I love Triangle Pose. It is one of those go-to postures that offers so much benefit for the body, while being approachable for most people, and a great place to learn some basic alignment that will help practitioners build the foundation they need for more advanced postures.
Here are my top five reasons for practicing Trikonasana every day, and why you should start doing it too!
1. It stretches the side waist.
This pose is amazing for opening the sides of your waist, which for most of us is an oft-neglected area of the body.
It is very easy to get good at stretching the back of the body, and forwards folds are what most people think of when they think of stretching—you may even get fancy and become proficient at opening the front of the body by bending backwards.
But how often do we lend adequate time and attention to our waists? Chronically tight side bodies can cause alignment issues, as well as pain and discomfort, so getting a good opening is important. Triangle Pose will offer a deep opening to this area of the body that most people totally forget about.
2. It opens the side hip.
Like I mentioned above, most of us have become proficient at stretching forward and backward—opening the gluts and the hip flexor region.
However, many of us have forgotten to stretch out those muscles that live on the sides of our hips. This area of the body tends to be overly tight in those who walk, run, or cycle, so Triangle Pose is going to be extra important for you if you are someone who uses your lower body a lot in your day-to-day life.
You may find that opening the sides of your hips helps you to feel less overall hip pain in your life.
3. It teaches external rotation of the standing leg.
The external rotation of one or both of your standing legs is a very important position to master, and Triangle Pose offers a great place for you to practice doing so.
Many of us are used to standing in parallel, or even having our legs slightly internally rotated, and this external rotation will help strengthen different muscles in the legs, hips, and pelvis that help offer a balanced strength in your lower body.
What’s more, this foundational rotation will help you master more ‘advanced’ postures as you continue on with your Triangle practice.
4. It opens the heart.
Most people do not think of Triangle Pose as a heart-opening pose, and it certainly is not an extreme one. But if you are practicing it true to tradition, then you will be rotating your chest up towards the ceiling, creating a slight arch in your upper back.
I really appreciate the subtle upper body opening this posture offers, and getting to a place where you can really sense this opening is worth the longer hold.
5. It strengthens the core muscles.
Finally, when you are practicing your Triangle with precision, you will be getting a great core workout.
This pose requires that you extend through your bottom ribs and hold your chest slightly open, while balancing on a tightrope with your feet. Your abdominal and back muscles will be working quite hard to keep you standing and balanced.
Be sure that you use your core to hold you up, rather than placing too much weight on your bottom hand, and you will be building strength and stamina in your whole upper body.
Do you like practicing Triangle Pose? What is your favorite benefit of this pose?
