 (oo-TEE-tah
trik-cone-AHS-anna)
utthita = extended
trikona = three angle or triangle
Step by Step
Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly
jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms
parallel to the floor and reach them actively out
to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.
Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and
your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align
the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs
and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center
of the right knee cap is in line with the center of
the right ankle.
Exhale and extend your torso to the right directly
over the plane of the right leg, bending from the
hip joint, not the waist. Anchor this movement by
strengthening the left leg and pressing the outer
heel firmly to the floor. Rotate the torso to the
left, keeping the two sides equally long. Let the
left hip come slightly forward and lengthen the tailbone
toward the back heel.
Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the
floor outside your right foot, whatever is possible
without distorting the sides of the torso. Stretch
your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the
tops of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral
position or turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly
at the left thumb.
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale
to come up, strongly pressing the back heel into the
floor and reaching the top arm toward the ceiling.
Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of
time to the left. |
