Utthita Trikonasana, otherwise known as Extended Triangle Pose has some cool energetic effects: Grounding, Heating, Energizing
It’s a pose named after a Triangle, a polygon, with three sides and three vertices. The Pythagoreans believed it was the first true number. Maybe because it is the number of the “whole” containing a beginning, a middle and an end. 3 is the number of the Trinity of Mind, Body, Spirit. 3 is the number of creative expressions, optimism, inspiration. It is also the number of time: past, present, future – birth, life, death. Third time is a charm? Ok I’ll stop.
3 is in my mind a TON lately and now that I am typing, I realized that I really love Utthita Trikonasana. It feels really great in my body. It’s challenging, energizing, and very calming. Almost like I want to smile when I am in the pose. Pretty cool. If you want to try it, keep reading for some tips on how to get into it properly and how to stay in it happily. 🙂
FOUNDATION for Utthita Trikonasana (right side)
- Take a wide stance
- Back left foot parallel to the back of the mat
- Front right heel is in line with the arch of the back foot. Heel to arch alignment.
- the anchor point is the pelvis but also anchor your feet down. ALL EDGES.
Bottom Body
- Energetically draw your feet towards each other as you press down. Oh yeah, feel that.
- Bring hand to left hip and tilt left hip back and up
- Front right hip draws down toward front thigh.
- Upper body draws forward toward right foot
- Right arm extends forward with the upper body like you are trying to grab a cookie but your feet are anchored in quicksand.
- Tick tock your arms bringing left arm straight up and right arm down touching fingers just behind your right ankle
- Anchor your Pelvis. Feel length from pelvis out to your feet and from pelvis up and out of the upper torso. Keep elongating torso…
Upper Body
- Elongate the side bodies from hips to armpits.
- Use fingertips to pull arm bone back as you bring shoulder blades together and down your back. Keep pulling forward all the while…
- Spin your sternum, chest, towards the sky.
- Try and broaden your upper back
- Shoulders are in line with tailbone, tailbone is in line with back heel. If you were dropped inside a toaster your body would fit perfectly inside the slot. Think about that. A giant toaster. 🙂
Common Misalignments
- The stance is not wide enough. When this happens, you may place your right hand in front of your right foot and the shoulders and chest come forward in front of the leg, as well as the left hip.
- The front heel is in line with the back heel and not the arch.
- The hand is on the shin vs using a block on the outside of the right foot
You may have been practicing Utthita Trikonasana for years but try it again with all of this in mind. Maybe you will find something new in the pose! If you want to practice Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1) check it out here.