The Shoulder Blades and the Upper Back in the Spinal Twist Yoga Pose

Twist poses are loved by yogis old and new, not only because they feel good on your body, but they are also beneficial. If you practice yoga, you will most likely shift your body into a couple of different twist poses during class. The anatomical areas that receive the most focus and attention in twist poses are the middle and upper part of your back -- the thoracic and cervical spine, respectively -- and your shoulders.

  1. Benefits of Twists

    • Two common types of twists practiced in yoga are seated twisted and supine twists, which are twists practiced while lying on your back. Twists can help stretch and strengthen your upper back and shoulders, relieving tension and easing sore muscles. The twisting motion also helps detoxify your internal organs, such as your liver and kidneys, as well as strengthening and energizing your entire spine, aiding in digestion, stimulating circulation, providing positive effects to your musculoskeletal system, and even helping to enhance your consciousness.

    Anatomy of a Twist

    • Twists will improve the range of motion in your spine. However, once the spine is twisted, the upper back and shoulder blades will usually follow, allowing you to go deeper into your twist while stretching and strengthening your upper back and shoulder muscles. The thoracic spine -- the middle part of your back -- is not very mobile, so it is important to begin to twist from your waist, which allows your thoracic spine to easily twist, and helps your shoulders and neck, or cervical spine, to rotate around, giving you maximum benefit.

    Warming Up to Twist

    • In order to avoid injury and properly warm up your body to prepare for twists, you should stretch your shoulders, spine and upper back. Cat/cow pose is a way to stretch all three of these areas, especially cat pose, which can provide you with a deep stretch across your upper back and into your shoulders. Another popular pose called Thread the Needle can really open up and stretch your shoulders and back.

    Practicing a Twist

    • A common yoga twist is Marichi's pose, also known as marichyasana in Sanskrit. This is a seated twist, and you can begin by sitting comfortably on your mat. Start with your left leg extended out in front of you, and the right leg bent, with the sole of your right foot on your mat and placed on inside of your straight left leg. One of the most important parts of a twist is to begin with an inhale and lengthen your spine. Take your inhale breath, then exhale while rotating your torso and wrapping your left arm around your right knee or thigh. Continue to inhale and lengthen your spine while twisting a little more with every exhale breath. Pull the thigh of your bent leg in toward your stomach, relax your shoulders and shoulder blades down your back, and if it's not uncomfortable, carefully turn your head toward the right which will help you complete the twist while stretching your cervical spine and entire upper back. After holding this twist for 30 seconds to one minute, carefully un-twist yourself and take the other side to balance out your spine, shoulders and back.