September Challenge # Day 14 Twists

And we have our last day of twists - who is going to win this week's challenge? :) We will see very soon :P

Today's pose is a really nice twist -

Reclined Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Twists are a great way to decompress and squeeze out the anxiety and frustrations of your day — just like wringing out a sponge. They also stimulate and detoxify the organs of your torso. If you’ve ever felt worn out at the end of a workday or after a weekend of over-indulgence, Reclined Spinal Twist is a great pose to help restore balance.

Reclined Spinal Twist offers many benefits, many of which are listed below:

• It stretches the back muscles and glutes.
• It massages the back and hips
• It helps to hydrate the spinal disks.
• It lengthens, relaxes, and realigns the spine.
• It massages the abdominal organs and strengthens the abdominal muscles. As a result, this pose tones the waistline and also helps to remove toxins.
• This twist also encourages the flow of fresh blood to your digestive organs, increasing the health and function of your entire digestive system.

This pose is particularly beneficial (and feels good!) after practicing backbends.

Instructions:

• To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. You can rest your head on a pillow or blanket for extra neck support. Let your arms rest at your sides.
• On an exhalation, draw both knees to your chest and clasp your hands around them. This is Knee-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana).
• Extend your left leg along the floor, keeping your right knee drawn to your chest. Extend your right arm out along the floor at shoulder-height with your palm facing down.
• Shift your hips slightly to the right. Then, place your left hand on the outside of your right knee. Exhaling, drop your right knee over the left side of your body. Keep your left hand resting gently on your right knee.
• Turn your head to the right. Soften your gaze toward your right fingertips. Keep your shoulder blades pressing toward the floor and away from your ears. Allow the force of gravity to drop your knee even closer to the floor. If your right toes can touch the floor, allow your foot to rest.
• Hold the pose for 10-25 breaths. On an inhalation, slowly come back to center, bringing both knees to your chest in Knees-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana).
• Exhale, and extend your right leg along the floor. Repeat steps 3-6 on the opposite side.
• When you’re finished with the pose, hug your knees to your chest for a few breaths in Knee-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana). Then, slowly exhale as you extend both legs along the floor.