Adding a little twist

I was feeling a little lethargic after a long day at work. Twisting sounded lovely. So, what pose did I choose - Parivrtta Trikonasana, a pose I have never really felt "good" doing.

On my first try, I rotated into the pose in one flowing motion down to the block (not part of Iyengar's instructions) on the inside of my right foot (also not part of Iyengar's instructions, but there is something to be said for knowing your body). In the pose, I felt totally askew almost to the point of wondering if I might risk pulling something and I couldn't quite work out the right adjustment. I didn't even hold the pose for 30 seconds. Second side, same story.

On my second attempt, I decided to focus on receiving the pose - letting it find it's way into my body, rather than forcing my body into the mold of the pose. As I moved into the pose I found myself beginning the rotation from the inside heel of my back leg and allowing the twist to work all the way up my spine, rather than including the leg as an afterthought as Iyengar's wording seemed to suggest when I read it. This time, when my hand found the block, everything felt softer. And, although I could tell my alignment was not ideal, I was able to make a few adjustments and hang out in the pose for a while on both sides.

An added bonus...reward?...in savasana my upper back felt open and amazing. It stood out very clearly because this is normally a very silent area for me. There might be something to this technique. It certainly merits some more experimentation.