Seated Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
A seated twist turns the chest and shoulders to one side while the hips stay grounded. Ardha Matsyendrasana means half lord of the fishes: ardha is half, and Matsyendra is a figure from yoga stories. You lengthen the spine first and then rotate gently from the ribs, never from the neck.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Ardha Matsyendrasana
- Pronunciation
- AR-duh mut-see-en-DRAHS-uh-nuh. Ardha has two syllables; the long word leans on DRAHS.
- Family
- Twists
- Practised in
- Yoga for beginners
- In pregnancy
- Adapt
- After birth
- Adapt
A seated twist is one of the plainest ways to move the spine in a direction most of us rarely use. It needs no strength and very little flexibility, only patience to sit tall before you turn.
It comes into most of my first lessons at home for new students, often straight after sitting cross-legged in Sukhasana, because it takes a minute to learn and works on any floor or chair.
If you spend the day at a desk, the chair version is worth knowing on its own. Lying down, the same turn becomes the twist lying on your back, which lets gravity do the work.
How to do Seated Twist
Sit on a folded blanket with both legs straight out in front of you.
Bend your right knee and place the right foot on the floor outside the left thigh. Keep the left leg straight, or bend it and tuck the left heel by the right hip.
Place your right hand on the floor behind you, close to the hip, fingertips down.
Breathe in and sit tall. Breathe out and turn your chest to the right, hugging the right knee with the left arm or hooking the left elbow outside it.
With each in-breath lengthen a little; with each out-breath turn only as far as is easy. Let the head follow last.
Stay for five breaths, unwind slowly on an in-breath and repeat on the other side.
My cues
- Height first, twist second. If you are slumping to turn further, stop and sit taller.
- Keep both sit bones heavy on the blanket, so the turn happens in the ribs, not the hips.
Modifications
- Sit higher, on a block or two blankets, so the spine can lift without effort.
- Keep the bottom leg straight if folding it bothers the knee.
- Do it on a chair: sit sideways or forward, feet flat, and turn with one hand on the backrest.
In pregnancy. Adapt. Twist only gently and only in the open direction, turning away from the bent knee so the belly is never squeezed. Keep the legs wide, sit high and stay well short of your end range. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you, keep twists small and open at first, and wait longer after a caesarean birth. Ease off if you feel pulling along the scar or the middle of the belly.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the back and pulling with the arm to get further. The turn should come from length, not leverage.
- Cranking the neck round to look behind you before the chest has turned.
- Letting one sit bone lift off the floor.
Pairs well with
- Easy PoseSukhasana
- Seated Forward BendPaschimottanasana
- Supine TwistSupta Matsyendrasana