit the
nearby joint's mobility. In the case of twisting, the limitation is
usually in soft tissues around the spine, abdomen, rib cage, and hips.
If you regularly practice yoga twists, there are some clear benefits to
these same joints and soft tissues. Not only do you maintain the normal
length and resilience of the soft tissues, but you also help to maintain
the health of the discs and facet joints (the small pair of joints on
the back of the spine where each two vertebrae overlap).
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