Yoga twist poses start from the abdomen

There are many yoga asanas that are twisting asanas, and twisting makes people feel extremely pleasant to the body and mind. These twisting poses give us a deep feeling of the motion of the spine-rotation, twisting, squeezing and stretching, relaxing all tissues located in the midline of the body.

Many people think that twisting is a very simple pose, but it is actually not that easy. Whether the twist is top-down or bottom-up is a question.

If the spine is twisted incorrectly, it can cause damage to the spine, scapula girdle, and thoracic cage, as well as indescribable pain in the back and neck. Why did this happen?

Because in the torsion of the entire spine, the rotation degree of the cervical curve is greater than that of the thoracic curve, and the rotation degree of the thoracic curve is greater than that of the lumbar curve. Since the cervical spine is the easiest part to move during torsion, when the body's trunk is stiff or activities are blocked during torsion, neck rotation often becomes the main movement, thus restricting the complete relaxation and exertion of other parts of the body's trunk, resulting in unbalanced activities of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. The same is true for chest curvature.

When twisting, it is often difficult for the cervical and thoracic vertebrae to wait for the body to rotate, and the body will experience excessive leverage activity of the upper limbs, excessive contraction of neck muscles, unstable shoulder girdle structure, and excessive rotation of the pelvis. These compensations can cause increased tension and dysfunction in the neck, back, and shoulders.

So when doing a twist, you should start with the abdomen first, then transition to the trunk, and finally the neck. Torsion starting from the abdomen can connect the thorax to the upper end of the pelvis, so that the ribs will not weaken inward and vertically towards the abdomen, nor will the ribs be everted due to the stretching of the body. In the connection between the ribs and the pelvis, the abdominal oblique muscles are in the main position of rotation. The transverse abdominis muscle plays a role in supporting the spine, especially when the body is tilted forward or overstretched and the ribs are everted, the transverse abdominis muscle quickly participates in the support. This helps prevent collapse of the spine.

Yoga twist poses start with the abdomen. Whether you are sitting, standing, or standing on your head, you should focus your attention on your navel. At first, you should keep your nose and navel in a straight line. This can gradually practice the flexibility and strength of the body, improve the balance of the body, and avoid exercise injuries to the body. (Internship Editor: Wu Jinyu)