Half Lord of the Fishes
Detox, Twist and Shout
Welcome to week four of the travel yoga pose breakdown, inspired by 5 Best Travel Yoga Poses You can do (Practically) Anywhere to Energize.
This week, we’re twisting and shouting! Half lord of the fishes is a great, grounded option to rinse your internal organs and twist your spine.
Listen to your body—if a shape doesn’t feel good (pain is a different sensation then a releasing stretch), don’t do it. And as always, be sure to get your doctor’s approval before starting any new exercise routine.
If you’re a curious adventurer, looking for your next immersion and opportunity to practice travel yoga, join us in our upcoming retreat to Dominical, Costa Rica! Learn more about the beautiful beach town of Dominical here.
Half Lord of the Fishes: Travel Yoga Pose #4
This luscious twist can be oh-so-subtle in public, depending on where you’re sitting. Twists work to reset your spine and are fabulous companions while traveling. Additionally, twists gently massage your internal organs. Half Lord of the Fishes adds in an element of compression between your inner thigh and belly to further stimulate your internal organs. If bending your knee in isn’t an option where you are (or due to what you’re wearing) you can omit that aspect of the pose and still receive majority of the twist’s benefits.
How to
Half Lord of the Fishes
Begin in a seated position with straight legs. Bend your right knee and plant your right foot somewhere near the outside of your straight left knee. Then, bend your left knee and draw your heal towards your booty, but not underneath so you are sitting on it. Plant your right hand behind you and on an inhale, reach your left hand skyward and gaze towards your right shoulder. With your exhale, bend your left elbow and hook it to the outside of your right knee. Hold for 5 or more breaths and follow with the left side immediately, staying with each side for an equal amount of breaths.
Troubleshoot
Posture:
Between reaching up and twisting over, it’s challenging to maintain your personally perfect posture (as stacked, vertically, as possible in your spine) throughout this twist. However, it is vital that you do to keep your spine safe. You may notice a tendency to rely on your back hand for support. This renders the twist less active and beneficial while putting excessive pressure on your wrist.
To correct, know that your back hands’ purpose is to provide traction to deepen your twist rather than support you. It’s also common to lean in this pose—forward or to one side. Mirrors help with addressing this misalignment, as does closing your eyes and feeling equal weight in both of your sitting bones.
Once you’ve addressed one or both of these misalignments, use your inhales to actively lift the top of your head towards the ceiling and your exhales to strengthen and deepen the twist by pulling your navel in and up.
Shoulders:
Resist the temptation to lean into a shrug here. The above corrections for posture should help, but if your body is tight you may opt to dismiss the legs and instead try this seated twist.
Benefits
- Great for digestion
- Promotes blood flow to vertebral discs
- Massages liver, stomach, intestines, and other organs
- Prompts spinal rotation which supports spinal health
- Relieves menstrual cramps
- Combats fatigue
Modify
Straighten a Leg
You can straighten the leg that isn’t being used as a hook, or do away with the legs and simply twist your spine from an easy seat.
Amplify
Bind
This video by Do Yoga With Me demonstrates the bind very well (notice how his spine returns to stacked and erect)
What are your favorite travel yoga poses? We’re always looking to improve and revise content. Comment below or tag us on social media with your favorite travel yoga poses to energize.
