(d) Finally, try to lean back a bit, turn right,
raise your left hand and stretch it in the
direction of the Twist (to the right). Then turn
left, raise your right hand, and pull it to the
left. The arms help you to further extend the
spine.
It’s also worth finding objects around. You can
grab them to intensify the Twist. It could be
anything, a sofa, a table, a wall, etc.
I found it more useful to do yoga on wooden
floors or on tatami mats, rather than on a
regular yoga mat. Put 4 tatami mats together,
and you won’t be limited in space during the
practice. Plus, tatami mats are thicker, more
stable, and they don’t get folded. You can hold
the edges to go deeper into Twists.
When we do a Wide-Legged Forward Bend
(Prasarita Padottanasa), we are generally told
to keep our legs perpendicular to the ground,
make sure our hips and knees are in one line,
and not to lean back. However correct it may
seem, sometimes I intentionally lean back to
intensify the stretch on my inner thighs. Again,
it’s up to you to decide which part of your
body needs more stretch.