Are You Spiraling on The Mat? You Should Be
Arm and leg spirals will change your practice
Unlike what the title implies, I will not be talking you down off the ledge. While yes, sometimes when you practice yoga your mind can get away from you and you start to spiral, this is not the type of spiraling that I’m going to address. That’s a post for another day. This post is about the physical spirals within your body.
When I first began practicing yoga, I studied Iyengar yoga, which is an alignment based practice. Your body placement in the poses is meant to deepen your awareness of the present moment while practicing. Attention to detail is one of the strengths of an Iyengar practice. I owe much of my alignment understanding to this practice (plus 30 years of practicing yoga in general).
The concept of spirals, related to oppositional movement, is one of my favorite concepts to explore (and there are so many). These spirals create stability in the joints and the poses while helping you find more ease and less effort. Spirals refer to the oppositional internal and external rotation that happens in the arms and legs when practicing different poses, such as Downward Dog, Triangle pose, and so many others. Here are the basics.
Arm spirals
In poses where the arms are straight, such as Plank pose/Phalakasana, Warrior 1/Virabhadrasana 1, Downward Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana, and Handstand/Adho Mukha Vrksasana, the upper arm and lower arm spiral in opposite directions. The upper arm rotates outward (external rotation of the humerus) and the forearm rotates inward (internal rotation of the radius, aka pronation). This action connects the arm into the back to give you more power and stability in the shoulder and elbow joints.
The easiest way to explore this movement is in Table pose/Bharmanasana, when you are on your hands and knees. Place your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Spin your elbow creases forward so that the points of your elbows aim toward your thighs. When you do this, you may notice your shoulder blades naturally slide toward your waist (depression) and your lats and lower trapezius muscles engage.
You may also notice that your weight falls toward the outer hands, which isn’t great for the wrists. To counteract this, press the knuckles of your index fingers and thumbs into the mat. This action internally rotates the lower arm, creates stability on your palms, and balances the elbows. Your upper arm spirals outward to connect the arm into the upper back. The lower arm spirals inward to create stability on the hands.
In poses like Warrior 1 and 2 you aren’t connecting to the floor as the arms are in the air. In Warrior 1 and 2 the upper arms rotate outward creating both depression and protraction in the shoulder blades (they move downward and apart). The palms rotate inward to face each other in Warrior 1, and they face the floor in Warrior 2.
Leg Spirals
These occur mostly in standing poses, like Warrior poses, Triangle, and Revolved Triangle, and in the standing leg of balance poses like Half Moon, Revolved Half Moon, and Airplane pose.
The upper leg rotates outward and the lower leg rotates inward, just like the arms. The outward rotation of the thigh engages the glutes creating stability in the hips. The inward rotation of the lower leg balances the knee joint while securing your feet to the mat.
Trying to rotate your leg both inward and outward at the same time is challenging. Like the arms, focus on where the leg connects to the floor and your hip. In a pose like Triangle, the outward rotation in the hip of the front leg aims the knee toward the second and third toe. If you only rotate the thigh outward, you will fall toward the outside of your foot. Press the ball of the big toe into the floor to counterbalance, thus inwardly rotating the lower leg.
The back leg is the same idea, even though the positioning is different. Depending on the pose, the back foot is rotated either 45 or 85 degrees to the side. The upper leg rotates outward so that the knee points toward the second and third toe of the back leg, and the ball of the big toe presses into the floor. You also want to press the outer foot into the floor, feeling the arch of the foot lifting. This engages both the quads and glutes of the back leg.
When you stand on one leg, like in Half Moon pose, it’s exactly like Triangle pose, but one leg is off the floor. The standing leg aims forward, upper thigh rotating open with the ball of the big toe connecting into the floor. The upper thigh of the lifted leg rotates outward while keeping the foot parallel to the floor, thus rotating inward in the lower leg. Pressing out through the heel and ball of the big toe helps, even though there is nothing to press against.
Practice
The next time you practice yoga, check out your spirals. Notice what comes naturally and what doesn’t. If you are confused by any of this, ask your questions in the comments! Here are some posts that I have written about these poses that may also help:
Strength and Mobility are Equally Important As You Age
What can Warrior 2 Teach You On and Off the Mat?
Most Standing Poses are Remarkably Related to Each Other
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Warrior 1/Virabhadrasana 1
If you’d like to join me on the mat, I teach online yoga classes for active adults over 50 who want to stay active with yoga! Build strength, improve balance, increase mobility, and learn to manage your “monkey mind” in classes specifically tailored to the needs of adults over 50. Click the button below to see the full schedule at Purple Room Yoga!
