Triangle Pose

Trikonasana is a beginner’s yoga pose, also known as the yoga triangle pose. Like many of its counterparts, this pose also consists of several elements of yoga combined into one.

The pose is known to benefit the lower half of the body, building strength, especially in the legs and the feet. It can also improve flexibility in both the lower and the upper halves of the body.

Steps

Here are the triangle pose steps.

Step 1: Stand straight, with both your feet firmly planted on the ground and the balls of your feet resting on the floor.
Step 2: Raise your arms above your head and stretch your whole body upwards.
Step 3: Exhale deeply and jump slightly to push your feet apart by about 4 feet. Raise both your arms parallel to the floor and bring them to your sides. Keep your palms down.
Step 4: Turn your left foot a bit to the right and bend your right foot to about 90 degrees. Align both your left and right heels. Firm up your thighs, keeping the right knee in line with the right ankle. You are now in position to begin the stretch.
Step 5: Exhale and turn slightly towards your right, extending your torso as you do so. Begin bending from the hip joint and plant your left leg firmly for some support. Rotate your torso slightly towards the left, lengthen your tailbone, and feel it lengthening towards the back heel.
Step 6: Without distorting your position, especially on the sides of the torso, stretch your right hand and rest it on your ankle. If you cannot reach your ankle, try resting it on the shin, or the floor next to your right foot.
Step 7: Stretch the left arm towards the ceiling, keeping the hand in line with the top of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position. Hold the pose for at least 30 seconds to a 1 minute.

Reverse the feet and repeat the pose for the other side.

Precautions

Though the pose is beneficial to your body in many ways, it should not be performed if you are suffering from diarrhea, low blood pressure, headaches, and migraines or have back injuries. If you have any heart condition or high blood pressure, do not turn your head or your torso with jerky movements. Also, practice the pose when resting against a wall. Do not overextend your upper arm. Additionally, those with spinal injuries or neck problems should avoid the pose completelyy

Beginner’s Tip

The pose requires a considerable amount of balance, so if you are not feeling up to it, consider using the support of a wall while performing the posee This is the best beginner’s tip for the triangle pose as it, keeps you anchored and also keeps you from toppling overr You can also use wooden yoga blocks to support your stridee These props let you stretch your stride as much as you can managee Simply place the yoga blocks right next to your feet when you are expanding your stridee This will help you maintain your balance, especially when you are a yoga beginnerr As you get better, you may no longer need the blockss

Benefit to a specific Body Part

The thighs receive the most benefit when one performs this yoga pose regularlyy This pose helps make your thighs flexible and tones up those thigh muscless
This pose helps improve flexibility in the spine and can also be used to correct shoulder alignmentt
Also benefits the lower body and strengthens knees and ankless
Tones the muscles in the arms and strengthens the neckk

Therapeutic Applications

There are several therapeutic applications to this posee

While the pose does offer flexibility and improved balance to the body, it is considered an excellent pose for dealing with stresss The balance that you achieve with this pose can also help you bring mental peacee
Can be used to manage stomach irritants such as flatulence, gastritis, acidity, indigestion, and constipationn It massages the abdominal organs and gives them a thorough work outt
This pose also provides a massage to the pelvic organs and can be helpful in problems related to the reproductive systemm
The Trikonasana is helpful in the treatment of backaches and neck sprains and other joint and muscle related problemss
It also helps in Improving circulationn

Variations

One of the variations of the triangle pose is known as extended triangle posee In this pose, instead of stretching your top arm towards the ceiling, you can also stretch it over the back of your ear, keeping your arm parallel to the floorr This is an easy variation that can help you master the pose and also pose a greater challenge for balancingg You can also try aligning the front heel with the back foot arch to add to the difficulty level of the posee

Other variations include:

Baddha Trikonasana (Bound Triangle Pose)
Parivritta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)
Baddha Parivritta Trikonasana (Bound Revolved Triangle Pose)
Supta Trikonasana (Reclining Triangle Pose)

Preparatory Poses

Preparatory Poses for triangle pose include:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Adho Mukha Savasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Follow Up Poses

The follow up poses for this pose include almost all standing poses, twists and seated forward bendss