Parivrtta means revolved, turned round or back.
Parsva means side or flank.
Kona is an angle.
This is revolved side angle pose. It is a deep twisting posture that forms the foundation of many other twisting poses such as Parsva Bakasana, Side Crow and Eka Pada Koundinyasana I, a twisting arm balance. As we play with this pose this month, we will see where it leads us.
Parivrtta Parsva Konasana, is related to Side Angle Pose with a twist. It is a harder pose than Revolved Triangle Pose because of the position of the bent knee. The bent knee locks the hips in and makes the twist start down low in the back. In Revolved Triangle Pose, the twist is more evenly spread over the length of the spine. It is for this reason that Revolved Side Angle Pose can be therapeutic for the low back. But, it is also a caution to allow the spine to twist organically and not to try to force the twist. We will use Revolved Triangle as a prep to come into Revolved Side Angle Pose.
The nature of twisting poses is that they change energy. If you are feeling stuck and lethargic, twists can help you get unstuck and energize you. On the other hand if you’re feeling wound up, twists can release energy and calm you down.
The thing about twists, however, is that when we run into difficulty in this pose we literally run into our self. Our own body gets in our way. How do we sit with the energy of that? What does it bring up for us? Does the judge or critic show up? Do we get mad or frustrated with ourselves? Do we try to use our arms for leverage and try to force ourselves into some external, or preconceived idea about ourselves? This is the interesting, inner work of the pose.
Pay attention to your breath while practicing Parivrtta Parsva Konasana. We generally use and exhalation to come into a twist and an inhalation to come out of one. But, notice your breath while you are in the pose. It will be a little more restricted , but can you still breathe easily?