Twist Yourself Trim

Nothing feels as good as a spinal twist if you’ve been sitting for hours at a desk, in the car or on a plane. But did you know that twists tone your digestive system and your waistline as well as relieving tension in your back muscles?

Twists work the outer core: back muscles, abdominals and obliques. This helps to support movement in the spine as well as toning the tummy and waist area. Twists also help you to keep in shape by creating movement in and around our organs, thus helping food to move along the digestive tract.

Spinal twists are said to be detoxifying because they create heat in the body, thereby increasing our metabolism and allowing us to burn off toxins and excess calories!

A common description of twists in yoga is the ‘wringing out a cloth’ image. While twists are not literally wringing out your internal organs, it is a useful image to describe the squeeze-and-soak action that takes place inside the organs when we move in and out of twists. When we move into a twist, old blood and toxins are squeezed out of the organs. When we release out of the pose, fresh blood moves in.

In restorative yoga, reclining twists are supported by props and bolsters. This allows us to stay comfortably in the pose for several minutes so that deep release takes place, both in outer muscles as well as internal organs.

A well-executed twist is both soft and strong. Through mindful practice, we can gradually improve the tone and flexibility of the spine and outer core muscles and Twist Yourself Trim. As Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu wrote: ‘softness triumphs over hardness. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.’

A lesson for life, not just for twists…

Join Paula this Saturday, 6th September for Core & Restore, where the focus will be on safe, soothing twists for improved elimination, organ tonification and profound relaxation.

Twist Yourself Trim

Nothing feels as good as a spinal twist if you’ve been sitting for hours at a desk, in the car or on a plane. But did you know that twists tone your digestive system and your waistline as well as relieving tension in your back muscles?

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