The last week of March and the first week of April brings us to the final twist of the month. This is a stretch we did in December, but with a twist, the lunge twist! Feel free to take a look back through our archive and check out the low/high lunge there. Or any of the other stretches posted since the beginning! 

You will need a folded blanket for cushioning your knee, and possibly a yoga block or something similar that is sturdy.

How to do the Lunge Twist:

1. Come into a low lunge with the right leg forward.

   The left knee can have a blanket under it if you like. Make sure the right knee is stacked over the right ankle creating 90 degree angle. Inhale and reach the arms up to the sky. Pull the belly in and engage the abdomen.

*Now there are three options to choose from for the twist. Each one a little deeper stretch than the other. Please explore and try them all to see which feels the best for you.

2. First option:

   Place a yoga block, or something similar, just inside the right foot. Exhale as you twist to the right, and place the left hand on the block. Inhale as you raise the right arm to the sky. Gaze can be at the top hand or the horizon, as shown in the top left photo.

3. Second option:

   Bring the palms of the hands together in front of the chest. Inhale as you reach the crown of the head to the sky, and exhale as you twist from the belly to the right, bringing the left tricep to the outside of the right thigh, as shown in the top right photo. Keep pressing the palms together so that the elbows stack. Pressing the hands together also helps you twist a little more.

Tip: pressing the tricep into the thigh as you press the thigh into the tricep will help you twist even deeper!

4. Third option:

   This is the deepest twist of them all. Place the block on the outside of the right foot. From center, bring the palms together as in option 2 above. Once you’ve gotten the left tricep on the outside of the right thigh, you can begin to open up the arms. The left hand reaches to the block, and the right hand reaches to the sky as shown in the bottom left photo.

Incorrect alignment:

In all of these variations, the front knee and ankle stay stacked. The bottom right photo shows the incorrect alignment with the knee going over the toes and the elbows not stacked. Try to refrain from this!

Tip 2: With every inhale keep lengthening through the crown of the head to stretch the spine, and every exhale pull the belly towards the spine to twist even deeper.

5. Stay in twist for up to a minute. Inhale to come back to center, then switch sides, doing the same variation on each side!

Read our other weekly stretches here and email me if you have any questions! Rlackowski@athletico.com