{"id":16158,"date":"2023-07-07T19:15:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=112342"},"modified":"2023-07-07T19:15:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:15:44","slug":"8-ways-to-practice-triangle-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/07\/8-ways-to-practice-triangle-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Practice Triangle Pose\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It amazes me to think how far I was into my early years of practice still thinking that there was only one \u201cright\u201d way to do a pose. One such position was Extended Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I learned this asana in the Ashtanga system, where you traditionally take a very short stance and hook the front big toe with your index and middle fingers. Being an A-student who was 100 percent committed to whatever path I was on, I assumed the pose always had to be this way. In my early years of practice I would contort my spine into a hunchback and struggle to grab my foot. As long as I could hook my fingers around my toe, I felt accomplished. And though my gut would tell me, \u201cLengthen out, Sarah! Go grab a block!\u201d, another, sterner voice in the back of my head would always say, \u201cNo, this is the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding New Ways to Practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I remember the first Iyengar-style class I took, where the teacher had me take quite a long stance to come into Triangle. I definitely couldn\u2019t reach my big toe.  In fact, I had to have two blocks stacked beneath my palm. I also felt a bit like Bambi learning how to walk\u2014as though I could fall into a very ungraceful Hanumanasana (the Splits)<\/a> at any moment. But despite the awkwardness, I found I could breathe better in the pose than I ever had before. My spine felt incredibly long. My body felt so expansive. It was like a whole new pose.<\/p>\n

I always liked Trikonasana during my Ashtanga days, but as I began to explore ways that other lineages practice the pose, I began to love it even more. It quickly became a daily vitamin for my hamstrings, my spine, and honestly, my overall well-being.<\/p>\n

And as anyone who has practiced for many years knows, as the body changes, our postures ideally should change, too. Trikonasana  is a pose I\u2019ve managed to do throughout almost every significant period of my life\u2014through injuries, surgeries, pregnancies, postpartum, and even severe anxiety and deep grief.<\/p>\n

Options for Your Triangle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Knowing that we have options in our yoga practice helps to keep things interesting. Sprinkle in these variations of Triangle Pose into your practice and observe your internal responses based on your ability to feel stable, breathe, and find length. And who knows, maybe in your exploration you will invent an entirely new way to practice this very versatile pose.<\/p>\n

8 Variations of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Getting into the pose:<\/h3>\n

Facing the long edge of your mat, step your feet apart about 3 to 4 feet and bring your hands to your hips. Turn your right foot toward the front of the mat and your left foot and hip slightly in. On an inhalation, reach your arms out to the sides. As you exhale, lean your torso to the right, tipping over your right thigh. Turn your head to look down, straight ahead, or up, depending on the comfort of your neck. When it is time to come out of the pose, inhale and lift your torso back upright. Place your hands on your hips, bring both feet parallel, and practice the pose on your second side.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n
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(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. With Blocks<\/h3>\n

Blocks are a way to bring the floor closer to you which is especially helpful if your legs are long or your arms are a bit short. Resting your hands on a block, or even two, placed outside of your front foot helps keep your spine lengthened and aligned with your front leg.<\/p>\n

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Extended Triangle (Trikonasana). <\/span> (Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Hooking the Big Toe<\/h3>\n

In the Ashtanga tradition, students are instructed to hook their big toe with their first two fingers. There is a lot of lore as to why we do this. This practice is believed to activate pada bandha<\/em><\/a>, foot lock, which serves as a seal to lock in energy. It is also thought to activate the inner arches of your feet, create stability and help with balance.<\/p>\n

\"A
(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Short Stance<\/h3>\n

The Ashtanga version of the pose brings the front and back legs closer together. This can help people with naturally hypermobile bodies to feel how to engage the leg muscles. It also provides stability.<\/p>\n

\"A
(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Long Stance<\/h3>\n

Taking the legs far apart is sometimes associated with the Iyengar lineage, but I have noticed this variation being taught with more frequency in vinyasa classes. It is an easy transition from Virabhadrasana 2<\/a> (Warrior 2 Pose), as you only have to straighten your front leg. It could also be helpful for tighter bodies, as it encourages lengthening.<\/p>\n

\"A
(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. One Arm Overhead<\/h3>\n

Reaching the top arm overhead in the pose is a nice way to reinforce the important actions of flexion (arm overhead) and external rotation (arm bone rotated away from midline) of the shoulder, coupled with upward rotation of the shoulder blade. This is a necessary movement in any posture that includes bringing your arms overhead\u2014think Utkatasana<\/a> (Chair Pose) and Adho Mukha Svanasana<\/a> (Downward Facing Dog).  Doing the work in Trikonasana can be good preparation for deeper inversions or backbends that may require that same action.<\/p>\n

\"A
(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Both Arms Overhead<\/h3>\n

This variation has similar benefits to those listed in number 5, but having both arms hovering is excellent for encouraging trunk stability\u2014the ability to keep our middle still\u2014while we move our limbs. And core work is important, not just in yoga, but in everyday life. This is the same movement as lifting something heavy up over your head.<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Half Bind<\/h3>\n

Any wrap that takes your arm behind your back can help to encourage your shoulders and chest to open. Half wraps are an accessible way to access these benefits. Having your top arm behind your back is also great preparation for any deeper postures that will require the arms to be in extension like Dhanurasana<\/a> (Bow Pose) or Ustrasana<\/a> (Camel Pose).<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Sarah Ezrin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Full Bind<\/h3>\n

This variation requires quite a bit of mobility in the shoulder joint, and I recommend a longer stance to give space to clasp your hands. Some call this Baddha Trikonasana (Bound Triangle Pose). A helpful key to this variation is remembering to lean back as you practice the pose rather than getting caught up in trying to clasp your hands behind you, prioritize lengthening your spine instead. You can always use a strap to clasp.<\/p>\n

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About Our Contributor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sarah Ezrin is a mama, a world-renowned yoga educator, a popular Instagram influencer, and the author of The Yoga of Parenting<\/em>. Her willingness to be unabashedly honest and vulnerable along with her innate wisdom make her writing, yoga classes, and social media great sources of healing and inner peace for many people.  Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sarah is changing the world, teaching self-love one person at a time. You can follow her on Instagram at @sarahezrinyoga and TikTok at @sarahezrin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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There’s no “right” way to do Trikonasana. Try these arm and leg variations keep your asana sequences interesting. <\/p>\n

The post 8 Ways to Practice Triangle Pose\u00a0<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-16158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}