Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Pronunciation: PAR-ee-vrt-tah  parsh-vah-cone-AWS-ahnah)

Translation: The pose is the Revolved Side Angle Pose. In Sanskrit, parivrtta means to revolve or to turn round. Parsva is the side or flank. Kona means angle.  Asana is the Sanskrit word for pose. This standing pose is an intense twist. For many people, this is one of the most difficult basic standing poses. Focus, presence of mind, good balance and flexibility are required and thus developed by practicing this posture.

Technique: Start in Tadasana, mountain pose. Step or lightly jump your legs apart so that your feet are four to four and a half feet apart.  The correct distance depends on your own leg length.  In the beginning it is often necessary to adjust the distance between your feet. Getting the right distance is important for the final pose
To test your leg distance turn your left foot in 45° and your right foot 90° out and bend the right leg.  If your leg distance is proper then, when the upper leg descends until it is parallel with the floor, the bent leg should form a right angle with upper right leg parallel with the floor and the lower right leg perpendicular with the floor.  The outer right knee should be over the outer right ankle bones. If your legs are too wide a distance apart and you bend your right leg and descend your pelvis until the upper right leg is parallel with the floor, the right leg will form an obtuse angle that is greater than 90°.  If your legs are too short a distance apart the right leg will form an acute angle that is less than 90°.  Adjust the distance between your feet so that when the top right leg becomes parallel with the floor the lower right leg will be perpendicular with the floor.  If you are not yet able to descend the pelvis far enough so that the upper leg becomes parallel with the floor than go as far as you can in order to estimate the proper distance so that when you eventually can descend far enough your leg will form a right angle.
In preparation for the pose, if you have not already done so, pivot your right foot out to a 90° angle and your left foot in to a 45° angle.  Align your feet so that a line through the middle of the front foot would extend back to the center of the arch of the rear foot.

Assume Parivrtta Parsvakonasana in two phases.  In the first phase you descend into Virabhadrasana II, the proud warrior II pose.  In the second phase you move into Parivrtta Parsvakonasana. 

Before starting Virabhadrasana II, adjust your rear left leg and foot.  During this pose the rear foot’s arch should remain as firm and as raised as possible.  Do this by keeping the rear leg’s foot pressed firmly down with weight on the outside of the foot.  Roll the metatarsals, the long bones on the top of the foot, to the outside of the foot.  Keep the rear leg active with its kneecap kept raised using the quadriceps muscle. These adjustments should be maintained throughout this initial pose.

Turn your gaze to the right and start to descend the pelvis.  Avoid the tendency to lose the vertical line of your spine.  Keep the torso perpendicular with the floor as you descend to a right angle.  Do not lean the torso to the right over the right leg.  As you descend avoid the tendency to swing the front right knee forward and the right sit-bone backwards.  When your top leg loses alignment you introduce potentially damaging strain into your knee.  This correction is particularly important for those with knee injuries.

Your front knee should now be directly over the ankle and heel of your front leg.  It is important to bend your forward leg as close to a 90° angle as your current extension allows. Getting your leg distance wide enough (but not too wide) and bringing the pelvis down so that you are at a right angle or as close as your body can come to a right angle is important.  After descending the pelvis keep it at this height throughout the rest of the pose. The rear leg remains active and straight with its kneecap lifted.  Keep weight on the outside of the rear leg foot and the inside of the front leg foot throughout. 

Once you have descended the pelvis so that the front leg is bent to 90° (or as close as possible) open the front leg’s groin by rolling your rear left leg bringing the outer leg down and inner leg up.  Keep your rear kneecap actively pulled up throughout.   As you make this adjustment, be careful not to lose the alignment of the upper front leg over a line extending through the middle of the front foot going back through the center of the arch of your rear leg’s foot.

You have now assumed Virabhadrasana II.  Take a moment to explore it and its effects before moving on towards Parivrtta Parsvakonasana.

Rotate the heel of the rear left leg’s foot up towards the sky and bring your weight onto the balls of the foot.  Keep the rear left leg active and bearing weight.  Swivel the pelvis until it faces forward towards your front right foot.  Keep the bent forward leg’s orientation and angle.  Move the inner thighs of both legs towards each other in a scissoring action.  This contributes to swiveling the hips forward.  Move the left hip forward and the right hip backwards.  Rotate the hips to face the forward leg until they are as even as possible.  Keep the torso perpendicular to the floor.  Keep the forward leg bent at a right angle.  

At this point it is helpful to extend the spine up from the pelvis and do a slight backwards arch in the upper torso.  While doing so keep the neck extended, the pelvis aligned and avoid raising the pelvis.
Keeping the extension of the spine it is time to start lowering the torso over the bent leg towards the final pose.  In the completed pose you do a spinal twist and descend your left arm down to the floor to the so that your left hands little finger comes next to your right foot’s little toe with your left shoulder aligned over the palm of the hand. 

Start with the ribs elevated from your pelvis and roll the torso around extended spine. Keep the swiveling action in your hips and the rear leg active.  Bend the left arm at the elbow and lower the torso to engage the elbow in the outer crook of the bent right leg’s knee. Keep the 90° angle of the forward right leg.  There is a tendency to raise the pelvis here which you should resist.  Lower your torso until you can engage left elbow in the outer crook of the bent leg. 

Pause in this position and, keeping your spine extended, press your left elbow into the outer knee.  This will provide leverage to assist in rotating your torso around your extended spine and facing your navel skyward. 
Now, lower your torso down and extend the left arm to the floor.  The extended left ribs should lie against the top of the bent right leg with no rounding of the spine.  Turn your gaze and the whole front torso to face the sky.  Keep the right angle of the bent leg without raising the pelvis.

If this is too difficult for you at the moment, position a block next to your outer right foot.  Then, rest the right hand on this prop and straighten the arm with the torso elevated slightly from your bent leg. With your shoulder over your left palm, keep the ribs extended and parallel with the upper bent leg.

Extend the right arm and hand in line with spine over the right ear and look up under arm to ceiling or the sky.   When gazing upwards in this pose be careful not to crane the neck compressing your cervical vertebrae.  Looking up while keeping the vertebrae in your neck extended avoids creating or exacerbating many neck problems.
Keep rear leg active and straight throughout the pose.  Avoid the tendency to bend your rear leg.  A more advanced variation of this pose is to lower heel of the rear leg’s foot to the floor without any loss of the pelvic alignment or height.  Do not lower the heel if it is at the price of the position of your heel.

Continue to roll the navel to sky to get more rotation of your torso around your open and aligned spine. This pose is simultaneously a stretch, balance and twist. After holding the pose for at least 30 seconds come out of the pose by first moving into Virabhadrasana II and then straightening the bent leg.  Change positioning of the feet and legs and do the pose on the other side.

Beginner’s Tips: As a beginner (and often for years thereafter), you may have to do the pose with the rear heel off the floor. That is okay. Focus on having a stable base by creating a stable foundation for yourself with the following:

1. A strong, straight back leg rooted to the floor. As you rotate, make the rear angle acute so you can swivel more easily. Bring the heel down as best you can without losing your pelvic alignment. Some put a sandbag or blanket underneath the heel for support if it doesn’t come down after you twist with your torso.

2. A forward bent leg that is at a right angle. You will find it challenging to get your pelvis low enough to create the right angle of the knee, so keep trying. Experiment with legs closer together and wider apart until you get the perfect distance.

Benefits: Strengthens and stretches the legs, knees, and ankles, the groin muscles, spine, chest and diaphragm, and shoulders
Brings fresh circulation of blood to your abdominal organs
Bathes the cells, especially in your abdomen, in new oxygen and nutrients
Increases stamina
Improves digestion and aids elimination processes
Improves balance
Squeezes out body toxins with the twisting action
Creates healthy spinal flexibility
The pose may help those with constipation, infertility, backache, osteoporosis and sciatica.

Contraindications/Cautions:
Don’t do the pose if you have a headache or high or low blood pressure, or insomnia problems.
If you have any special conditions, find time with a trained yoga instructor who can help you. Listen to your body when you do yoga.  Don’t stretch to the point of injury..

Thanks to teacher Victor Oppenheimer for reviewing and editing this article, and for lending his expertise to the cause of better and more aligned yoga.

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