The Trouble with Triangle

I’m not sure when the omnipotent yogafairy decided that Trikonasana was a beginner pose but it’s a decision of epic fail. Keep in mind that my One rule of yoga is that the ONLY way you can do yoga wrong is if it HURTS. Discomfort is up to you but PAIN is bad. Always. It should go without saying that before starting any new exercise regimen, you should talk to your doctor to make sure it’s safe.

I was listening to the Gaiam Yoga Club’s Tadasana/Trikonasana audio lesson and – while the direction was really good if you know what you’re doing – I kept thinking about all the things that WEREN’T getting said. Don’t get me wrong – for a 29 minute file, it did a nice job of taking you through the positions and had some really great instruction about the use of feet. Well, other than ‘broaden your heels’. Seriously? WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN. But I digress.

Triangle is probably considered a “foundation” pose rather than “beginner” but that all seems to bleed together when you’re talking about people who are new to yoga. The problem with this is that, without correct explanation, you can seriously fuck up your lower back in Trikonasana. Personally, I always teach extended side angle (utthita parsvakonasana) first in order to avoid the problems inherent in triangle.

1. Without a strong leg base, including proper knee position, you’re going to be in trouble. The legs provide most of the support in this asana – note that I said MOST because this ALSO involves core strength. Side angle allows you to bend the knee first to check the position before putting the knee into a ‘weaker’ position. Colleen DID make a point in the audio about checking the knee position before triangle in this way, so kudos for that.

2. The idea in triangle AND side angle is that your torso and hips remain in one plane. Now we all know that that’s not exactly how the human body works and without CLEAR explanation of this, people’s asses go poking toward the back of the room. Then, when they lean/fold into triangle, their backs are all out of whack and twisting. Triangle and side angle are NOT twisting poses (though they do have revolved/twisting versions).

The biggest problem with this from triangle rather than side angle is upper body support. With side angle, you can use the hand or elbow to help support the torso and prevent too much pressure being exerted on the lumbar vertebrae while you (or a teacher) correct the stance. Starting with side angle allows you to safely introduce the motion of triangle without blowing out a disc.

3. Both side angle and triangle require core strength because, while you’re lifting with your feet and legs you ALSO have to lift with the torso. The most common problem I see in side angle and triangle is a collapse of the side body toward the leg. By this I mean that while you are standing, both of your sides (or sidebodies) are nice and long and (usually) even. As you lean to the side, there’s a tendency for the lower shoulder to collapse toward the lower hip, so that the side looks like a C rather than a |. A collapsing side coupled with twisted spine multiplied by all of your body weight = BAD BACK.

4. So my key points for triangle:
Use your feet. Spread out your toes. You should be able to press down through the ball of the foot below the big toe and pinky, feel the inside and outside edge of your heel in contact with the floor, as well as press through the outside edges of the feet in order to lift the instep of your foot away from the mat. This is the solid contact base.

Lift with the back leg. Pressing down through the outside edge of the back foot will help, but think about actively lifting with your thighs and glutes. Lift with the front leg. While there should always be a slight bend in each leg (NEVER lock the knees), you want the front quadricep to be active – the kneecap should be drawing up toward your thigh and if you wanted to wiggle it between two fingers, it shouldn’t slide much.

Tuck the tailbone under slightly. This helps to keep the hips in the same plane as the chest and also builds the base of the core lift. Draw the abs in and think about lengthening the spine.

The tricky part to describe: Keeping the chest long and tall, slide the hip of the back leg BACK – this will automatically cant your torso forward. Keep the abs drawn in and think about lifting with the low (leaning toward the front leg) side of your torso. Start by placing your forward hand on your forward thigh. Slide the hand down as far as you can while keeping the side of you body long and your hips and torso in the same plane (as though you were pressed up against a wall).

Initially keeping the back arm flat to your side will help mantain that planar balance – it becomes a physical guide for your thigh, hip and ‘top’ side to stay in line. If you feel comfortably balanced, you can lift that arm straight up toward the sky. The key is that your entire torso weight is NOT in your lower hand, rather evenly balance between hand, torso and legs. That’s what gives triangle a kind of floaty feeling.

5. That’s just the leg/abs part. To make it more even bodywork, pull the shoulderblades down your back and slightly together – this keeps the shoulders active. At the same time, reach out through both sets of fingertips and it will maximize the amount of muscle work you can do. Arm work is always optional and you should ALWAYS listen to your body. You can do triangle without involving the arms at all, if you like.

MOST importantly – Your mileage may vary. I haven’t discussed foot positioning because I really think I could make that a whole post, which leads me to my next point…

I think these things are often difficult to explain in text and I’m thinking about making a video demo of what I’m talking about. In the age of Yoga Journal (which I love) people think they should look like the picture rather than do what the asanas are intended. YJ doesn’t always take the time to point out that everyone’s physical structure is a little different and – contrary to popular yoga verbiage – there are things that you may NEVER be able to do, no matter how long you practice. It all depends on how your ligaments and tendons are built, where they attach and how your joints are put together.

Possibly my favorite thing about the audio so far is that Colleen emphasized not taking it too seriously, enjoying it and being able to laugh as well as NOT getting competitive with yourself. I think every class should start this way. Like I said, if you’ve been practicing – or have been to a class – this would be a great way to start taking apart postures on your own at home.