Jathara Parivartanasana (), Revolved Abdomen pose, Belly twist, or Spinal twist is a reclining twist ''

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

'' in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

Etymology and origins

The name is from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, stomach or abdomen; , to turn around; and , posture or seat. The pose is not found in medieval

hatha yoga Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...

texts, but is described in 20th century manuals including

B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...

's 1966 ''

Light on Yoga ''Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika'' (Sanskrit: योग दीपिका, "Yoga Dīpikā") is a 1966 book on the Iyengar Yoga style of modern yoga as exercise by B. K. S. Iyengar, first published in English. It describes more than 200 yoga postu ...

''.

Description

The full pose, sometimes called Jathara Parivartanasana B, is entered from a supine position, with the arms outspread on the ground, level with the shoulders. For the full pose, the legs are raised straight up and then lowered to one side, keeping the opposite shoulder on the ground. In

Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga Ashtanga yoga (not to be confused with Patanjali's ''Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), aṣṭāṅgayoga'', the eight limbs of yoga) is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the twentieth century, often promoted as a ...

, the pose is used cautiously, in combination with deep muscle exercises, to help relieve low back pain: it is not sufficient on its own as the strength of core muscles along the spine also needs to be developed. Article published in Issue 32, February 2014 of ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'' (Germany).

Variations

For an easier pose, sometimes called Jathara Parivartanasana A, the knees are bent over the body, and rotated to one side; the legs may then be straightened. In

Iyengar Yoga Iyengar Yoga, named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, and described in his bestselling 1966 book '' Light on Yoga'', is a form of yoga as exercise that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of yoga postures ...

, the hips are moved a little away from the side the legs will descend before the rotation. A weight may be held in the hand on the opposite side. The pose may also be practised with the legs descending half-way down.

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