Full Moon Yoga - Triangle Pose

Full Moon Yoga – Triangle Pose

Triangle Pose

This pose, more correctly named Extended Triangle pose, which is Utthita Trikonasana in Sanskrit, is an open and extended shape as the name suggests. There is an element of balance required as the pose strives to be as 2-dimensional as possible, whilst at the same time expanding the whole body, developing strength and stamina. Once found, it feels such a powerful pose where we are receptive to any insight that arrives. This works really well with the Full Moon energies when we often feel strong and alert, ready for whatever comes. It takes some focus to get into and gives us a different perspective on the world with the gaze upwards, letting us feel a sense of achievement, giving us room to grow strong and encouraging us to embrace broader experiences around us.

[Image: Triangle pose]

Physically, the pose works almost the whole body. It is a chest opener, stretching out the pectorals on the front body and latissimus dorsi muscles (“lats”) on the back. The muscles around the shoulders are strengthened as we hold our upper body open, and keep our shoulders from hunching. The abdominals and the core muscles are strengthened. It stretches and strengthens the quads and the calves, and the inner thigh is stretched. The pose is also a hip opener, helps strengthen the arms, ankles and feet, and of course, is another great aid to improving balance and stability.

How to find Triangle pose

This can be stepped into straight from Mountain pose, front foot facing forwards and back foot facing out to the side. Often though the pose follows on from Warrior II pose, by straightening the front knee to have both legs straight. Either way, ensure the feet and knees are appropriately aligned with a wide starting position, the front foot facing straight forward and the back foot turned out at 90º so the toes face out to the side. As in Warrior II, use the hips and shoulders as a guide – they should face out to the side, same as the back foot, aligning the heel of the front foot with the instep or heel of the back foot. Literally, move the front foot side to side until your hips and shoulders comfortably face to the side rather than at an angle or to the front of the mat.

From this wide, side-facing, straight-legged stance, raise the arms up to shoulder height, keep the shoulders down away from the ears, and look towards the thumb of the back hand. (On the side illustrated in the main photo, the right foot is forwards so you look at the left hand.) Check you aren’t arching the back – drawing the tummy muscles in and dropping the tail-bone downwards helps achieve this. Then, keep the whole body facing to the side but reach the side-ribs out over the front leg towards the front hand – reaching and stretching sideways away from where you are looking.

[Image: Reaching the ribs sideways before tilting down to Triangle pose]

When you have reached as far as you can without bending the legs or dropping the shoulders forward, simply tilt the arms and upper body as one unit so the front hand comes down to the front leg, and the back arm reaches up to the sky. The front hand might find the thigh, knee, shin or maybe the ankle – it’s not important how far down you go, but it is key to keep the back shoulder and hip open and up towards the sky. Don’t let the back (left shown here) shoulder or hip drop forwards, even if it means bringing the body and hand back up the leg a little bit. The pose aims to be as 2-dimensional as possible, like being sandwiched between two panes of glass. You should still be looking along the back arm to the back hand which has now tilted up towards the sky, becoming the “top arm”.

Other options

If holding the arm up is a challenge then the back hand can be placed on the back hip before tilting over. (Think “I’m a little teapot” and you’ll find the right combination of arms and tilt 😄)

Whether or not balance is a concern, this is a great pose to explore using a wall behind you. Stand very close to the skirting board and the wall not only provides support if you need it but you can feel if you are dropping forwards with the shoulder or hip, as they will move away from the wall behind. Almost keeping contact with the wall with the whole back of the body is a really useful aid to finding and sustaining that 2-dimensional feel to the pose. Why not try it and see what I mean?

If you are starting from a seated position, keep the hips, body and shoulders facing to the front as much as possible, whilst opening out one leg to the side, and firmly place the foot under the knee for support. The other knee comes down to a block in front of the chair, with the toes tucked under for additional support if needed. This can be a pose itself, using hands on the chair for support, or you can open to a variation of Triangle pose by opening out the arms to the sides and tilting over sideways towards the opened upper knee. The head turns and looks up towards the thumb of the top hand. You can of course, take the hand on hip option described above too.

[Image: Chair-based variation of Triangle pose]

Breathing in the pose

The breath can be used to help us move logically into this pose, and once there it helps us feel strong and in control. As you straighten the legs and lift the arms in the initial stance, breathe in, finding strength and engaging muscles. As you turn the head to look back towards the thumb, breathe out, and settle the shoulders down away from the ears. Breathing in as you lift and shift the ribs towards the front arm will help expand the rib cage and make the pose wider and more open, before you then breathe out and tilt the body over to the side, remembering not to drop the top shoulder and hip forwards. Once settled in the pose, breathe in to draw the shoulders back and open the chest, breathe out to make a little more space in the side ribs and tilt a bit deeper. Breathe in widening the pose and strengthening the legs, breathe out to shift and tilt over and down a little more. If you have Ujjayi (Victorious) breath in your practice, then is a pose where it may enhance the feeling of strength of purpose. Ujjayi breath is described in the Warrior II blog. With either breath, the inhalations can help remind you to open and expand, whilst the exhalations can remind you to release any tension that is holding you back. Each inhale, feeling strong and invincible; each exhale, settling in for the duration.

Moving on

Whether part of a sequence or as a stand-alone pose, make sure you practice Triangle pose on both sides. From Triangle, probably the most natural progression is to bend the front knee and float the body and arms back up to find Warrior II. Alternatively for an energetic challenge, you could shift the weight over the front foot, keep the body open to the side and find Half-Moon Balance, which we’ll explore in another blog. Apart from these options, other ways to move on include bending into the front knee, stepping the back leg forward and bringing the body up, and arms down, to stand in Mountain pose at the top of the mat. Alternatively, from Triangle, bend the front knee, windmill the back arm up and over the head to join the front arm, placing the hands down on the mat and stepping the front foot back, pushing the hips up and away into Downward-Facing Dog. As always, so many options, meaning you can choose what feels right for you today 😊

Make sure you always look after yourself when doing yoga.

It’s important to always listen to your body and only work within your personal limitations. You are fully responsible for your own safety and wellbeing. Make sure your surroundings and your practices are safe. Do not attempt to take a physical posture that is outside of the scope of your practice. If you have any specific medical conditions, injuries, surgeries or are pregnant you should check with your GP or appropriate medical professional before starting any exercise. Keep in mind that yoga might be challenging at times, but it should never be painful. You must stop if you experience any pain, and you should consult your GP if you experience anything untoward such as dizziness or feeling faint. Rest or leave anything out that you need to avoid or that does not feel right.

Louise x