REVOLVING LATERAL ANGLE POSE
Parivrtta parsvakonasana is both a twist and a standing pose. Two stories take place simultaneously here: lunging forward and turning the torso. The main story in this pose is the combined action of turning the shoulders in one direction and the pelvis in the other; the connection between the shoulders and the pelvis turns the spine. Press the upper arm into the thigh to create a leveraging force that rotates the torso toward the front leg. At the same time, externally rotate the rear hip and leg to turn the lower body in the other direction. This produces a coiling effect on the vertebral column. As with the warrior poses, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana has the front hip and knee flexing to produce a sense of forward movement, while the back hip and knee extend to constrain this momentum. Combine the leveraging forces of the extremities with the rotational force produced by the abdominal oblique muscles to turn the torso and spine.
The skeletal system is divided into the axial and appendicular skeletons, with the appendicular skeleton being further divided into the arms and shoulder girdle (upper section) and the legs and pelvic girdle (lower section). The axial skeleton comprises the vertebral column and thorax. Just as the earth revolves around its axis, when you connect the upper and lower appendicular skeletons, as in this pose, you can rotate the body around its axis—the vertebral column (see The Key Muscles of Yoga for a more detailed explanation on the skeletal system).
BASIC JOINT POSITIONS
Begin in a lunge position with the back knee on the floor. Keeping the knee on the floor provides an opportunity to feel the lunge and twisting actions in the pose without the challenge of balance. Press the opposite elbow against the front knee to turn the torso. Activate the abdominals to get a feeling for rotating the trunk toward the front leg. Contract the back-leg quadriceps and gluteus maximus to straighten the knee and extend the hip.
As flexibility increases with time, place the forward hand on a block and press the back of the arm against the outer thigh. The classical pose has the hand on the floor outside of the foot and the back foot flat on the floor, turning in about thirty degrees. This requires a great deal of flexibility in the spine and should never be forced.
STEP 1 Squeeze the torso against the thigh to contract the hip flexors, including the psoas and its synergists. Press the outer side of the thigh against the back of the elbow, activating the sartorius. Note that the pelvis tilts forward as the front-leg femur flexes.
STEP 2 Press the elbow against the knee to turn the body. Break down this act into the following subplots, and feel how each action deepens the twist of the torso:
A. Press the upper palm down against the lower palm to activate the upper-side pectoralis major.
B. Press the back of the lower arm into the thigh to activate the lower-side posterior deltoid.
C. With the front arm fixed against the thigh, draw the upper-side scapula toward the spine. The rhomboids will pull the torso into a deeper rotation around the axis of the spine.
D. Attempt to scrub the upper-side palm away from the body to contract the triceps and the lower-side palm toward the chest to contract the biceps. The palms won’t move because they are pressing together, but the activation of these muscles aids to turn the torso.
STEP 3 Engage the lower-side abdominal oblique muscles to revolve the trunk toward the front leg. At the same time, gently arch the back to turn the torso from the core. The lower-side serratus anterior muscles aid to rotate the torso, and the upper-side rhomboids draw the scapula toward the spine to synergize this action. These combined movements turn the chest around the axis of the spine.
STEP 4 There is a tendency for the front-leg knee to drift inward in this pose. Counter this by pressing the side of the leg into the back of the arm to activate the tensor fascia lata. Create stability in the pose by combining opposing actions in the front and back legs. Do this by attempting to straighten the front knee while pushing off with the back foot.
STEP 5 Activate the back-leg quadriceps to straighten the knee. Contract the back-leg buttocks to extend and externally rotate the femur. Visualize the gluteus minimus muscle stabilizing the ball of the hip in the socket.
SUMMARY Engaging the muscles as detailed in Steps 1 through 5 produces reciprocal inhibition of their antagonists, relaxing them into the stretch. In Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, the following muscles lengthen in the torso: the lower-side erector spinae and quadratus lumborum, the lower-side rhomboids, and the upper-side serratus anterior. In the lower body, the front-leg hamstrings, adductor magnus, and gluteus maximus stretch, while the back-leg psoas, pectineus, adductor longus and brevis, and gastrocnemius/soleus complex stretch. The back-leg gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are shown stretching here, even though we eccentrically contract them in Step 5.
