Iyengar yoga chair twists to release the back
Starting off, sit on a chair facing the backrest with your heels positioned to the outer edge of the chair leg. Place your left forearm and hand on the chair’s backrest then place your right hand to grip the underside of the chair seat now with a twisting movement of the back turn to the right. Repeat these movements to the other side.
Now change your position & sit side on the chair seat and place an upright block widthways between your thighs. Place each hand on the chair’s backrest and now move with a twisting motion of the back, maintaining stability with the legs and feet. After repeating on the opposite side remove the block, now place the feet and knees together and continue with twisting movement once again with the hands positioned on the chair’s backrest.
Now place the chair side against the wall and place a block, flat and lengthways on the chair. Stand behind the chair facing the seat and rest the foot closest to the wall on to the block. Take the opposite hand and place it on the outside of the knee with the bent leg. Place the palm of the other hand on the wall with the arm at a 45-degree angle. The twisting movement of the back is now taken in the direction of the wall. In these twists, the torso is moving to face the wall.
For the final twists in this sequence, the chair is still positioned sideways. Now take the foot furthest from the wall onto the block take the opposite hand to the outside of the knee and place the palm of the other hand back to the wall at a 45-degree angle. In this twist, the body is facing away from the wall.
Video stills from this sequence
