Gruninger: Strength Pose Of The Month ... Trikonasana

Gruninger: Strength Pose Of The Month … Trikonasana

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on April 7, 2022
- 6:33 am

By JACCI GRUNINGER MS, C-IAYT, ERYT500
Los Alamos

Although often considered a beginners pose, like Downward Facing Dog, Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) is anything but. There are so many nuances to this posture and it requires a good deal of strength and stability.

In Sanskrit, tri means ‘three’ and kona means ‘angle’ while asana means ‘postures’. This is the posture of three angles.

The number three is found regularly in religion, politics, nature, and spirituality, In yoga, there are the three gunas (Satva, Rajas, Tamas), the three Ayurvedic doshas (Kapha, Vata, Pita), the three main nadis (Ida, Pingala, Sushumna) and the three sounds of A-U-M among others.

In Hindu mythology, the three sides of the triangle represent the Trimurti or three Hindu deities: Lord Brahma (the Creator), Lord Vishnu (the Sustainer) and Lord Shiva (the Destroyer or Transformer).

You can think of moving into and out of a posture in threes: moving into, being in and moving out – creating, sustaining, transforming.

A traditional triangle is considered masculine – symbolizing power, divinity, mountains, prosperity, harmony and royalty. The upturned triangle is feminine, lunar, representing the great mother, water, and grace. Both triangles can be found in this posture.

When you practice this posture you want to feel stability and grace. Postures are not just the physical shape we create with our bodies, they are also something to be experienced in the mind, body and spirit.

The benefits received from Triangle Posture include:

Hip flexibility and strength
Abdominal strength
Inner thigh strength
Shoulder stretch
Increased stability and balance
Back strength and length

As always, there are many ways to modify and vary the posture to fit your needs. Below are a few.

Traditional Posture

Take a wide but stable stance on your mat.
Turn the right leg out 90 degrees and the left leg and foot slightly toward the center.
Engage your abdominal wall, drawing your tailbone slightly down.
Lift your arms to shoulder height.
Inhale and reach as far to the right as possible keeping your spine straight, staying long through both sides of your body.
Rotate your arms up and down, reaching through the fingers.
Reach through the crown of your head and turn the head to look up, stay forward or look down.
Breathe deeply. Lift the sternum up and keep your body in one plane.
To release the posture, inhale and pull upward through the left hand as you lift the torso back to center.
Turn the feet to face forward and then walk them together.
Repeat to the other side.

Modifications to the traditional Pose

Take a smaller stance.
Keep top hand on the hip or fingers to the shoulder.
Use a block behind the ankle or lightly hold the front leg.
Straight-legged triangle
Use a chair

About Jacci Gruninger:

Jacci Gruninger is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist. She has been teaching for over two decades and spent 12 of those years training yoga teachers for the Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts. She regularly helps clients manage the ups and downs of life with yoga, meditation, breathwork and bodywork. Her Yoga Therapy Center is at 190 Central Park Square #212. For her in person and online teaching schedule and information on her other services, visit her website at www.yogawithjacci.com.