Category: Twists
Level: beginner
Hold: 8–15 breaths per side
Type: Asana
Breath: Slow, easy breathing — let each exhale release a little more weight into the floor.

Supine Twist

Supta Matsyendrasana — "reclined posture of Matsyendra, the lord of the fishes"

Also known as: Reclined Spinal Twist, Reclined Twist

Lying on your back, knees dropping to one side, arms wide: gravity does the twisting for you. Usually one of the last poses of a practice, and one of the easiest to relax into.

Step by step

1Lie on your back and hug both knees into your chest.
2Open your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, palms up or down.
3Exhale and let both knees drop to the right, stacking them roughly on top of each other.
4Keep both shoulders heavy on the floor — it's fine if the knees hover to allow that.
5Turn your head to the left if your neck is comfortable, or keep it centered.
6Rest here and let each exhale soften you a little more toward the floor.
7Draw the knees back to center on an inhale and repeat on the other side.

Benefits

✓ Rotates the spine gently with the floor supporting your whole back.
✓ Releases the low back and outer hips after stronger work.
✓ Stretches the chest and front of the shoulder on the open-arm side.
✓ Requires no effort to hold, which makes it easy to stay and breathe.

Make it yours

· Slide a folded blanket or block between the knees to reduce the pull on the low back.
· Rest the dropped knees on a bolster so the twist is fully supported.
· Keep the knees only partway down instead of all the way to the floor.

Take care

With a recent spinal injury or acute low-back pain, keep the knees higher and the twist very shallow, or skip it.
Later in pregnancy, lying flat on the back for long may feel unpleasant — prop the torso up or lie fully on the side instead.

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Practiced in

Props that help here

Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one

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