Full Moon Yoga - Supine Spinal Twist

Full Moon Yoga – Supine Spinal Twist

The poses named Supta Matsyendrasana and Jathara Parivartanasana in Sanskrit are both versions of a releasing stretch which revolves the spine whilst lying down. We will take a look at both these options as they are similar in many ways, and, just for ease here, let’s refer to them as using “one leg” or “two legs”. The key difference is the placement of the legs and the area of the back where the greatest rotation and stretch is felt.

This pose is a great way to start or finish your yoga practice, giving a complete twist of the spine from base to top, and being a pose in which you can spend some time breathing and letting the weight of the body itself do most of the work for you. The poses are literally a perfect way to unwind and release. There are multiple variations which can be taken to vary the amount of stretch in the hamstrings at the back of the legs, the depth of the twist and indeed the place in the back where the twist is deepest. Whichever version you decide on it will almost certainly feel deeply satisfying and restorative.

Image: Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana) – “one leg”

Image: Supine Spinal Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana) – “two legs”

Clearly these poses allows the whole spine to rotate along its axis, so care should be taken where any injuries or conditions of the back and neck exist. As always, consult a medical practitioner before starting any exercise.

The poses strengthen and stretch the back, particularly the lower back. Flexibility in the whole body is enhanced and the oblique muscles around the body are strengthened, all helping to relieve stiffness and maintain a healthy alignment of the spine. The shoulders and across the chest are opened up, which is particularly great if you spend a lot of time at a desk or leaning forward to read or for hobbies. This expansion of the rib cage can also help with breathing capacity, so these twists are great to help you take longer deeper breaths which in turn help with combatting anxiety, stress and tension. In addition, the twist through the abdominal area can help with digestive issues, such as trapped gas.

How to find Supine Spinal Twist (one leg)

Start lying down with the spine resting fully on the floor, then bend one knee up towards the chest (the right on these illustrations). Keep the other (left) leg long along the floor.

Image: Starting position for Spinal Twist with one leg

Hug the bent knee into the chest for a few breaths and then hold the right shin with the left hand and draw the whole leg and hip across the body and down to the floor on the left hand side of the body, letting the pelvis roll over whilst the shoulders stay on the mat. You can leave the hand on the shin or thigh initially, which gives a little extra weight to help the leg settle to the floor. Gently open up the other (right) arm out to the side along the floor behind you. You may find that a little shift of the shoulders over to the left helps the shoulder girdle to open out and flatten towards the floor, aiding the back arm unfolding.

Image: Spinal Twist with one leg leaving hand in place on leg for weight

You then have the option to turn the head to look away from the bent leg (to the right here) if that feels ok in your neck. You then also have the option to extend the left arm out along the floor too, fully opening up the chest, as in the main picture.

How to find Supine Spinal Twist (two legs)

Start lying down with the spine resting fully on the floor, then bend both knees in towards the chest, hugging them in for a few breaths and easing the tail bone back down to the floor.

Keeping both legs bent in, let both legs roll over to the floor on the left hand side of the body, the right hip lifting off and the pelvis now facing to the side whilst the shoulders remain on the floor. Again, you can leave the left hand on the thigh initially, which gives a little extra weight to help the legs settle to the floor. Again, gently open up the other (right) arm out to the side along the floor behind you, and that little shift of the shoulders mentioned above, over to the left can help the shoulder girdle to open out and flatten towards the floor, aiding the back arm to unfold.

Image: Spinal Twist with two legs leaving hand in place on upper thigh for weight, head unturned

As for the one legged twist, you then have the option to turn the head to look away from the bent legs (to the right here) if that feels ok in your neck. You then also have the option to extend the left arm out along the floor too, fully opening up the chest, as in the main picture.

Whichever version you choose to take, do ensure you take the whole thing on the other side once you’ve spent some time on the first side.

Other options

There are further variations of these poses which we can explore.

From the one legged version, there is an option to straighten the top knee and extend that leg out at right angles to the body, keeping the thigh where it is as you extend, and leaving the bottom leg in place too. This will stretch the hamstrings at the back of the top leg. You can further stretch by holding the toes of that foot with the extended hand, or deepen the twist even further by also bending the underneath knee and pushing that thigh back behind you, maybe holding onto the (left) toes with the back (right) hand. This is sometimes called Tail of the Cat pose.

For the two legged version, an option that really works the core muscles and requires care of the lower back, is to extend both legs up towards the sky from the starting curl and then lower both legs down to the side whilst keeping the knees straight and the legs extended. This requires control and core strength as it can be very intense on the abdomen and back so is not recommended for beginners.

Other options to consider involve some use of props to help us find ease or to deepen the stretch in the poses.

If the knee(s) of the rotated leg(s) are not reaching the floor, don’t worry. Simply place a blanket, cushion or block underneath the knees, in effect bringing the floor up to meet the legs. This can be incredibly helpful to allow you to fully relax in the pose, rather than tensing through the body to try and keep the legs suspended.

Similarly, if the back arm doesn’t reach the floor behind you the you can place a block underneath it in the same way to support the hand and arm so you can let go.

If the leg(s) are on the floor you could consider placing a beanbag, weighted Pilates band or even a heavy folded blanket on the top thigh in order to gently ease the legs further down, thereby increasing the rotation in the spine.

Again, don’t forget to take the pose on both sides.

Breathing in the pose

This pose allows the breath to be really expansive. Once in the pose, you can explore yogic three-part breath as described in the Happy Baby pose blog, or simply take time to breathe deeply and evenly whilst consciously noticing any areas where there is still tension in the body and encouraging them to let go. The open chest of the Spinal Twists makes this a natural place to take time to just breathe, and this is a pose which benefits from staying a little longer, taking a few more breaths and releasing just a little more with each breath.

Moving on

The way out of these poses is to release any holds you have taken and then aim to bring the knee or knees back in and up towards the chest and then roll back onto your back. Between sides it can be rather nice to bring both knees into the chest and have a little hug and roll around. Then of course, take the pose on the other side, or if you have done that then move on to another pose. Any supine pose will work from here, such as Happy Baby or Bridge pose, or of course you could connect with your inner child and rock forwards and backwards until you come to up sitting and take other poses such as Seated Figure Four, or come over the knees to Table Top pose, particularly if you are at the beginning of your practice.

Another option when lying would be to have a big long stretch out along the floor, sending arms overhead stretching the hands as far away from the feet as possible, not worrying at all if a yawn or sigh escapes from your mouth. Aaahh! If you are at the end of your practice then moving into Savasana would be the natural progression from the Spinal Twist. We’ll look at that final resting pose in another blog.

Wherever your practice takes you today, enjoy moving and breathing😊

Make sure you always look after yourself when doing yoga.

It’s important to always listen to your body and only work within your personal limitations. You are fully responsible for your own safety and wellbeing. Make sure your surroundings and your practices are safe. Do not attempt to take a physical posture that is outside of the scope of your practice. If you have any specific medical conditions, injuries, surgeries or are pregnant you should check with your GP or appropriate medical professional before starting any exercise. Keep in mind that yoga might be challenging at times, but it should never be painful. You must stop if you experience any pain, and you should consult your GP if you experience anything untoward such as dizziness or feeling faint. Rest or leave anything out that you need to avoid or that does not feel right.