The third week of twists has brought us to a stretch we call Sage Twist in yoga. It’s unique because we turn our head in the opposite direction of our bodies. This gives us a stretch in our neck as well. Bonus! This stretch is done on the floor but if that is not accessible to you, you can sit in a chair and repeat week one of March, the easy seated twist, with turning the head over the opposite shoulder.

You may need a folded blanket for the sage twist stretch.

How to do the Sage Twist:

1. Take a seat on the floor. Swing the legs over to the right and bend the knees. Feet should be next to the right hip. Place the ankle of the right foot in the arch of the left foot. The toe nails of both feet should be on the floor. A close up of the foot placement is in the photo below.  

2. The sit bones should both be on the floor. If the right hip is popping up significantly, place a folded blanket under the left hip as shown in the left bottom photo. This will help to level the hips.

3. Inhale and raise the right arm to the ceiling, lengthening through the arm and spine. As you exhale twist to the left, placing the back of the right hand to the outside of the left thigh. Then take the left hand directly behind the left hip, palm towards the floor. Keeping the torso here, take the gaze over the right shoulder to the feet as shown in the top left photo.

4. As you inhale, expand the collar bones and squeeze the shoulder blades together to open the chest. As you exhale, pull the belly button to the spine and twist a little deeper to the left. Keep the head turned toward the right. You can close your eyes here and just enjoy the twist!

5. Stay here for 30 seconds to a minute. Then switch sides. If your using the blanket make sure to switch it to the other side too!

Check out all our weekly stretches here and email me if you have any questions! Rlackowski@athletico.com