I’ve written several articles before about finding the right position for your body in triangle pose (trikonasana). I have often focused on where to put your hand on your lower leg. The issue is the placement of your hand affects the alignment of your back and hips. That has a direct impact on whether you feel a stretch and/or put strain on the wrong place in your body.
The misleading perception of triangle pose is that we feel like we need to lean down towards the floor. But this pose is not about bending down to the floor – it is a side bend with a slight twist in your spine.
So instead of bending down, think of lifting your chest away from the floor. This will help you activate the muscles in your core (to lift your upper body), will help move your spine into a better position for the twist, will keep your hips happy and can give you a better stretch through your legs, hips and side body.
In a way think of this pose like the proud peacock – keep your chest lifted. More then lifting your chest – think of stretching out through the top of your head.
Essentially imagine that someone is pulling the top of your head and this is pulling right through your spine down to your hips, pulling each vertebrae up and out – that will help you lift your chest and lengthen your spine, versus bending over. We aren’t picking something up off the floor, we are bending to the side to stretch the side.
