Yoga Twists To Age

Gracefully

Why Yoga twists are important?

When we are washing clothes and you want to wring out the water. You stretch the cloth and twist it, till all the water is removed. Similarly, twists like Ardha Matsyendrasana, Parivrrta Parasvakona, Parivrrta Janu sirsasana are essential to detoxify the body. And they should be practiced everyday!

As per BKS Iyengar, twists are detoxifying because of the squeeze and soak action. The organs of detoxification and elimination are compressed. Thus, pushing out old blood when we twist. And when releasing the twist, fresh blood flows in.

Twist to keep the body young and agile

Twisting postures are complementary to forward and backward bending asanas. As the twists exercise the muscles in more complex ways, than the symmetrical movements of flexion and extension.

Structurally speaking, the primary purpose of all twists is to rotate the spine. The secondary purpose is to realign the relationship between the shoulder girdle and the spine. Finally, the pelvic girdle and the spine. Thus providing more mobility in the body. That is, our range of movement increases.

Unfortunately, many people lose full spinal rotation, hip mobility in the course of living a sedentary lifestyle. Thus, lengthen the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (connective tissues) to their full length at least a few times a week.

Practicing yoga twists, there are some clear benefits to these same joints and soft tissues. Not only do you maintain the normal length and resilience of the soft tissues, but you also help to maintain the health of the discs and facet joints. Besides, twisting helps keep the spinal discs properly lubricated.

Lastly, it is said that, the more flexible your spine is, the more gracefully you age. And know you know how exactly this works. So, twist and turn a little more and you can travel the world!