Jathara Parivartanasana (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

ञठर परिवर्तनासन), Revolved Abdomen pose, Belly twist, or Spinal twist is a reclining twist ''

asana An asana 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 later extended in hatha yoga ...

'' in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

Etymology and origins

The name is from the

ञठर ''Jaṭhara'', stomach or abdomen; परिवर्तन ''Parivartana'', to turn around; and आसन ''āsana'', posture or seat. The pose is not found in medieval

hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

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 founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga guru ...

'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 postur ...

''.

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, 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, 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.

Notes

References

Sources